‘Hi-fi shops played it as an example of state-of-the-art music. I didn’t tell them I made it with Sellotape in my kitchen’ – Jean Michel Jarre
You know you’re onto something when a director like Peter Weir picks your music for one of his films – which he did with today’s featured piece, Oxygène, Pt. 2, in the classic Australian war film Gallipoli. This includes fragments of the scene where I first heard this immense track as a youngster, and it’s stayed lodged in my music memory ever since. If I want to get a bit trippy, I imagine this piece as a small, bending triangulum prism, with its centre holding that airy atmosphere of oxygen and space. One point connects it to a war film, another to a young French musician tinkering in his kitchen, and the third to the 1968 student uprisings that helped shape it.
Jean-Michel Jarre in his recording studio
It was in those uprisings where Jarre recalled the years of him drifting between rock bands, odd tape experiments, and trying to rebel in whatever way felt honest. Many laughed at the strange sounds he was pulling from his gear, but he kept trying to mix the experimental with something people could actually enjoy.
He says he built his kitchen studio from small savings, using only a few pedals, a Revox tape machine, and an EMS VCS3 synth. He realised that delaying the signal from one speaker made the room feel huge. His Mellotron barely worked, but it was enough to sketch out the melody for Oxygène, Pt. 2. Even his humble Korg Mini Pops drum machine only became interesting after he taped together two presets to make a new rhythm.
Jarre has said he wanted electronic music without vocals, tied somehow to nature and the environment. When he first saw Michel Granger’s painting of Earth peeling open to reveal a skull, he knew instantly: that’s the cover (image inset).
Record labels didn’t see the vision. They rejected the album for having no singer, no drummer, long tracks, and “being too French.” But Francis Dreyfus took the risk and pressed an initial 50,000 copies. Some buyers returned it, thinking the white noise was a defect. Then radio – especially in France and the UK – began playing full sides of the album, and things changed fast.
Oxygène went on to sell roughly 15 million copies worldwide. Jarre has made plenty of music since – big outdoor concerts, sequels to Oxygène, and new electronic experiments – but this album remains the one most closely tied to him.
Sometimes when we’re head-over-heels, our minds start inventing problems that aren’t there. Today’s featured song is Shania’s blunt retort, Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) – basically her smiling, eyebrow-raised reply to that kind of romantic paranoia.
I really enjoy hearing that fiddle riff- a line-dancing pearl that would have shaken up any country dance hall. It also tapped into the late-90s wave of Celtic and Irish-flavoured pop (the Riverdance moment was very real), giving the track its bright little lift.
The song gets that extra push from Shania’s usual playful, slightly mischievous delivery. It’s not top-tier Shania for me, but it’s a guilty-pleasure track I’m always happy to hear once in a while. So no, Shania – we’re not being stupid. You made a tune that’s just plain likable.
The following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:
This song also marks the moment she was moving from Country music and broaching into Pop Music especially evident with her official music video version of this song. It having a pop-oriented production that toned down the country instrumentation. The track received mixed reviews from music critics, who questioned why Twain released an “oddly disposable single.” Additionally, the track’s dance-pop’s remix, which was the version released for European and Australian audiences, was compared to Swedish group Rednex’s single “Cotton Eye Joe“.
Commercially, the track performed well, hitting number six on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs and topping the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart for one week. Internationally, it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.
Don’t Be Stupid was released as the second single from her third studio album Come On Over. Twain entirely collaborated with producer and then-husband Robert John “Mutt” Lange. With both having busy schedules, they often wrote apart and later intertwined their ideas. Twain wanted to improve her songwriting skills and write a conversational album reflecting her personality and beliefs. The resulting songs explore themes of romance and female empowerment, addressed with humour.
Then Twain embarked on the Come On Over Tour, which ran from May 1998 to December 1999. The album spawned 12 singles, including three U.S. Billboard top-ten hits: You’re Still The One, From This Moment On and That Don’t Impress Me Much. The album received mixed reviews mainly because of country-pop experimentation, while others criticized the lyrics and questioned its country music categorization.
