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.
One Long Day
Cold Chisel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way things go, thirty years,
Bus timetable'll be my elergy
Up at seven every working day
Pay comes in, pay goes out
It's a week-by-week charade
Boss found hung in office
Could not stand the pace
And as the peak-hour traffic jams below
Someone gets the story, somebody spread the rumour
People come and go
Wandered down along the river last night
Call me romantic, I say I couldn't sleep
Until the first-light struck me down
Padding homeward on the inside lane
Early morning, freeway's cool and quiet
Dodging rubber stains
People talking in a seaside bar
I ain't sentimental, but Lord
Sometimes I get that gypsy urge to travel far
You know I'll disappear some long weekend
Find a mangrove landscape
Stretch out along some busted jetty
And forget who I am
You go to move
You got to go
You go to be somebody
You got to roll
You got to stop
You got to change
You got to make a little money
And be a little strange
And one long day
Is all it takes to steal her heart away
One long night
And it's allright, you've done it again
Soft, low words
And slender ladies, beneath the cafe fans
One long day
laid by dreams
Cotton dresses, a Spanish border town
Dreams so far
From the subway, the crowds heading home
Close each day
In technicolor, a million miles away
One long night and you're alone
Meanwhile
City ways
Life goes creeping on
Sometimes
I get the blues
Cold Chisel's song "One Long Day" is a portrait of a man's dissatisfaction with his mundane city life, as evidenced by the opening lines: "City life is closing in on me / The way things go, thirty years / Bus timetable'll be my elergy." The singer expresses his weariness with the same routine every day and feeling trapped in a life that seems to have no end, alluding to his job and his bleak future. The lyrics suggest that this way of life is an endless cycle, as suggested in the line "Pay comes in, pay goes out / It's a week-by-week charade" - a cycle that can drive someone crazy.
The song also touches upon the hustle and bustle of city life. The singer hears stories of a suicide where the boss was unable to handle the work's relentless nature, and he watches the traffic below him as he walks along the river. The song describes how the singer feels like he's only an observer in life, "And forget who I am." He longs to escape from that life, as the repetition of "You got to go / You go to move" suggests. He seeks something more unconventional and is drawn to the idea of traveling and getting lost somewhere, away from the city's restrictions.
Line by Line Meaning
City life is closing in on me
The hustle and bustle of the city is becoming overwhelming and suffocating for me
The way things go, thirty years, Bus timetable'll be my elergy
If things continue as they are, I'll be stuck in this mundane routine of work and bus timetables for the rest of my life
Up at seven every working day
I wake up early every single day to go to work
Pay comes in, pay goes out
I receive my paycheck only to immediately spend it all
It's a week-by-week charade
I feel like I'm just going through the motions of life, living week by week with no excitement or purpose
General panic in the marketplace
There is a sense of fear and anxiety amongst people in the marketplace
Boss found hung in office
My boss couldn't handle the stress and pressure of work any longer and committed suicide in the office
Could not stand the pace
He wasn't able to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the job
And as the peak-hour traffic jams below
Looking down at the gridlocked traffic during rush hour
Someone gets the story, somebody spread the rumour
Someone hears something and spreads it as a rumor
People come and go
People are always moving in and out of the city
Wandered down along the river last night
I took a leisurely walk by the river last night
Call me romantic, I say I couldn't sleep
Some may call me cheesy, but I really couldn't sleep and just needed some fresh air
Until the first-light struck me down
I was out so late that I only returned home once the sun had risen
Padding homeward on the inside lane
Driving home on the innermost lane of the freeway
Early morning, freeway's cool and quiet
The freeway is peaceful and empty in the early hours of the morning
Dodging rubber stains
Avoiding tire marks on the road
People talking in a seaside bar
Overhearing conversations of patrons at a bar by the beach
I ain't sentimental, but Lord
I'm not typically emotional, but sometimes I feel a deep sense of longing
Sometimes I get that gypsy urge to travel far
I often have an itch to explore and travel new places, like a gypsy
You know I'll disappear some long weekend
I'll take advantage of a long weekend to escape and disappear for a bit
Find a mangrove landscape
I'll seek out a serene mangrove-filled environment
Stretch out along some busted jetty
I'll lie down on a worn-out pier and soak in the peaceful surroundings
And forget who I am
I'll lose myself in the moment and forget all my worries and problems
You go to move
You have to keep moving forward in life
You got to go
You have to leave a place to make a change and grow
You go to be somebody
You should strive to be the best version of yourself and make a name for yourself
You got to roll
You have to take chances and risks to get ahead in life
You got to stop
You have to take breaks and rest in order to keep going
You got to change
You have to adapt and evolve over time
You got to make a little money
You need money to accomplish your goals and live comfortably
And be a little strange
It's okay to be different and unique, and sometimes that's what sets you apart
And one long day, Is all it takes to steal her heart away
A single day spent together can be enough to make someone fall in love
One long night, And it's allright, you've done it again
A wild night out can make everything feel better, even if it's only temporary
Soft, low words, And slender ladies, beneath the cafe fans
Romantic phrases and the sight of beautiful women in a cafe
One long day laid by dreams, Cotton dresses, a Spanish border town
Dreaming of a day when I can wear light clothing and visit a small Spanish town
Dreams so far, From the subway, the crowds heading home
These dreams seem so distant and unattainable while surrounded by the mundane city life
Close each day, In technicolor, a million miles away
At the end of the day, I'm dreaming of something bright and vivid, a world away from where I am now
One long night and you're alone
After a long night out, you can feel lonelier than ever
Meanwhile, City ways, Life goes creeping on
While I daydream and get lost in my thoughts, life in the city continues as normal
Sometimes I get the blues
At times, I feel down and melancholic about my life and the world around me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DONALD WALKER, DONALD HUGH WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Gable
I have to tell you, this is my all time favorite CC song. Barnes is so cool and held back. Amazing.
Ian Kearns
Absolute epic song and one of their best.
Michael Wilson
This first album and even Barnesys first ep , some of the gr8est rock ever recorded in oz ! Hard bluest rock ! Taped in time forever .
ADRIAN G
I don't know what the hell I've been doing but I've only recently been getting into this song. Phenomenal song. So good.
chiselsgirl
love almost everything chisel has ever done but this album is my favorite
Textra1
This is an unrecognised classic album.
FILMPOT Productions
@Van InTra Add Icehouse by the Flowers to that list
Rufus Lee Hung
Classic music is very hard to date, never gets old, and is always relevant. ☑️☑️☑️
Van InTra
There are three great first albums by bands that I know. Yes, I have limited knowledge, but Cold Chisel is definitely one of the TRULY GREAT first albums by a band that I know. The other two bands that I know with such awesome first albums are: The Cure, and Led Zeppelin.. But maybe that's just me? :-)
Meagain Okay
At last, an original version that isn't remastered! I hate remastered crap which is EVERYWHERE these days. This is def their best album bar-none IMO.
Thank you, thank you!!!