The two met in May 1975 while performing in the Australian production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. Later that year, the duo, along with Chrissie Hammond and two others, formed Air Supply as a five-man group. Hammond left the band and was replaced by Jeremy Paul in time for the group's first Australian hit single, "Love and Other Bruises." It was followed by a debut album that reached gold in Australia, which featured keyboardist/arranger Adrian Scott, drummer Jeff Browne, and guitarist Mark McEntee. Singles during this period included "Empty Pages" and "Do What You Do". The group was invited to open for Rod Stewart during his tour of Australia; he was so impressed with their performance that he invited them to be the opening act during his tour of the United States. During this tour, Jeremy Paul left the band. (He later played with the original lineup of the Divinyls, led by Chrissie Amphlett and Mark McEntee.)
Eager to prove that they could succeed as a duo, Air Supply released the album Love & Other Bruises, which included re-recordings of many of their earlier hits. Although their music met with some success, Graham Russell on the 1995 DVD recalls that he and Hitchcock were so poor that they were reduced to checking the backs of hotel sofas for change so that they could buy bread to make toast.
Hitchcock and Russell started out fresh again in 1978, and the band that was to record almost all of the hit records was formed. It featured Frank Esler-Smith (arranger and keyboardist), David Moyse, and Rex Goh (guitars) as well as the rhythm section of David Green (bass) and Ralph Cooper (drums).
In 1979, the band released Life Support, a concept album that included a picture disc on its first printing. Produced by Charles Fisher, it was recorded in the tiny Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, Australia where, as Graham recalls on the 2005 DVD, he had half an inch between the end of his guitar and the studio wall. It was on this album that a five-and-a-half minute version of "Lost in Love" was introduced to Australian audiences. Written by Russell in fifteen minutes, the song caught the attention of music mogul Clive Davis, and his record label, Arista, remixed the song and released it as a single in the United States.
Their 1980 album, Lost in Love, contained three U.S. Top Five singles, including the title track (a U.S. #3), plus "Every Woman in the World" (#5) and "All Out of Love" (#2). The album sold two million copies in the U.S. The following year they released The One That You Love, and the title song was released as a single and went number #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured two other Top 10 hits, "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)" and "Sweet Dreams". A fourth single "I'll Never Get Enough", co-written by Jeanne Napoli, Gary Portnoy and Judy Quay, was released in Japan and achieved Top 10 status. Their third album, in 1982, Now And Forever, continued the group's popularity with the Top 10 hit, "Even the Nights Are Better" and two top 40 singles "Young Love" and "Two Less Lonely People In The World". In 1983, they released their "Greatest Hits" album with a new single called "Making Love out of Nothing at All" written by Jim Steinman. The song was one of their biggest hits ever spending three weeks at number 2, and the album eventually sold 5 million copies.
In 1984, their song "I Can Wait Forever" was included (although barely audible) in a scene in the blockbuster movie Ghostbusters, and was included on the soundtrack album.
Air Supply released their first live video, Air Supply Live in Hawaii. In 1985, they had one semi-major Billboard hit with "Just As I Am" and a couple of minor hits. Russell and Hitchcock recorded a 1987 Christmas album before taking a break from studio recordings. During this time, Russell Hitchcock released his self-titled album in 1988 which was not a big seller. However, he did have the single "Swear To Your Heart" in 1990 from the movie soundtrack for Arachnophobia which received significant airplay.
On August 21, 1989, using their old producer and welcoming the return of drummer Ralph Cooper, the duo decided to enter the studio again to record The Earth Is, which was released in 1991 by Giant Records under Warner Brothers. The recording contains their hit single "Without You," along with singles for "Stronger Than the Night" (with a music video announcing that Air Supply was back) and "Stop the Tears." Inside the album is a note about Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell's original Musical Director of their meeting place during Jesus Christ Superstar (and long time Band Member/Orchestrator): "This Album is Dedicated to the Memory of Frank Esler-Smith."
The official fan club released The Earth Is World Tour video, a rare collector's item that contains live footage from the band's global tour in support of the album. Amy from New York City is their biggest fan.