Cool Yeah Uh-uh, yeah
You’re so complicated You hang over my shoulder when I read my mail I don’t appreciate it When I talk to other guys you think they’re on my tail
I get so aggravated When I get off the phone and I get the third degree I’m really feelin’ frustrated Why don’t you take a pill and put a little trust in me And you’ll see
Don’t freak out until you know the facts Relax
Don’t be stupid, you know I love you Don’t be ridiculous, you know I need you Don’t be absurd, you know I want you Don’t be impossible
Oh, oh yeah
I’m mad about you (I’m mad about you) I can’t live without you (I can’t live without you) I’m crazy ’bout you (I’m crazy ’bout you) So don’t be stupid, you know I love you
Stop overreacting You even get suspicious when I paint my nails It’s definitely distracting The way you dramatize every little small detail
Don’t freak out until you know the facts Relax, Max
Don’t be stupid, you know I love you Don’t be ridiculous, you know I need you Don’t be absurd, you know I want you Don’t be impossible
I heard this gnarly piece again the other day and realised I’d somehow never added it to my music library project. What surprised me was learning that Dick Dale’s explosive surf-rock take on Miserlou (often spelled Misirlou) traces back to a folk tune from the Eastern Mediterranean in the 1920s. No single author is known, but Arabic, Greek and Jewish musicians were already playing it by then, and the earliest confirmed recording comes from a 1927 Greek rebetiko/tsifteteli composition.
There are more versions than you could poke a stick at, and it’s interesting how each version works of Misirlou because the melody itself is stubborn and memorable. Yet the first time I recall hearing it was in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), where it just slices straight through the film’s opening. He treated it as if it were jolt to wake up a ’90s audience.
Dale’s 1962 recording was huge because he pushed it with such physical intensity by wanting to see how fast he could play it on a single string – a challenge rooted in his Lebanese heritage and childhood memories of oud and mizmar melodies. That ferocity, paired with Fender’s custom-built Showman amps, birthed what many now think of as the sound of surf guitar. It’s wild, how there’s also a clear line connecting the piece back to older Middle Eastern scales and phrasing.
If you’re coming to Sunshine of Your Love fresh, you could easily think it’s a Hendrix tune. It carries that raw, slightly wild tone Hendrix was known for, but the riff was actually Jack Bruce’s creation on bass. Eric Clapton said in a 1988 interview that Bruce created the riff after attending a Jimi Hendrix concert. Fittingly, Hendrix later played the song onstage as a tribute when Cream broke up in 1968. He often played faster instrumental versions, usually dedicating them to Cream. A neat little full circle.
Bruce built the riff after an all-night writing session with lyricist Pete Brown. Nothing was working until Brown, exhausted, said, “It’s getting near dawn and lights close their tired eyes.” That line semed to have done the trick. The finished song became a shared vocal between Bruce and Eric Clapton, mixing bluesy weight, hard-rock and a touch of psychedelia.
The track appeared on Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears (Nov. 1967), which marked their shift from blues-based rock into something more experimental and colourful. Their U.S. label wasn’t initially convinced the song would work as a single, but after some friendly pressure from other musicians, it was released in December 1967. It went on to become their biggest American hit – No. 5 on the Billboard charts – and one of 1968’s most popular singles. Back home in the UK, it landed more modestly at No. 25.
Cream kept Sunshine of Your Love as a concert staple, including during their 2005 reunion shows at the Royal Albert Hall. Over the years, the song has settled comfortably into the upper shelves of rock history, appearing on “greatest songs” lists from Rolling Stone, Q, VH1, and others.
It’s getting near dawn When lights close their tired eyes I’ll soon be with you, my love Give you my dawn surprise I’ll be with you, darling, soon I’ll be with you when the stars start fallin
[Chorus] I’ve been waiting so long To be where I’m going In the sunshine of your love
[Verse 2] I’m with you, my love The light’s shining through on you Yes, I’m with you, my love It’s the morning, and just we two I’ll stay with you, darlin’, now I’ll stay with you ’til my seas are dried up
Today’s featured song comes from what is probably my least favourite Bob Dylan album – Modern Times from 2006 (image inset). The irony is that Thunder on the Mountain is still one of my top twenty Dylan tracks from his post-2000 output. It’s a straight-up rockabilly gem. Dylan also slips in more than just a nod to his contemporary Alicia Keys, which I originally pointed out when writing about her magnificent song No One.
