ROCK MOMENT – Peter Frampton’s ‘Show Me The Way’

Every song has a story behind it. Sometimes a songwriter will allow listeners to come to their own conclusions about the meaning behind the lyrics. And sometimes, they are happy to share their inspiration. Peter Frampton admits he wrote “Show Me The Way” specifically in a romantic context and that it was directed a woman he was smitten with named Penny McCall.

He had gone to the Bahamas to write his fourth album, 1975’s Frampton and wrote most of “Show Me The Way” in about 20 minutes. He wanted to share it with Penny, but couldn’t call her. She was in New York and getting in touch with someone in New York from the Bahamas in those days wasn’t easy. That, and Penny was married.

The studio version of the song and the Frampton album didn’t do much to enhance his reputation as a solo artist. Frampton’s record label wanted him to compile a live album for his next release and he put one together with six songs – none of them were “Show Me The Way”. His label boss, Jerry Moss wanted more. So he included “Show Me The Way” and a few others and got the go-head to make it a double album.

A talkbox effect was used on the live version of the song and was a big hit. The live version of the song was released as the first single on Frampton Comes Alive! in 1976 and eventually climbed to #6. It was his first top ten single.

Frampton Comes Alive! eventually sold over 8 million copies and became the best -selling album of 1976. It spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at #1 and produced 3 hit singles. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020.