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.
The Night
Australian Crawl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's a real soul sister at night
Gonna make me reel without warning
Gonna make me feel alright
She's a lion tamer's nightmare
Oh! schoolboys delight!
Send legal men and money
Gonna make me feel oh!
(Refr�o:)
Cos the nigh is just a day away
I'm gonna see you everyday
Any way-o
She's deceptively promisevous
Oh morning, noon and night
On a mission from a mercenary
Gonna make me feel oh!
(Refr�o)
She's a real pygmalion
Headline we all read about
Figure of my imagination
Gonna make me feel oh!
(Refr�o
The lyrics to Australian Crawl's song The Night portray a woman who leads a double life, secret in the morning but becomes a soul sister at night. The singer is caught off guard by her charm and the sudden emotions she provokes in him. Despite the fact that she is a lion tamer's nightmare, she is also a schoolboy's delight, as she is graceful yet dangerous, innocent yet seductive. The woman is relentless in her mission, which is shrouded in mystery, and the singer is helpless to her will.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the fleeting nature of the night, suggesting that every moment counts and that the singer is eager to spend as much time with her as possible. The woman is described as deceptively promisevous, meaning that she presents herself in a way that is both promising and deceptive. She is a figure of the singer's imagination, yet she is very real in the moment. He is eager to feel alive with her, to let himself go and indulge in the thrill of the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
She's undercover in the morning
She is hiding her true self and intentions during the daytime
She's a real soul sister at night
During the night, she reveals her true nature and personality
Gonna make me reel without warning
She will make me feel dizzy and disorientated unexpectedly
Gonna make me feel alright
She will make me feel good and happy
She's a lion tamer's nightmare
She is unpredictable and difficult to control
Oh! schoolboys delight!
Her behavior and appearance are exciting and attractive to young men
Send legal men and money
She can demand legal assistance and financial support to accomplish her goals
Gonna make me feel oh!
Her actions and presence will have a strong emotional impact on me
Cos the night is just a day away
Tomorrow's nighttime is not far, and she will appear again to influence and captivate me
I'm gonna see you everyday
I want to spend time with her every day, regardless of the time of day
Any way-o
I am willing to do whatever it takes to be with her
She's deceptively promisevous
She appears to be making promises, but they may not be sincere or reliable
Oh morning, noon and night
She is always present and affecting me, regardless of the time of day
On a mission from a mercenary
She is driven by a desire for financial gain or reward
Gonna make me feel oh!
The effect of her actions and presence on me will be strong and intense
She's a real pygmalion
She has the power to transform and shape me according to her wishes and desires
Headline we all read about
Her actions and influence are significant enough to attract public attention and interest
Figure of my imagination
She represents an ideal and desirable object of desire in my mind
Gonna make me feel oh!
She will have a strong emotional impact on me once again
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.