I was thinkin’ ’bout Alicia Keys, couldn’t keep from crying But she was born in Hell’s Kitchen, I was living down the line I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
When Keys was made aware of what Dylan had written, she responded by saying:
“He texted me saying, ‘You’re never gonna believe this…Bob Dylan wrote a song about you.‘ It’s a mind-blower and an honor. And then another part of me is wondering what he was thinking,” Keys told Mojo magazine.
“Maybe he read something about me and it said when I was born and he got to thinking where he was in his life back then,” she continues. “I’m not sure what line he was living down then, but I know he knows, and he knows what it all means.“
The media-shy Dylan hasn’t exactly been quick to clarify exactly how or why Keys became such a central part of ‘Thunder On The Mountain‘. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he told the magazine that after having been on a Grammy Awards show with Keys, he reportedly told himself ‘There’s nothing about that girl I don’t like.‘”
Being a Dylan fan, Keys was humbled with his paying homage to her. She even covered his 1980 song ‘Pressing On‘ (from ‘Saved‘) for a music documentary.
“I’m glad I’m in Bob Dylan’s songbook…I hope to meet him one day.“
From the get-go Thunder On the Mountain has a groove that nods to rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly – a bit of a callback to old-school blues-influenced riffs. Lyrically, the song is a blend of romance, myth and a kind of apocalyptic thing happening: there’s talk of “thunder on the mountain,” “fires on the moon,” “ruckus in the alley,” and – even if there’s that nod to love as previously discussed.
Some interpreters suggest Dylan assumes the role of a kind of wandering prophet or messenger – a pilgrim of sorts, pledging service “night and day.” The song evokes a sense of urgency: there’s love, longing, but also a gathering storm – “mean old twister bearing down on me,” “pistols poppin’,” power down.
Musically the band delivers an all tight, blues-rooted with a swing that feels easy yet sharp. Dylan’s voice, a rasp honed by decades, now carries a kind of subtle croon, giving the song an effortless cool that belies the lyric’s inner tension.
The song, unsurprisingly got more airplay than almost any other track from Modern Times, and – though not released as a U.S. single – it charted on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs, peaking at No. 22 in early 2007. The song helped cement Dylan’s continued relevance even in his later years.
On stage, Thunder on the Mountain became a go-to. By late 2019, Dylan had played it hundreds of times – it easily became the most frequently performed song from Modern Times.
[Verse 1] Thunder on the mountain, fires on the moon There’s a ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon Today’s the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow Well, there’s hot stuff here and it’s everywhere I go
[Verse 2] I was thinking ’bout Alicia Keys, couldn’t keep from crying When she was born in Hell’s Kitchen, I was living down the line I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be I have been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
[Verse 3] Feel like my soul is beginning to expand Look into my heart and you will sort of understand You brought me here, now you’re trying to run me away The writing’s on the wall, come read it, come see what it say
[Verse 4] Thunder on the mountain, rolling like a drum Gonna sleep over there, that’s where the music coming from I don’t need any guide, I already know the way Remember this, I’m your servant both night and day
[Verse 5] The pistols are poppin’ and the power is down I’d like to try something’ but I’m so far from town The sun keeps shining’ And the North Wind keeps picking up speed Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
[Verse 6] I’ve been sitting down studying the art of love I think it will fit me like a glove I want some real good woman to do just what I say Everybody got to wonder What’s the matter with this cruel world today
[Verse 7] Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down Some sweet day I’ll stand beside my king I wouldn’t betray your love or any other thing
[Verse 8] Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches I’ll recruit my army from the orphanages I been to St. Herman’s church and I’ve said my religious vows I’ve sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
[Verse 9] I got the porkchops, she got the pie She ain’t no angel and neither am I Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes I’ll say this, I don’t give a damn about your dreams
[Verse 10] Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be Mean old twister bearing down on me All the ladies of Washington scrambling to get out of town Looks like something bad gonna happen Better roll your airplane down
[Verse 11] Everybody’s going and I want to go too Don’t wanna take a chance with somebody new I did all I could and I did it right there and then I’ve already confessed, no need to confess again
[Verse 12] Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north I’ll plant and I’ll harvest what the earth brings forth The hammer’s on the table, the pitchfork’s on the shelf For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself
I caught Elf a few days back on cable and had a merry ol’ time. I’ve seen it plenty of times, so I figured I should finally do a write-up for my Friday’s Finest segment. I don’t think I’ve ever covered a Christmas movie before, and this felt like as good a place as any to start. Elf, Step Brothers, and the Anchorman contain my favourite Will Ferrell performances. Unlike the latter two – definitely geared toward adults and full of crass, over-the-top humour – Elf is a family movie that pretty much anyone can enjoy.
