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.
Keeping the Love Alive
Air Supply Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So afraid to fall in love and lose again
We've both been hurt before
Saw love walk out the door
In the end
Actin' as cold as ice, when we wanna be
It's just a foolish game we play
To make me give it up and walk away
[Chorus]
We can't stop, the feeling's too strong
We've got the will to hang on
Can't stop, we struggle and fight to survive
Keepin' the love alive
We try to forget the past, so many times
It's hard to make those memories leave
With all we have at stake
We'll bend until we break
Cause we both believe
[Chorus]
If we stand the test of time
Love will be the lasting kind
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Air Supply's song 'Keeping the Love Alive' speaks to the reality of holding back from falling in love and losing again due to past hurtful experiences. The two people in the song have been previously hurt and have seen love walk out the door. They act cold as ice when they are together, just playing a foolish game by not fully opening up to each other. However, they have the will to hang on and continue to struggle to keep the love alive. Despite the challenges and the painful memories, they both believe in love and are willing to bend until they break because they know the feeling is too strong to ignore.
The chorus of the song expresses the struggle of keeping the love alive. Despite the obstacles and challenges that come, they have the will to hang on and fight for the survival of their love. They have too much at stake to let it go, and they both believe that if they stand the test of time, their love will be the lasting kind.
In conclusion, 'Keeping the Love Alive' is a powerful love song that speaks to the challenges of falling in love and staying in love, especially after experiencing past hurts. Despite the fear and reluctance, the two lovers in the song have the will and determination to fight for the survival of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Both of us are holding back
Both individuals in the relationship are hesitant to express their affection for each other
So afraid to fall in love and lose again
Due to past relationships, both parties are scared of getting hurt again
We've both been hurt before
Both individuals in the relationship have suffered from previous heartbreak
Saw love walk out the door
Their past lovers had left them, leaving severe emotional damage
In the end
Despite everything, the two want to move on and pursue a healthy relationship
Actin' as cold as ice, when we wanna be
The couple's initial plan of avoiding affection seems like one they can't keep up with, but they don't know how else to act
It's just a foolish game we play
Their behavior is a foolish attempt to protect themselves against their fear of heartbreak
You couldn't hurt me bad enough
The emotional pain they experienced from their past relationships leaves them desensitized and relatively unfazed
To make me give it up and walk away
Despite their fear of losing love, they still will stick with their current partner
We can't stop, the feeling's too strong
Their love for each other is too intense to ignore
We've got the will to hang on
They both have the desire to persevere through challenges and make their relationship work
Can't stop, we struggle and fight to survive
They realize that a healthy relationship requires hard work and dedication, but they're willing to go through it
Keepin' the love alive
Their love is alive and well, despite their past struggles
We try to forget the past, so many times
They've attempted to forget their previous relationships multiple times
It's hard to make those memories leave
Despite attempts to forget, memories of the past still linger
With all we have at stake
They're well aware their relationship means a lot to both of them
We'll bend until we break
They're willing to endure through hardship and make their relationship work, even if it means going through a lot of emotional hardship
Cause we both believe
They have confidence in their love and are willing to go through hardship to keep it alive
If we stand the test of time
If they're willing to work through challenges, their relationship will stand the test of time
Love will be the lasting kind
Their love, which is already strong, will continue to flourish and stay strong in the long run
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHIE SUPA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stephen Tsai
Both of us holding back
So afraid
To fall in love and lose again
We've both been hurt before
Saw love walk out the door
In the end...
Actin' as cold as ice
When we wanna be
It's just a foolish game we play
You couldn't hurt me bad enough
To make me give it up
And walk away
(Chorus)
We can't stop
The feeling's to strong
We've got the will to hang on
Can't stop
We struggle and fight to survive
Keepin' the love alive
We try to forget the past
So many times
It's hard to make those memories leave
With all we have at steak
We'll bend until we break
'Cause we both believe
(Repeat Chorus)
If we stand the test of time
Love will be the lasting kind
(Repeat Chorus)
Bay Riffer
Best of the best from then till now.
Dave Hanson
Classic music I never get tired of. Been a fan going on 40 years now. Gonna see them in a couple months. Long live Air Supply
Tracie
I have listened to this song so many times in the past 40 years that I still remember the lyrics, even though I haven't heard the song in at least 5 years. I love, love, love Air Supply! <3
Zoya Wasif
Saaaame
Kendrick Harris- Kenfinity
That's how awesome songs work!
Kawai Ness
I grew up listening to them but did not think of their songs that much. But when i became an adult, i realized how lovely their songs were, why the elders loved them. BTW i love this song
Thomas Pick
This is one of my favorite Air Supply songs. Beautiful, hopeful.
Rocky Orton
Minds to
Zoya Wasif
Oh definitely
ESTER ADRAN
Yup I agree. Can relate much .