The band formed in Adelaide in 1973 as a heavy metal band called Orange around keyboard player Don Walker and original bassist Les Kascmarek and while hard rock remained at the core of their sound Cold Chisel displayed a remarkable versatility. When Kascmarek left in 1975, Walker became the major creative force of the band. Built around Walker's superb songwriting, the group also featured the dazzling guitar and vocal talents of Ian Moss and the enormously powerful lead vocals of Scottish immigrant Jimmy Barnes.
While typically classified as a hard-driving rock and roll band, the Chisel repertoire included such Australian anthems as the landmark Vietnam War song "Khe Sanh", "Bow River", "Flame Trees" and "Saturday Night", but also included thoughtful ballads like "Choir Girl" (written about the subject of abortion), pop-flavoured love songs like "My Baby" and caustic political statements like "Star Hotel", an attack on the late-70s government of Malcolm Fraser and inspired by a riot at a Newcastle pub. The music was not political in context, however Walker's songs were observations of everyday life within the Australian society and culture. One song from this period, "Misfits", which featured on the b-side to "My Baby", was written in the same vein as Chuck Berry, and was about homeless kids in the suburbs surrounding Sydney.
Cold Chisel weren't just a band, they were a lifestyle for many of their followers, who were known as some of the roughest in the land. This gave Chisel their hard living approach to their music and made them a tough live band as well. More than 30 years after they originally played together, they attract generation after generation of new listeners. This is also evidence of Chisel's dominance of the pub rock era. They are the only Australian band to have sold more records after breakup than before and are among other bands that have become transgenerational. "Khe Sanh" consistently ranks highly in lists of Australia's most popular songs and their music remains a staple of rock station playlists. The Ian Moss song "Never Before" (from the East LP) was chosen by FM rock station 2JJJ (Triple Jay) as the first record played on-air when the station made its transition from AM to FM in 1980.
By 1983 the band had reached the zenith of their career in Australia and with overseas markets reluctant to accept them, Cold Chisel began to disintegrate. Their abortive US sojourn was commemorated in Barnes' excoriating rocker "You Got Nothing I Want" from the Circus Animals album, an emotional volume created from the frustration of the band’s experiences overseas.
Increasing internal tensions and the pressures of touring took their toll and Steve Prestwich -- who was often in conflict with Barnes -- left the band, to be replaced by veteran Australian drummer Ray Arnott (ex Spectrum). Shortly afterward, in 1984, Cold Chisel announced their split and a series of farewell concerts, for which Prestwich re-joined. That tour became a legend in itself and was not without incident when Barnes lost his voice before the Sydney shows, which then had to be rescheduled. The band's final performance was filmed for the documentary concert film The Last Stand, which remains to this day the best-selling concert film of any single Australian act.
In mid 2011 the group announced a series of upcoming concerts.
Misfit
Cold Chisel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Speedboats on the bay
All around the seagulls scream
Children out to play
The ferry sits like a holiday
As the harbours heaves and sweats
Like the faded jeans and tubetops
On the manly nymphets
In the west I'm a fast young fool
In the church I'm irresponsible
In the clubs I'm called uncool
Well youth is my advantage
Anonymity my reward
While the world's being measured
For a uniform
It's my luxury to be ignored
Misfit, baby misfit
I roll it round my mind
They tear apart this teenage heart
To see what they might find
Misfit, baby misfit
I roll it round my mind
Last long weekend we were hoonin' around
Had a party round at Monica's place
She played Mozart with my feelings
And havoc with my face
And the working woman in the house next door
Rang the police around ten
She'd give twenty years off the end of her life
Just to be sixteen again
The lyrics of Cold Chisel’s “Misfits” portray the social isolation and confusion experienced by a young man. He feels like a misfit due to the different social collectives that he is a part of. The lyrics describe the dichotomy of his persona - on the beach, he feels like he is a loner; in the west, he is seen as an adrenaline-seeking youth; in the church, he is irresponsible; and in clubs, he is deemed uncool. The young man finds anonymity as his reward and luxury to be ignored since his youth is his advantage. He rolls this idea of being a misfit round his mind and tries to make sense of it.
The song also talks about the young protagonist's weekend experience of being an adolescent. He associates himself with his peer group and parties at Monica's place, who plays Mozart with his feelings and wreck havoc with his face. His neighbor, who is a working woman, is envious of his youth and calls the police to shut the party down. The song paints a picture of the backdrop of an Australian summer filled with beaches, seagulls, ferries, and speedboats while struggling against social norms and attitudes as an adolescent.
Line by Line Meaning
Surfboards through the turnstiles
People are carelessly throwing their surfboards through the subway turnstiles
Speedboats on the bay
Speedboats are cruising in the bay
All around the seagulls scream
The seagulls are making loud noises
Children out to play
Children are outside playing
The ferry sits like a holiday
The ferry looks peaceful and relaxing, like a vacation
As the harbours heaves and sweats
The harbour is busy and bustling, with a lot of commotion
Like the faded jeans and tube tops on the Manly nymphets
The girls in Manly are wearing worn-out clothes like faded jeans and tube tops
On the beach I'm called aparral, in the west I'm a fast young fool
People judge me differently depending on where I am - on the beach, I'm cool, but in the west, I'm a reckless young person
In the church I'm irresponsible, in the clubs I'm called uncool
In certain settings, people view me as irresponsible or uncool
Well youth is my advantage, anonymity my reward
Being young is an advantage, and being anonymous is a benefit
While the world's being measured for a uniform, it's my luxury to be ignored
While everyone else is pressured to fit in and conform, I'm lucky to be able to ignore those expectations
Misfit, baby misfit, I roll it round my mind
I think about being a misfit a lot
They tear apart this teenage heart, to see what they might find
People are always trying to scrutinize and figure me out
Last long weekend we were hoonin' around, had a party around at Monica's place
Last weekend, my friends and I were joyriding and went to a party
She played Mozart with my feelings and havoc with my face
Monica messed around with my emotions and caused chaos in my life
And the working woman in the house next door rang the police around ten
The woman next door called the police at 10 PM
She'd give twenty years off the end of her life just to be sixteen again
The woman wishes she could go back in time and relive her youth
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DONALD WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sahgudifogn
This is by far my favourite Chisel song. It's vastly underrated.
@yowodup6094
One of the most underrated bands in history.
@shelltarz
Still my favourite Chisel song ever....pure magic.
@Matt-zt7rd
One of my Chisel favourites. Really captures a mood.
@paulhoward4402
If you were an outsider or a misfit in the 70s/80s ( marginalised in today’s jargon) as I was, there was only one band that wrote songs that dealt with those experiences. Chisel of course. Misfits, Standing on the Outside, Tomorrow, Four Walls, Star Hotel , all songs for the “ uncontrolled youth in Asia “. Thanks Don.
@wildthing3241
Imagine being that good that a song like this is a throw away/B side
@richalderson6069
And it's got a video!
@MrDavin68
One of my favourite tunes from the group love the lyrics reminds me so much of my youth
@rogerferns9760
Best song by Australia's best rock band!
@CowHuggingVegan
Words can not describe the emotional roller coaster that is Cold Chisel!!!!!!!!