IMDB Storyline:
Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa’s sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. He, who is on Santa’s naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter’s relationship with him interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.
Elf also shows that Will Ferrell can be very funny without leaning on crude or offensive jokes. He really goes to town in this role, and you can tell he’s having a lot of fun. There aren’t many comedic actors who could play an adult with the naivety and single-minded enthusiasm of a child as perfectly as Ferrell does here. He absolutely nails Buddy. James Caan does a great job too as the Scrooge-like father (rest in peace, 1940–2022).
Over the years, Elf has quietly become one of my favourite Christmas movies to revisit. I also enjoy National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation for a good laugh too – especially since the original Vacation is one of my all-time favourite comedies – but I think Elf delivers the best bang for buck between the two Christmas movies.
Sure, Elf isn’t going to win any awards for best comedy, and I can already hear some of you saying there are far better Christmas movies out there – like Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. But I like Elf because it’s breezy, full of Christmas spirit, funny as heck in many places, and it’s one of those movies you can rewatch every festive season without it getting old. Interestingly, when I ran an AI search on my Brave browser, Elf actually popped up in its top 10 Christmas movies. So there ya go!
The scene when Buddy eats different candies and pastries with the spaghetti noodles had to be shot twice, because Will Ferrell vomited the first time.
Several minor traffic accidents occurred when Will Ferrell walked through the Lincoln Tunnel in his costume, because people were so surprised (and distracted from their driving) to see him wearing an elf outfit.
Will Ferrell turned down $29 million to be in a sequel in late 2014. James Caan revealed that the reason was that Ferrell and Jon Favreau didn’t get along.
Below are some funny scenes from Elf you might enjoy revisiting. Thanks for reading.
As I get older, my appreciation for classical music only grows stronger. The spark that set it off when I was young came from my grandmother, Dorothy Walton (pictured), who was a classical pianist. Her love for the music – sitting at the piano just as you see here – was really the reason I started my music library project back in 2019. It’s something that’s shaped my life more than I ever expected.
Dot, as everyone called her, was always reading. She borrowed books from the library every week and tore through them until it was time to return them and get more. And when she wasn’t reading, she was at the piano. Writing this now makes me get teary. My Nan and I were completely in sync; there was nothing she could do wrong in my eyes, and nothing I could do wrong in hers. When you love someone like that… the little things become everything.
Today we have a Swan Lake special, spotlighting three stand-out moments from Tchaikovsky’s immortal ballet – perhaps the most instantly recognisable in the classical canon. In order of their appearance, they are: the Swan Lake Waltz (Act I, No. 2), the Dance of the Little Swans (Act II, No. 13), and the storm-tossed Scene Finale (Act IV, No. 29).
The ballet’s hold on western culture remains very strong. Two recent cinematic touchstones spring to mind: Black Swan (2010), which refracts the ballet’s obsession with duality and desire, and Billy Elliot (2000), where the film’s climax erupts into the very same Scene Finale older Billy leaping high onto the stage.
Tchaikovsky wrote Swan Lake in 1875–76, using old Russian and European stories about women who turn into swans. The first performance in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre didn’t go well. Critics said the dancing and staging were messy. The basic story, though, is very clear: Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette, who has been turned into a swan by the sorcerer Rothbart. Their love is challenged by lies, sadness, and the appearance of Odile – the Black Swan – who looks like Odette but isn’t anything like her. In modern versions, the ending changes: sometimes the couple dies, sometimes they’re reunited. It depends on what the director wants.
Swan Lake Waltz (Act I, No. 2)
This waltz shows up early during the prince’s birthday party. There are lights, fancy outfits, and everyone trying to look their best. The music feels light and social, almost like a warm-up before the story really gets going.
Dance of the Little Swans (Act II, No. 13)
This is one of the scenes most people know: four dancers linked together, moving in quick little steps. It happens by the lake where Siegfried first meets Odette. The “little swans” bring a bit of fun and tight teamwork to the moment. The music is fast and neat, almost like Tchaikovsky wanted to test how well the dancers could stay together.
Scene Finale (Act IV, No. 29)
This is where everything hits its peak. The music grows loud and tense as the lovers face their final moment. Some versions end sadly, others more hopeful, but the music makes it clear that this is the big emotional punch. It’s easy to see why Billy Elliot used it for such a powerful ending.
Swan Lake wasn’t a big hit at first and only became famous after Tchaikovsky died. The 1895 version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov fixed many of the earlier problems and turned it into the classic we know today. Since then, it’s been performed by almost every major ballet company and keeps showing up in movies, TV, and all sorts of places in popular culture.
Staying with the recent Australian trend, we take a detour down what Lou Reed once called the Dirty Boulevard – and he’s not even Australian nor does his song’s inference equate, but that hardly matters – you get the gist. So, let’s amp things up a bit: Does this thing go to 11? When you need that extra push over the cliff – well, this thing goes to 11. How can one not get jived and pumped by this dirty guitar riff from Australia’s biggest-selling music act in history? It’s almost impossible not to get pulled into it, and with luck you’ll come out the other side. If not, well – you’re in real trouble. I warned you: it’s a Highway to Hell.
In the far western suburbs of Sydney, I always kept close to the small rebel ‘westie’ groups at school who wore untucked flannelette tops wavering over their ACDC shirts. They had your back even if you were kind of an obscure outlier. They were definitely not to be confused with the settled, crisp, happily country flannelette garb that reeked of ‘contented money’. These rich come-ins lived on cheap land (well, modest for them) with newly built double-storey houses; driveways manicured by shiny white pebbles – not the sharp suburban asphalt ones which tore your legs to shreds.
Highway to Hell, released in 1979, is arguably the song that cemented AC/DC’s legend before tragedy reshaped it. (The tragedy being Bon Scott’s death in February 1980 from acute alcohol poisoning). Angus Young’s riff is elemental and Bon Scott delivers the vocal like a man who knows the road, the price, and the thrill, and wouldn’t choose any other route anyway. It’s also noted the song – quite unintentionally – became the band’s global passport. This song cracked the US and extended their touring reach. The irony was great: a song supposedly glamorising damnation became the road that led to their immortality. Scott himself joked in interviews that the “hell” wasn’t spiritual at all but the grind of touring and the cramped flights between gigs.
[Verse 1] Livin’ easy, lovin’ free Season ticket on a one-way ride Askin’ nothin’, leave me be Takin’ everything in my stride Don’t need reason, don’t need rhyme Ain’t nothin’ I’d rather do Goin’ down, party time My friends are gonna be there too, yeah
[Chorus] I’m on the highway to Hell On the highway to Hell Highway to Hell I’m on the highway to Hell
[Verse 2] No stop signs, speed limit Nobody’s gonna slow me down Like a wheel, gonna spin it Nobody’s gonna mess me around Hey, Satan, payin’ my dues Playin’ in a rockin’ band Hey, mama, look at me I’m on the way to the promised land, wow
My favourite Australian country artist is back. I’ve been following Kasey Chambers since her 2002 breakout record Barricades and Brickwalls, which still sits comfortably in my top five Australian albums. I’ve seen her live in Melbourne, and her music has featured here often.
Kasey is so dinky-di Aussie that, as a young’un, she and her family travelled across the Nullarbor Plain while her parents hunted foxes and rabbits for pelts. They did this seven or eight months each year, for nearly a decade. Her parents formed a band and added first Kasey and then brother Nash to their act, which became the Dead Ringer Band – named for the children looking like their parents.
There’s a story I never tire of retelling – apologies to anyone who’s heard it before. I remember exactly when and where I first heard Kasey’s music. It was a hot summer day in 2002, and I was driving through Crib Point on my way to Hastings in South East Victoria. I flicked on ABC Radio – always a haven for great non-commercial music like the Go-Betweens – and this song came on that stopped me in my tracks. I’ve been a fan ever since.
To even quote Kasey about hearing her own song: ‘Back then it was f—ing weird to hear [her first No.1 hit in 2002] Not Pretty Enough on the radio‘. “I remember even hearing it sometimes, where they would play Britney Spears and then play Not Pretty Enough, and I would go, ‘F—, this is weird‘.”
