After recording their first album, which featured the single Talking to a Stranger, the band traveled to Germany to record with famed producer Conny Plank. In 1984, the band reorganized, adding a three-piece horn section and losing the second guitarist. By 1986, the band's style was moving away from the sweat-drenched rhythmic jams of their early days to a more song-centered aproach centered on Seymour (whose younger brother Nick was a member of Crowded House). Throw Your Arms Around Me was a successful single in many countries.
The band was never able to match the worldwide attention they reached in 1986, though they continued to record with considerable success in Australia, and maintained a loyal fanbase elsewhere.
They broke up in 1998, but returned to play one concert on 14 March 2009 for "Sound Relief" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was a multi-venue rock music concert in support of relief for the Victorian Bushfire Crisis.
Talking to a Stranger
Hunters & Collectors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's like talking to a stranger
Remember the panic in its delectable face, when I touched it
It was like talking to a stranger
Venetian candles penetrated its heart
It trembles like talking to a stranger
And Oh Miss Jesus tell me where are your black eyes?
Your baby was talking to a stranger, no no.
Souvent pour s'amuser les hommes d'equipage
And it's like talking to a stranger
You tasted mustard when she painted your face
And it was like talking to a stranger
And Oh Miss Jesus tell me where are your black eyes?
Your baby was talking to a stranger
Souvent pour s'amuser les hommes d'equipage
And it's like talking to a stranger.
Souvent pour s'amuser les hommes d'equipage
And it's like talking to a stranger
You tasted mustard when she painted your face
And it was like talking to a stranger
Remember the panic in its delectable face, when you touched it
It was like talking to a stranger
And Oh Miss Jesus tell me where are your black eyes?
Your baby was talking to a stranger.
You're talking to a stranger
You're talking to a stranger, no no.
The lyrics in this song by Hunters & Collectors appear to be a series of disconnected images that don't really seem to make any sense when taken at face value. However, upon closer inspection, the song offers several layers of interpretation that could shed some light on what it means to be "talking to a stranger."
The opening line, "Souvent pour s'amuser les hommes d'equipage," is French for "Often, for their amusement, the crew," and it seems to set the tone for the rest of the song. The phrase suggests that the whole thing might just be a game for some people, that these men are playing a game with the singer, and it's making them feel like they're talking to a stranger. The examples that follow are similarly cryptic: the image of a trembling heart penetrated by Venetian candles could be interpreted as a reference to some sort of religious rite or ceremony, but it's hard to know for sure.
The most interesting part of the song is how the refrain - "And it's like talking to a stranger" - goes from potentially being an accusation leveled at the singer ("It was like talking to a stranger... because you were acting strange!") to being directed at the listener ("Your baby was talking to a stranger, no no.") This ambiguity makes the song feel like a journey, a search for understanding of what it means to connect with other people in a meaningful way.
Line by Line Meaning
Souvent pour s'amuser les hommes d'equipage
Often just for amusement, the crew members
And it's like talking to a stranger
Feel like they're talking to someone unknown
Remember the panic in its delectable face, when I touched it
Recall the fear in the enjoyable face of the subject when touched
It was like talking to a stranger
The conversation felt unfamiliar, like speaking to someone unknown
Venetian candles penetrated its heart
The subject was deeply affected by the candles from Venice
It trembles like talking to a stranger
The subject quivers like when communicating with an unfamiliar person
And Oh Miss Jesus tell me where are your black eyes?
The singer is asking Ms. Jesus where her eyes have gone
Your baby was talking to a stranger, no no.
The subject's child was communicating with someone unfamiliar
You're talking to a stranger
The listener is currently having a conversation with an unknown person
You're talking to a stranger, no no.
Reinforcing that the listener is interacting with someone unknown
Contributed by Evelyn W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@pablojones5613
One of the greatest Australian songs of all time, but hardly anyone remembers it. That bass is just amazing.
@businessraptor127
It's pretty popular in The Avalanches remixed version. It's what got me here.
@pablojones5613
@@businessraptor127 can't say I have heard of it, will definitely check it out.
@pablojones5613
@@businessraptor127 just had a look, yeah I have heard that remix, forgot it existed, lol
@mickleberry
Like early Models, they started out pushing experimental edges, jarring and unnerving. Great track.
@CikisHelyzet
I totally remember it! 🖤 Still stands up.
@davidrixon3549
The bass line in this is incredible
@seanfoster6320
He's a very underrated player
@samael9445
True 👍
@yusuke5331
Thanks to The Avalanches for introducing Hunters & Collectors to me 😊