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)
Invisible People
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The invisible people
Yeah, yeah
Walking in the garden
Flowers dying
The garden is a jungle
Everywhere
And nobody is watching
But I see you there
[Chorus]
I know you`re not a number
You got a name
We`re invisible people
Invisible people
You gotta give a hand to
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
They`re looking out the windows
Of ivory towers
Filling in the details
They got it made
Where are we going wrong?
Won`t anybody tell me
I don`t understand
[Chorus]
Invisible people
Stand up and be counted
Invisible people
Invisible people
You gotta give a little love to
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Invisible people
Invisible people
Invisible people
Stand up and be counted
I know you got a voice, yeah
You got something to say
Tell me, where do we go from here?
I want to hear the message, yeah
Loud and clear
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
[Chorus]
I know you`re not a number
Invisible people
Invisible people
You gotta give a little love to
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
Invisible people
Invisible people
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
Invisible people
You gotta give a little love to
Invisible people
Yeah
Invisible people
Yeah, yeah
Icehouse's song "Invisible People" talks about the plight of the marginalized members of the society who are ignored by the rest of the world. The metaphor of a garden with dying flowers represents a world in which neglect and apathy have taken over. The chorus, "I know you're not a number, you got a name" highlights the dehumanizing effect of reducing people to numbers, statistics, or a marginal part of society. The song pleads the listener to acknowledge the existence of the invisible people around us, to empathize with them, and make an effort to understand their struggles. The lyrics point out that the privileged section of society is unaware of the challenges faced by the underprivileged ones, and it is the responsibility of those in a better place to lift them up and stand with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah
Agreement and emphasis
The invisible people
Referring to a group of individuals who go unnoticed and overlooked
Walking in the garden
Depicts the start of a journey
Flowers dying
The garden represents a beautiful place, but it is no longer as beautiful anymore. The loss of beauty is used to parallel the frustration of the invisible people.
The garden is a jungle
The garden, once beautiful and lush, has now turned into an overgrown jungle which presents difficulty and danger
Everywhere
The issue is widespread
Black rain is coming down
A metaphor for bad circumstances and environment
And nobody is watching
No one is there to help
But I see you there
The artist empathizes with and recognizes the struggles of the invisible people
I know you`re not a number
The statement infers that everyone is worth more than an ID number
You got a name
Everyone deserves to be identified as a unique individual
We`re invisible people
Reiterating what was mentioned at the beginning of the song, no one notices the existence or struggles of this group.
You gotta give a hand to
Encouraging listeners to help the invisible people
They`re looking out the windows
The ones in power are oblivious to the troubles and needs of the less privileged
Of ivory towers
The ones in power live in luxury and comfort while others struggle
Filling in the details
Concerned only with minor issues while ignoring more significant ones
They got it made
Life is effortless and trouble-free for those in power
Where are we going wrong?
Questioning why the situation has become so dire
Won`t anybody tell me
Looking for an explanation
I don`t understand
Expressing confusion
Stand up and be counted
Empowering the invisible people to take action and fight for recognition
You gotta give a little love to
Encouraging listeners to show love and support to this group of people
You got something to say
The invisible people have their story to share and voice to be heard
Tell me, where do we go from here?
Asking for guidance on the next steps on how to address and resolve the issues
I want to hear the message, yeah
The singer wants to listen to what the invisible people have to say
Loud and clear
Asks for the message to be stated in a loud and clear way that cannot be ignored
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: D. CHAPMAN, IVOR DAVIES, P. WHEELER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamiefoyers2800
Hadn't heard this track before but it's a sure winner!. Icehouse always come up with the goods. One of the best bands to come out of the Land of Oz.
@osvaldospineli7108
Fantástico,muito top essa música ❤❤💯🇧🇷🇧🇷👍👍🔊🎶🎼🎵🗣🗣💃💃💃💃💃🎶🎶🎶💃💃💃💃💃
@milizastankovic2489
The sounds of Icehouse are just so harmonious....😌😌😌.
What a great band!!😊
@garanceadrosehn9691
Nicely done. I don't remember this song getting any attention back when it was released, but it's nice to see a video for it now. I expect this video was released back when the song was done, but this is the first time I've seen it! (and I have followed Icehouse ever since the first album was released in the US).
@elliscrane
Great song with an even better message. Nicely done.
@THIRV
Brilliant stuff, total legend Iva, keep well sir and thanks for sharing this Live In Studio film with us. ❤
@monch67
Icehouse...!!🎶❤️
@RomelioSanz
Always SUPERB... It's ICEHOUSE baby!!!
@PumpkinPriest
Please release Bi Polar Poems! This songs is so amazing! Iva maybe you don't like this songs anymore, but trust us, your fans, we all love so much this songs and want have full album cd in our collection and listen this songs in max quality everyday. Please please please
@binie9475
My fav aussies. Thanks for sharing!❤