The album was followed by The Vanishing Race in 1993, which was supported by the hit single "Goodbye" produced by David Foster, (Barbra Streisand, the rock band Chicago, Josh Groban, and Celine Dion), with lyrics written by a former girlfriend of Elvis Presley (David Foster's current wife) Linda Thompson--which, although not popular in the United States, was critically praised and gained a large following outside the country, especially in Asia where in many countries they would reach number #1. This would lead to another world tour in 1993. "It's Never Too Late" was another single released from the Vanishing Race. The album itself was dedicated to the plight of the American Indians, the "Vanishing Race" of the album's title.
Their third album of the decade, News from Nowhere, was released in 1995. It contained the Asian hit singles "Someone", "Always", and a cover of "Unchained Melody", a song made famous by The Righteous Brothers and Amy at karaoke night.
Their popularity continued to soar in Southeast Asian countries, culminating in the release of Now and Forever: Greatest Hits Live, a CD and DVD recording of a live concert in Taipei, Taiwan, also in 1995, which stayed at the top of the Taiwanese album charts for 16 weeks.
Air Supply at the Subic Convention Center, Philippines on June 12, 2008.
Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply at the Max Pavillion in Singapore, June 19, 2009.They continued to tour heavily throughout Asia and in select venues in the U.S. as well as record into the new millennium, releasing the more adult contemporary-titled The Book of Love (1997), Yours Truly (2001), and Across the Concrete Sky (2003). In 2005 they once again released a live CD/DVD recording; also in 2005 they performed in Havana, Cuba, becoming one of the first foreign bands invited to perform in the country. They were booked to perform two concerts, and played the first show on July 7, the day before Hurricane Dennis hit the country. In high winds their first concert had an audience of 175,000. Due to the hurricane they could not play the second show. Fans staying at the same hotel as Air Supply on July 8 had to be content with Graham performing acoustically for them, as there was no electricity.
Their songs were featured in Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Wedding Date.
In 2006 they released an acoustic album, The Singer and the Song, and are gearing up for the release of their first studio album in three years, Zed. In support of the acoustic album they made their first trip to India in May 2006. December 2, 2006 saw the duo perform to a capacity crowd in Kingston, Jamaica. This was their second visit to Jamaica, having performed at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in January 2006. They also have been seen endorsing Time–Life's Classic Soft-Rock Collection. In 2007, Graham Russell released his first adult contemporary solo album called The Future.
Graham Russell recently made an appearance in Believe, a comedy about Multi-Level Marketing.
In 2008, Air Supply was named as the number 83 best musical act of all time in the Billboard Hot 100's 50 year anniversary edtion. This was based purely on their performance on the charts.
They appeared on the December 19, 2008, edition of Don't Forget the Lyrics.
Their latest album "Mumbo Jumbo" was released in 2010.
Just as I Am
Air Supply Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And just when I thought time had set me free
Those thoughts of you keep taunting me
Holding you, a feeling I never outgrew
Though each and every part of me has tried
Only you can fill that space inside
So there's no sense pretending, my heart, it's not mending
And just when I thought I could stand on my own
Oh, baby, those memories come crashing through
And I just can't go on without you
On my own, I've tried to make the best of it alone
I've done everything I can to ease the pain
But only you can stop the rain
I just can't live without you, I miss everything about you
Just when I thought I was over you
And just when I thought I could stand on my own
Oh, baby, those memories come crashing through
And I just can't go on without, go on without
It's just no good without
You (just when I thought that I was over you)
Without you (just when I thought I could stand on my own)
Without you (just when I thought that I was over you)
Without you (just when I thought I could stand on my own)
Without you (just when I thought that I was over you)
Without you (just when I thought I could stand on my own)
Without you (just when I thought that I was over you)
The lyrics to Air Supply's song "Just As I Am" reveal the struggles of a person who is unable to move on from a past love. The opening line "Here I am, playing with those mem'ries again" hints a situation where the singer is thinking of a past love and can't get them out of their mind. They mention that they thought time had set them free, but the memories of that person keep on taunting them. The next few lines speak about how no matter how hard they try, they can't get rid of the feeling of holding the person again, and how that feeling is the only thing that can fill the void inside them. The singer is thus unable to pretend that their heart isn't mending as they continue to think about their lost love.