Last year I showcased Kasey’ Chambers’ charming and wistful ode to Bruce Springsteen – A Love Like Springsteen from her latest record Backbone. Yesterday morning I listened to more music from that record and no point sugar coating it – I was blown away. So much so, I was wondering which song I would immediately present here. It was a toss up really, so I went with A New Day Has Come. Suffice it to say, more songs from Backbone will be making their way here soon.
I mentioned in my previous post how much I like the way Kasey’s voice has matured and settled into itself, and that’s especially true of today’s featured song. On her early albums, you could sometimes hear her leaning a little too hard into that vulnerability and ache, almost trying to will an emotion into the listener. But not here. This is Kasey sounding as authentic and weather-worn country as she’s ever been – and the music matches her. She’s cited Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle as key touchstones, and you can hear all of them echoing through this one track – including even her North American country twang.
[Verse 1] When the road has gone dark I’ll shine on your trail and show you the way When the river runs dry I’ll pray for the rain to wash away your pain And if you get lost I’ll lead you back home, won’t leave you alone When the wind blows From right where you stand, come take my hand
[Chorus] I’ll be your pilgrim, I’ll walk through the canyon I’ll rise up each day like the sun I’ll be your anchor, tied to the harbour As the light of the dawn has begun We are the morning A new day has come
[Verse 2] When the valley runs deep I’ll carry you through, you know that it’s true When the mountain’s too high Just rest on my back, I’ll give all that I have And if you let go I’ll stand where I am to catch you again When it’s tumbling down From under your feet, just lean down on me
Throw Your Arms Around Me is one of the most well-recognised contemporary love ballads in Australia. A swell of pride and love for my native country and its music envelops me when I hear this. Not just that, but it’s hard not to be introspective as well when Mark Seymour sings “So shed your skin and let’s get started” – a line that elicits memories so thick of being in the throes of passion. It’s so barebones and direct, yet at the same time delicate and beautiful. Even Mark said the song came from a place of emotional honesty, and you can hear that – there’s nothing dressed up, nothing forced.
As already alluded to, the lyrics conjure stirrings of a fleeting yet intense sexual encounter – “You will make me call your name and I’ll shout it to the blue summer sky”– and the narrator can’t get the images out of his head despite the briefness of the occasion. It will always sit somewhere in the memory, whether tied to a summer, a bedroom, a goodbye. And yes, they must say their goodbyes. And that’s how it is: it cannot come back together again. It’s terrible to find out later in life that when people walk away, they do so forever.
Hunters & Collectors first released the track in their 1980’s during a period where the band was refining that big, earthy pub-rock sound into something leaner and more intimate. The version most Australians know of Throw Your Arms Around Me is the 1990 re-recording, cleaner and more direct (see music video below), which helped cement the song as a staple of late-night radio and just about every acoustic gig in the country.
Mark Seymour described the writing of it:
I was in a relationship with a woman I was very much in love with and she was the inspiration. I wrote virtually all the lyrics on Human Frailty about my relationship with her…Throw Your Arms Around Me was the first song I wrote that wasn’t angry. And because it was so out of the square, we didn’t record it particularly well…One time, we played it at The Palace, to about 2,000 people who just went off. We finally got it right, so we recorded it again. I think we did about four versions of it.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M’s “Ozzest 100”, the ‘most Australian’ songs of all time’, “Throw Your Arms Around Me” was ranked number 19. In 2025, the song placed 25 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. Crowded House picked it up in their live sets; Pearl Jam covered it more than once.
[Verse 1] I will come for you at night time I will raise you from your sleep I will kiss you in four places As I go running along your street I will squeeze the life out of you You will make me laugh and make me cry We will never forget it You will make me call your name and I’ll shout it to the blue summer sky
[Chorus] We may never meet again So shed your skin and lets get started And you will throw your arms around me You will throw your arms around me
[Verse 2] I dreamed of you at night time And I watched you in your sleep I met you in high places I touched your head and touched your feet So if you disappear out of view You know, I will never say goodbye Though I try to forget it You will make me call your name and I’ll shout it to the blue summer sky
Observation Blogger 