Show Me The Way by Peter Frampton

Album: Frampton (1975)

Charted: 10 6

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Songfacts®:

In this song, Frampton is a drowning man looking for someone to throw him a life preserver. The lyric is rather vague, but it's clear he is seeking guidance, asking another to "show him the way."

The lyric could relate to a specific person or to a higher power; Frampton kept it universal on purpose, but he did have a specific inspiration in mind. "I just met somebody that gave me such confidence," he told Melody Maker in 1976. "My life is completely changed. All the lyrics in that song are about me and her."

That person is Penny McCall, his girlfriend at the time. Frampton was married when they met in 1972, and his divorce wasn't finalized until 1976, so he tried not to talk about her in the press. He did put her in a song title though: an instrumental from 1975 called "Penny For Your Thoughts."
The original studio version of this song was released on the 1975 album Frampton, Peter's fourth. At the time, he had a modest following and was building a reputation as a stellar live performer. What he didn't have was a hit.

Frampton's label, A&M, had him compile a live album for his next release. He put one together with six songs - none of which were "Show Me The Way" - and played it for his label boss, Jerry Moss, who asked, "Where's the rest of it?"

With the go-ahead to make it a double album, Frampton included "Show Me The Way." Frampton Comes Alive was released in January 1976; by April, it sold a million copies in America.

"Show Me The Way" got the best listener response and the most airplay, so it was issued as the first single, climbing to #6 in May and giving Frampton his first hit. Frampton Comes Alive was the best-selling album of 1976 and eventually sold over 8 million copies just in America.
On the intro to the live version, Frampton used a talkbox, a device hooked up to his guitar that allowed him to create amplified, distorted vocal sounds with his mouth. A talkbox is made with tubing connected to a compression driver (meant to be part of a P.A. system), with the other end going into the performer's mouth. The unit is then hooked up to the guitar amp.
The talkbox effect was a huge hit. Many musicians responded by buying one or trying to make their own. More than a few young people lost some cavities when they created faulty talkboxes and sent electric current into their mouths.
Frampton's songs "Baby, I Love Your Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do" also became huge hits from his live album. These songs still get lots of airplay.
"Show Me The Way" was one of the first songs U2 performed as a group - they played it at their high school talent show using the band name Feedback. When Frampton crossed paths with Bono, the U2 frontman told him he thought of the song as a prayer.
Along with "Do You Feel Like We Do," this is one of two Peter Frampton songs used in the movie Dazed And Confused, which follows a group of high school kids in 1976.

The song also shows up in the movies Click (2006) and Wayne's World 2 (1993), and also in episodes of Madam Secretary, Joan Of Arcadia and Cold Case.
Like Chicago's "25 Or 6 To 4," this is one of those songs where the singer narrates what was going on at the moment to form the lyrics. Frampton wrote the song one morning in the Bahamas. Note the opening lines:

I wonder how you're feeling there's ringing in my ears
And no one to relate to 'cept the sea

"I wanted to know how she [Penny] was feeling because I couldn't call," Frampton wrote in his memoir Do You Feel Like I Do. "She was probably with her husband, and it wasn't easy to communicate in those days on the phone from the Bahamas to New York. So I wrote the first verse and the chorus lyrics and put it down on my boom box. I made sure I had a good enough version on the cassette so I could come back to it later and finish it."

Comments: 24

Slr from Brooklyn,nyThe live version was recorded at the Commack Arena, in Commack Long Island
Seventhmist from 7th HeavenI'll always remember this song from my youth in the mid-70s, but for an odd reason: I was with a group of teenage boys in a pizza parlor when this song was played on the jukebox. One of the group declared that he despised Peter Frampton, then walked over to the jukebox and dumped an entire jar of parmesan cheese into it. For some reason, dairy did not agree with the record player and the song abruptly stopped. No one else had seen the guy's vandalism, but then the manager came out, looked into the jukebox and said, "S--t, looks like somebody had a meal in there!" We all burst out laughing and he threw us out, promising to call the police if any of us ever came back. We were lucky he didn't call them on the spot.
Paula Aurora from LondonI think he is singing to his ex-wife who he was considering leaving for someone else. But he wants her to do something to give him a reason to fall back in love and make their marriage work.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 15, 1976, "Show Me The Way" by Peter Frampton entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #88; and on May 2nd it peaked at #6 (for 2 weeks) and spent 18 weeks on the Top 100 (and for 5 of those 18 weeks it was on the Top 10)...
Was track three on side one on his double live album, 'Frampton Comes Alive!', and on April 4th, 1976 it reached #1 (for 10 non-consecutive weeks) on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart...
Two other tracks from the album also made the Top 100; "Baby, I Love Your Way" (#12) and "Do You Feel Like We Do" (#10)...
Mr. Frampton will celebrate his 64th birthday in two months on April 22nd (2014).
Camille from Toronto, OhAn ok song that, as an oldie, is overplayed on the radio these days, along with a few other Frampton hits. Why do stations only seem to have a set playlist of the same old tunes and neglect to play so many other great old songs?
Rivaldo from Alagoinhas, BrazilAh!!! Peter Frampton!!! Baby, I Love Way, Show me the Way (Comes Alive Album) and "It's a Sad Afair" album Where I Should Be. Wonderfullllll
Nomy from Chicago, IlLOL,I came here to find out the meaning/interpretations of this song. Religion? hmmm
Marco from Guatemala, GuatemalaThe song it´s about his girlfriend at the time, and it was written at the Bahamas.
Paul from Kennewick, WaI remember this from boot camp of all places, and it never fails to bring backs memories of nasty DIs during PT, etc. And no, none were female! Still, an awesome classic, which I never fail to crank up whenever it comes on.
Ray from New York, Nyto Pove from Warington who asked "why the CD 'Frampton Show Me the Way' pictures him on the cover playing his Gibson? left handed???" As a photographer/graphic designer AND a guitar player, I have examined the image in question. The photo has been reversed. Graphic artists often do that for the sake of composition. Notice that the GIBSON logo on the headstock has been obscured to render it unreadible. Other wise it would have appeared backwards. Another clue is that the Les Paul "Black Beauty" in the photo has a single cutaway. Had Frampton been playing the guitar left handed the cutaway would have to be on the top, which it is not, and the three-way toggle switch would be at the bottom of the guitar-which IT is not.
Katie from Melbourne, AustraliaGreat song, prolly my favourite Frampton song.
Oh... and dig that talk-box. The talk-box is used quite a bit actually, on lots of well-known songs. It's been used by well-known singers and bands such as Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix and Ace (not the band, Ace from KISS), etc.
Bilbo from Tallahassee, FlIt is interesting that there is now rythym guitar except acoustic 12 string. This was due to the mike getting kicked from in front of his amplifier that had the Non-Talk box signal going to it. When using a talk box an artist usually but doesnt have to use a seperate amp for the Talk Box effect to run through. and yes it will rattle your teeth on those low notes big time.
Michael from Summerdale, AlThe talk box does not use the guitars amplifier. The talkbox diverts the guitars signal to the tube and that is amplified by the microphone. See my post on Do you feel like we do. I have never been shocked by one, but I have had my guts blown out while trying to inhale with the tube in my mouth. And some of the lower register notes can rattle a few fillings.
Russ from Plainville, CtI've always suspected that it is about a guy on the verge of switching teams, orientation wise.
Elie from London, Englandi had this cd but lent it to a friend and then he lent the scnd cd to another friend and for some reason their not talking anymore so i can kiss my cd goodbye but hey its ok cause i had originaly borrowed the cd from a friend of mine
who was a big frampton fan but now is into classical music(dont know how that happened)
anyways i am going to bye the album along with a few others
Pete from Nowra, Australiareligion ,sex, lust, unbridaled passion????? it's all there
Ed from Incognito, IlAfter the first line ("I wonder how you're feelin'"), the second line is sung to the person mixing the monitors ("there's ringing in my ears"), basically telling the mixer-dude to EQ the monitors differently, because they're feeding back.
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScThe talkbox is funny.
Dave from Eden Prairie, Mnit sounded to me like he was making some reference to sex
Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScDon't know if anyone's noticed, but Frampton's one heck of a guitar player! Saw him in charlotte NC last summer, and he was amazing! And yes he still has the voice!
Pete from Nowra, Australiatoured Australia a short while ago......ain't go those curls anymore ...in fact ain't got much hair ...still got the voice
Pove from Warington(nr Manchester), Englandcan anyone tell me why the CD 'Frampton Show Me the Way' pictures him on the cover playing his Gibson? left handed??? i havn't seen him play left handed!,and also is there any footage of the Frampton Comes Alive(I) available to obtain...i would love to see it and get that visual involvement? anyone got an answer to any of this please?
Brian from Phoenix, AzTo clarify the Talkbox, the one frampton used was made by a company called Heil. And the sound did NOT go into the guitar amp. The sound traveled up the clear rubber tube and was attached directly to the microphone which was generally plugged into the main PA system.

And you would have to be an idiot to get electrocuted since the effect is created by a rubber tube. There were however rumors that they could loosen cavities due to the vibration.
Josef from Corpus Christi, TxOK now how about comments on what this song means...
I think it's about someone trying to find religion...

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