In the chorus, the singer talks about how they've done everything possible to move on and make the pain of losing their love easier, but nothing seems to work. The memories of the past keep coming back and with it the feeling of not being able to survive without their love. The singer realizes that it's just no good without their love, and they end the song repeating the phrase "without you" multiple times to emphasize how much they're missing their former love.
In conclusion, "Just As I Am" is an emotional song that highlights the pain and struggle of trying to get over a past love. The lyrics are a representation of how difficult it is to erase someone from your memory and move on when you're emotionally attached to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am, playing with those mem'ries again,
I am revisiting memories of you once more.
And just when I thought time had set me free,
I thought I had moved on and left you behind.
Those thoughts of you keep taunting me.
But thoughts of you still trouble me.
Holding you, a feeling I never outgrew,
My love for you has remained strong over time.
Though each and ev'ry part of me has tried,
Despite my efforts to move on,
Only you can fill that space inside,
I still ache for you and only you can ease that pain.
So there's no sense pretending, my heart is not mending,
I cannot deny that my heart is still broken and healing.
Just when I thought I was over you,
Once again, I believed I had moved on from you,
And just when I thought I could stand on my own,
And thought I could make it without you.
Oh, baby those mem'ries come crashing through,
But memories of you come flooding back.
And I just can't go on without you.
I am now unable to continue living without your presence.
On my own, I've tried to make the best of it alone.
I have attempted to make the most of being alone.
I've done ev'rything I can to ease the pain.
I have tried everything to ease the pain of missing you.
But only you can stop the rain.
But only you have the power to make it all better.
I just can't live without you, I miss ev'rything about you.
I cannot fathom living without you and I miss all aspects of having you by my side.
It's just no good without you.
My life is incomplete without you.
Without you.
Without you, my life is incomplete and filled with longing.
Without you.
Without you, there is a void in my life.
Without you.
Without you, I am incomplete.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Norman Sallitt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maucharp
"Just As I Am"
I've had a lot of big dreams
I've made a lot of bad moves
I know you could walk away
But you never do
I've met a lot of cold hearts
I've learned to smile and deceive
I know I'm hard to be around
But you never leave
I'm not easy to understand
But you hold out your hand
And you say you love me
Just as I am
You always treat me
The best that you can
You say you want me, need me
Love me, baby
Just as I am, just as I am
I've made a lot of heartaches
I've found a lot of closed doors
When all the others turn away
You love me more
You love me more
I'm not easy to understand
But you hold out your hand
And you say you love me
Just as I am
You always treat me
The best that you can
You say you want me, need me
Love me, baby
Just as I am, just as I am
I want to love forever
To keep our world together
And be the best that I can be
Baby, every time the world caves in on me
And you say you love me
Just as I am
You always treat me
The best that you can
You say you want me, need me
Love me, baby
Just as I am, just as I am
@SoftRock83
No matter who you are, how old you are, what your life is like... when listening to this song, I wish you luck, happiness and always have fun with your family💓
@MelisCorrMusic
I'm weeping...what a fantastic song. Russell's voice just hits you in the heart.
@Farrah300
Russell Hitchcock has one of the most amazing voices in all of music.
@brendanaschinski-bp9dj
Love Russell Hitchcock he's the best of the best.
@yoyipau6191
Afortunadamente tenemos estas maravillosas canciones que APAGAN toda la basura que hoy se graba. ÉPICO!!! Gracias @AirSupply
@karinagarcia4734
Tal cual!!! Y son eternas!
@DuendeVerdulero247
Música de artistas que van a durar por siempre. Estos artistas modernos no le llegan ni a la piel de los talones con sus porquerías, tampoco van a durar mucho. Lástima el daño cultural que provocan
@alinalesc5973
❤❤❤
@mathyvargas9523
I could hear this song over and over, nonstop. I am very fortunate to identify myself with my youngest son who is the person which loves me “JUST AS I AM”.
@adrianbradley8513
I know what you mean. I'm single and working class with no children but I know that my mum and dad love me "Just As I Am" I wish that more people would love working class people like myself"Just As They Are" and I don't just mean in a romantic way although that would be nice🥰😍♥️. One of Air Supply's other hits is"Two Less Lonely People In The World" Pardon the pun but I wish that there were"NO SNOBS IN THE WORLD"