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.
Teenage Love Affair
Cold Chisel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met my baby on a Friday night
I met my baby on a Friday night
I met my baby on a Friday night
She said "rock'n'roll me" everything's gonna be
Alright alright alright
I took my baby to a movie show I took my baby to a movie show
I took my baby to a movie show
Saw a guy O.D.ed in the third back row
Singin' go cat go cat go"
I walked my baby down beside the sea
She was white as a feather, high on DDT
I'm all strung out, my baby's lookin' old
She's been drained, cashed, refilled
And now resold
I left my baby in a seaside bar
I left my baby in a seaside bar
I left my baby in a seaside bar
Said you take the kids, I'll take the car
Gonna leave this town behind"
The lyrics to Cold Chisel's song "Teenage Love Affair" tell the story of a wild and reckless romance. The singer meets his lover on a Friday night and is immediately drawn to her. She encourages him to rock and roll and promises that everything will be alright. They then go to a movie show where they witness a man overdosing on drugs. Despite this disturbing experience, they continue on to the sea, where they do drugs and lose themselves in the moment. However, by the end of the story, the relationship has become toxic and the singer leaves his lover in a seaside bar, vowing to leave the town behind.
The song captures the spirit of teenage rebellion and the reckless abandon of youth. It portrays a world where drugs, sex, and rock and roll are the order of the day, and where anything seems possible. At the same time, it also shows the darker side of this lifestyle, highlighting the dangers of drug use and the instability of relationships that are fueled by adrenaline and chemicals. Ultimately, the singer realizes that he needs to leave this behind if he is to find any kind of stability in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
I met my baby on a Friday night
I found my lover on a Friday night
She said "rock'n'roll me" everything's gonna be Alright alright alright
She asked me to play some rock music, and everything will be fine
I took my baby to a movie show
I went to a movie with my lover
Saw a guy O.D.ed in the third back row Singin' go cat go cat go
Someone overdosed in the theater while singing 'go cat go cat go' in the third row
I walked my baby down beside the sea She was white as a feather, high on DDT
I strolled with my lover by the ocean. She looked pale and was high on DDT
I'm all strung out, my baby's lookin' old She's been drained, cashed, refilled And now resold
I'm stressed out, and my lover looks older as if she's been overused, emptied, refilled, and resold
I left my baby in a seaside bar Said you take the kids, I'll take the car Gonna leave this town behind
I abandoned my lover in a pub, telling her to take the kids while I drive away, leaving this town
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gary Holland (Mossy & CC Fan from The States~!)
on Red Sand (2011 Remastered)
Human Trafficking is, clearly , nothing new to this Wicked World~!