Their 1980 debut album The Boys Light Up had a number of hit singles including the title track; "Indisposed"; and "Beautiful People". The Boys Light Up appeared on the Aussie charts for 104 weeks. In 1981 the band released their second album, Sirocco. This album contained the hits "Lakeside", "Things Don't Seem" and "Errol", a song written about the Australian actor Errol Flynn. It was produced by Peter Dawkins in Sydney.
In 1982 they released the Sons of Beaches album. The album was recorded in Hawaii with producer Mike Chapman. The album featured the hit "Shutdown" and it became their third album in a row to reach the top five in the Australian charts.
Soon afterwards Bill McDonough left the band. The remaining members then recorded the EP Semantics. The EP contained what would become possibly their best-known song, "Reckless".
The first of two deaths in the group came in 1984 when Guy McDonough died in Melbourne of viral pneumonia secondary to endocarditis due to intravenous amphetamine use. "From Simon Binks: Incorrect and libellous. You'd better hope Bill doesn't see this. Guy died after receiving intravenous vitamin supplements from a naturopath friend of ours to overcome a curious fatigue".
The band recorded their final studio album, Between A Rock And A Hard Place, in 1985.
Tensions within the band caused them to disband in 1986. Performing a final concert on 27 January 1986, the concert was recorded and released under the title The Final Wave.
In seven years, Australian Crawl sold over a million records in Australia. After the group disbanded, Reyne went on to pursue a successful solo career. Robinson moved into a career in television (with Network Ten's Page One) and documentaries; in the 1990s he became the manager for the Reyne brothers, James and David. (David had been the drummer in Reyne and Binks' first band, Spiff Roach.) "From Simon Binks: No. David never played in Spiff Rouch. Bill filled those shoes. David was the first drummer in Australian Crawl."
After a three-year battle with lymphoma, Robinson died on 13 October 1996. The band was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1996, just before Robinson's death.
In 2002 EMI released a two-CD Greatest Hits package called Australian Crawl: James Reyne, The Definitive Collection, which contained songs from the band and from James Reyne's solo career.
"All the names on the picture in this forum are wrong. You have me labelled as James Reyne. Simon Binks"
"Thank you for your corrections Mr Binks - I thought I was mistaken but realise I was right.
Downhearted
Australian Crawl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down on Bali bays
It's not the way that I should feel
But it's the way I'm gonna stay
[chorus]
Downhearted
Broken dreams that never really started
Downhearted
Broken dreams that never really start
It seems all wrong to be back home
There's no end in sight
Should I be made to drag you through
This lovers and spite
[chorus]
I sometimes think that we should stay
Happy on the farm
I sometimes think I'll give it all away
This love and all it's charms
[chorus]
The lyrics of Australian Crawl's song Downhearted seem to be about the singer's heart being left behind in Bali after leaving his lover there. This feeling of being downhearted and broken-hearted seems to have never really started, as if it was doomed from the beginning. Despite knowing that he shouldn't feel this way, the singer chooses to stay in this state instead of trying to move on. The singer is struggling with conflicting emotions of wanting to stay in Bali where he feels happy, but also recognizing that there is no end in sight and that it's not practical to stay there forever. There is also a suggestion of a possible love triangle, with the mention of "lovers and spite" and the singer feeling torn between his love and his duty.
The chorus seems to emphasize the theme of broken dreams that never truly began, highlighting the disappointment and feeling of hopelessness the singer is experiencing. He thinks about leaving it all behind, including the love and all its charms, and sometimes wishes they had stayed happy on the farm. The overall tone and mood of the song is one of sadness, longing, and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
I left my heart back in the Orient
I feel like a piece of my heart is still in Bali and I miss it
Down on Bali bays
The longing for Bali is so strong that I feel like I am there
It's not the way that I should feel
I know that I should be happy to be back home, but I still feel down about missing Bali
But it's the way I'm gonna stay
Despite knowing that I should let go, I am holding onto the memories and the feeling of Bali
Downhearted
I am feeling depressed and sad about not being able to go back to Bali
Broken dreams that never really started
The idea of going back to Bali and reliving those memories feels like a distant dream that may never come true
Yeah
An affirmation that my feelings are true
It seems all wrong to be back home
Being back home feels like the wrong place to be when I am still longing for Bali
There's no end in sight
It seems like there is no solution or end to this feeling of longing
Should I be made to drag you through
I wonder if it is fair to burden my loved ones with my unhappiness about not being in Bali anymore
This lovers and spite
The bitterness of not being able to go back to Bali is causing problems in my relationships
I sometimes think that we should stay
I sometimes wonder if it would be best to just stay on the farm and let go of my longing for Bali
Happy on the farm
Being content with what we have and not chasing after something that is out of reach
I sometimes think I'll give it all away
I sometimes consider letting go of my longing for Bali and moving on from it
This love and all it's charms
The memories of Bali and the feeling of being there are beautiful, but they are also causing me pain
Downhearted
The feeling of sadness and depression persists
Broken dreams that never really start
The dream of going back to Bali feels like it may never come true, and it is causing me pain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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