John Parr | |
|---|---|
 Parr performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | John Stephen Parr (1952-11-18) 18 November 19521 Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Origin | Sherwood Forest, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1964–present |
| Website | www |
John Stephen Parr (born 18 November 1952) is an English musician best known for his 1985 single "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" for the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire, charting at No.1 in the US and No.6 in the UK, and for his 1984 U.S. No.6 rock single "Naughty Naughty".2 He has written and performed 12 major motion picture theme songs, including the themes for Three Men and a Baby and The Running Man. Parr was nominated for a Grammy award for "St. Elmo's Fire" in 1985.3
Career
"Naughty Naughty" was Parr's first US Top 40 hit record, reaching No.23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. In 1985, Parr toured with his band "The Business" supporting Toto, his first show with Toto at Carowinds Paladium (Charlotte, North Carolina), and playing 10,000-seat venues across America.4 By the end of the tour, David Foster asked Parr to record a song for the film St. Elmo's Fire. Parr and Foster wrote "St. Elmo's Fire" in honour of wheelchair athlete and activist Rick Hansen; it became the theme to St. Elmo's Fire5 (a "Brat Pack" film unrelated to Hansen's life or achievements).67
Parr later wrote "Under a Raging Moon" with Julia Downes for Roger Daltrey,6 a song that paid tribute to Keith Moon and told the story of the Who.
Parr was soon singing with Marilyn Martin on the song "Through the Night", from the Quicksilver soundtrack (1986). Parr wrote and produced further tracks for Martin's debut album, including the hit "Night Moves". A year later, he wrote and sang the title songs "The Minute I Saw You", from Three Men and a Baby soundtrack, and the power ballad "Restless Heart" (a.k.a. "Running Away with You (Restless Heart)"), from The Running Man soundtrack (this song was re-released on the album Man with a Vision). After the success of Meat Loaf's album, Parr contributed to the next album with the hit duet "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries".5
In 1989, Parr performed "The Best a Man Can Get" for the Gillette Super Bowl XXIII commercial, which he co-wrote with composer Jake Holmes.7 He released a recording of the song as "The Best" in 2013.8
On 20 July 2007, Parr and his band opened for Bryan Adams at the Keepmoat Stadium in Parr's home town Doncaster.9
In 2012, Parr released a revised version of "St. Elmo's Fire" entitled "Tim Tebow's Fire". It included the following lyrics: "You know I’m out there/Down on one knee/A prisoner/And I'm tryin' to break free".3
Filmmaker
Parr wrote and produced "Road To Damascus" which was considered for Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards in 2004. In 2022, Parr made the documentary film Unconquered about injured soldiers and their recovery which won 170 awards at festivals around the world. Parr's 2025 film A Pack of Five is slated for screening in shows in 2026.10
Discography
Studio albums
- John Parr (1984)
- Running the Endless Mile (1986)
- Man with a Vision (1992)
- Under Parr (1996)
- The Mission (2012)
Live albums
- Letter to America (2011)
Soundtrack albums
- Paris (1989)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 11 |
US | US Rock | AUS 12 | |||
| 1984 | "Naughty Naughty" | 58 | 23 | 6 | — | John Parr |
| 1985 | "Magical" | — | 73 | 28 | — | |
| "St. Elmo's Fire" | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack | |
| "Love Grammar" | — | 89 | — | — | John Parr | |
| 1986 | "Don't Leave Your Mark on Me" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Rock 'n' Roll Mercenaries" (with Meat Loaf) | 31 | — | — | — | Blind Before I Stop | |
| "Blame It on the Radio" | — | 88 | — | — | Running the Endless Mile | |
| "Two Hearts" | 10413 | — | — | — | ||
| "Running the Endless Mile" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Restless Heart" | — | — | — | — | The Running Man soundtrack |
| 1990 | "Always on my Mind" | — | — | — | — | Butterbrot soundtrack |
| 1991 | "Westward Ho" | — | — | — | — | Go Trabi Go soundtrack |
| 1992 | "Man with a Vision" | — | — | — | — | Man with a Vision |
| "It's Startin' All Over Again" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "The River Runs Deep" | — | — | — | — | Under Parr |
| 1996 | "Size of the Boat" | — | — | — | — | |
| "Secrets" | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "St. Elmo's Fire" (re-recording) | 8114 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "New Horizon" (remix of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" as "John Parr vs. Tommyknockers") |
43 | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Walking Out of the Darkness" | 155 | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | "The Minute I Saw You" | — | — | — | — | |
Various Artists The Anti-Heroin Project. Charity Single produced by Charles Foskett.
Guest appearances: John Parr, Elkie Brooks, Bonnie Tyler, Nik Kershaw, Holly Johnson, Kim Wilde, Hazel O'Connor, Cliff Richard, Robin Gibb, Mike Peters and others.
| Year | Single | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Live-In World" (The Anti-Heroin Project) | 14215 |
References
References
- Search Results for England & Wales Births 1837–2006, Findmypast.co.uk
- Linda Moleski (27 December 1986). "John Parr, a man in motion, has new LP". Billboard. p. 34. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Levy, Glen (11 January 2012). "John Parr Updates St. Elmo's Fire Theme Song for Tim Tebow". Time. Time. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- "St Elmo's Fire musician John Parr performing in Westwoodside this weekend". Archived from the original on 22 January 2014.
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 340. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
- Hunt, Dennis (30 August 1985). "Rocker Parr propelled by hot 'St. Elmo's Fire'". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- N/A, Fongolia. "Fong Songs: Shaved and Confused". fongsongs.blogspot.com. Blogspot. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- "John Parr - The Best". Spotify. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- "John Parr at Keepmoat stadium Doncaster on 20th July 2007". NME. Retrieved 14 November 2012
- "An Evening with St Elmo's Fire Singer, Songwriter and Filmmaker – John Parr". Victory Services Club. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 417. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Gallup Top 200 Singles". Gallup. 18 October 1986. Retrieved 9 December 2022 – via ukmix.org.
- "Chart Log UK: Rodney P. − The Pussycat Dolls". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
- "Gallup Top 200 Singles". Gallup. 8 November 1986. Retrieved 13 December 2022 – via ukmix.org.