Since 1980, Icehouse has released seven albums, several compilations, and music from collaborations with other artists including dance companies. Their 1987 album 'Man of Colours' was released at the apex of their fame and international success. It is considered by many to be the band's magnum opus.
As 'Flowers', Icehouse built up a strong following as a live act around Sydney, Australia, noted for their distinctive cover versions of songs by a wide range of acts including T-Rex and Brian Eno. After signing to the independent Regular Festival Records label, they released their debut single, "Can't Help Myself", which hit the Australian Top 10 in June 1980. This was followed by their first album 'Icehouse', which also made the Top 10 and became one of year's biggest selling albums in Australia. The album made use of synthesisers, especially the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5.
Further singles "We Can Get Together" and "Walls" both hit the Top 20. A European single from this album, "Icehouse", created some interest in the U.K., partly because of a memorable music video. Sensing the possibility of international success, the band decided to change their name in early 1981 to avoid confusion with Scottish group The Flowers. As Icehouse, they spent most of 1981 touring the UK, Canada and US, where "We Can Get Together" hit #62. A single release, "Love In Motion", recorded by Davies alone but the first to be credited to the band's new name, duly hit the Australian Top 10 in November 1981.
In January 1982, the band's original line up split, resulting in Davies recording Icehouse's much-anticipated second album, 'Primitive Man', on his own, with assistance from Keith Forsey, who later worked with Simple Minds. Released in August 1982, Primitive Man was another huge Australian hit and became Icehouse's international breakthrough. The hit single "Hey Little Girl" reached the UK Top 20 and has remained their most regularly played song. Another strong track from this album was "Great Southern Land", which made the Australian Top 5 and was later featured in the late 1980s film 'Young Einstein'.
In 1985, Davies' musical standing was further enhanced when he was commissioned to compose and record the score for the acclaimed Sydney Dance Company production of Graeme Murphy's dance work 'Boxes'. Icehouse's third album, 'Sidewalk', was far more sombre and reflective, featuring the tracks "I Don't Believe Anymore" and "Someone Like You". After this album the band made further inroads into the U.S. market with their 1986 release 'Measure for Measure', which featured none other than Brian Eno as a listed band member.
Icehouse's next work, 'Man of Colours', was their best-selling album. It contained the hit singles "Crazy" and "Electric Blue" (a song co-written by John Oates from the band Hall and Oates). Both singles reached the US Top 20, with "Electric Blue" hitting the #7 slot. With this album, the band reached an international zenith, never surpassing this level of popularity and exposure again.
In 1995, Davies was again involved with the Sydney Dance Company's production of Berlin. The musical score is a collection of cover versions of songs by David Bowie, Brian Eno, Simple Minds, The Psychedelic Furs, Frank Sinatra, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, XTC, Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground, PiL, The Cure and Killing Joke, which saw him collaborating with pianist Max Lambert in the development of the music.
As well as recording the score to the ballet, Davies performed these songs live with Icehouse at each show. He was an intrinsic part of the ballet, in a role similar to the one in Boxes. Iva was extremely successful in creating a translation from the dancers to the audience. Berlin was an instant success and ran for two seasons. Both shows were the most commercially successful that The Sydney Dance Company have had to date.
On 16 August 2006, Icehouse were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame along side acts such as Midnight Oil, Divinyls and Rose Tattoo. Also in 2006, Icehouse featured prominently on the Triple M Essential 2006 Countdown with 14 songs selected including:
*"Man Of Colours"
*"Electric Blue"
*"We Can Get Together"
*"Don't Believe Any More"
*"Great Southern Land" (which came in at number 12)
Girl in the Moon
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everywhere a bad case of nowhere news
And the weather man telling me
All of the time
"looks like rain"
Put on my Cadillac boots
And my magazine jeans
And I won't stop walking
'til I turn the blue world upside down
I say "Hey!"
To the girl in the moon
There's a mad clock ticking
Inside of my brain
And it might just explode
I got a subway running
Right over my roof
I can't hear a sound
And there's Bayman and Robin
Leaking into my room
Through a hole in the wall
And there's Jane and Tarzan
With their favorite monkey
What's his name?
I say Hey! to the girl in the moon
There's a mad clock ticking
Inside of my brain
And the colors don't rhyme
I'm gonna stand here waiting
'til the girl in the moon
Comes back down
I say "Hey!"
To the girl in the moon
In Icehouse's song "Girl In The Moon," the lyrics reveal a protagonist who feels lost, disoriented and disconnected from the world around him. He is bombarded with "nowhere news" and a relentless weatherman predicting gloom and doom. In response, he tries to put on a confident exterior by donning fancy clothes like his "Cadillac boots" and "magazine jeans." Yet, he remains directionless, roaming aimlessly, and proclaiming he won't stop walking until he "turn(s) the blue world upside down."
The lyrics then focus on the ticking clock inside his head, evoking a sense of anxiety and urgency. The singer mentions hearing a subway running right over his roof, but paradoxically he can't hear a sound. The lyrics move from reality to fantasy when he conjures up images of Batman, Robin, Jane, Tarzan, and their pet monkey. The singer's isolation in his room becomes clear when "Bayman and Robin" leak into his space "through a hole in the wall." He longs for the "girl in the moon," whom he greets with the repeated line "Hey!" The phrase "the colors don't rhyme" may be interpreted as his world not making sense, and the girl in the moon may represent a symbol for a beacon of hope or a better life. In conclusion, "Girl In The Moon" portrays an ambiguous and muddled world where the singer feels lost, yearning for something he cannot quite define.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a long face, no place
You seem unhappy and lost, with nowhere to go or belong.
Everywhere a bad case of nowhere news
Everywhere you turn, you're faced with negative and depressing news.
And the weather man telling me All of the time 'looks like rain'
Even the weather forecast suggests a gloomy outlook, adding to the overall negative atmosphere.
Put on my Cadillac boots And my magazine jeans
Despite feeling down, the artist is putting on stylish clothing to uplift their spirits.
Though the colors don't rhyme And I won't stop walking 'til I turn the blue world upside down
Although their outfit may not perfectly match, the artist is determined to challenge the dreary status quo and make a change.
I say "Hey!" To the girl in the moon
The singer acknowledges and greets an imaginary figure in the moon, someone who represents hope and inspiration.
There's a mad clock ticking Inside of my brain
The singer feels overwhelmed and anxious, with thoughts racing through their mind at an alarming pace.
And it might just explode I got a subway running Right over my roof
The pressure and stress the artist is experiencing could reach a breaking point, made worse by the noise and chaos of living in a busy urban setting.
I can't hear a sound And there's Bayman and Robin Leaking into my room Through a hole in the wall
The artist is so consumed by their own thoughts that they don't notice the characters of Batman and Robin (possibly representing ideals of justice and heroism) entering their world.
And there's Jane and Tarzan With their favorite monkey What's his name?
Another fictional scene enters the artist's mind, with the classic characters of Jane and Tarzan (possibly representations of exploration and adventure) along with their monkey, adding to the dreamlike nature of the narrative.
I say Hey! to the girl in the moon
Once again, the singer expresses their connection to and admiration for the symbol of the girl in the moon.
And the colors don't rhyme I'm gonna stand here waiting 'til the girl in the moon Comes back down
Despite the lack of harmony and the uncertainty of when or how, the artist is patient and determined to see the return of their source of hope.
I say Hey! To the girl in the moon
The song ends with a repeated affirmation of the singer's admiration and recognition of the girl in the moon.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IVOR ARTHUR DAVIES, ROBERT GRANT KRETSCHMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind