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)
Judas
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn your back to the light
Now we want to see the face
Behind the name
Cross your palm with silver,
See it shining so bright
You know there has to be
You better think about it, Judas
You may be headline news yet, Judas
You better get it straight now, Judas
You better be damned sure, Judas
So you thought you could take a little piece,
Well, kiss it all good-bye
Only losers can play that kind of game, yeah
I've heard people talking, how do you sleep at night?
Nobody told you how to pay the price of fame
[Chorus]
Judas
You better think about it
Judas
It`s up to you now, wrong or right
It`s on your head now, the hand of fate
Think about it, think about it
So there is just one simple question,
Can you tell me why?
Would you say that it was worth it in the end?
You better get it straight now, Judas
You better be damned sure
You better think about it, Judas
The Icehouse song, Judas, seems to be an admonitory song about a person who has made some wrong choices and is currently at the brink of paying the price for it. The lyrics suggest that the subject has hidden his true self in the shadows; perhaps he is living a double life or is pretending to be someone he is not. The lines "Always stand in the shadows, Turn your back to the light, Now we want to see the face, Behind the name" implies this. Furthermore, he has made some poor choices, and the price he has to pay for those choices, that he knew he would have to pay, is coming due.
The song is advising this person, who is referred to as Judas, to look back on his actions and understand the gravity of his decisions before he is too deep to turn back. The lines "You better think about it, Judas, You may be headline news yet, Judas" and "you better get it straight now, Judas, You better be damned sure, Judas" suggest that he might face serious consequences, possibly public scrutiny or shame. The chorus drives home the message, “Judas, You better think about it.”
The song ends with the question, "Can you tell me why? Would you say that it was worth it in the end?" This seems to be an attempt to urge Judas to think about the consequences of his actions and decide if it was worth it. Overall, Judas is a cautionary tale that suggests that one's actions have consequences, and it is essential to make the right choices and think about the consequences before making decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
Always stand in the shadows,
Always avoid the spotlight,
Turn your back to the light
Stay away from anything good or positive,
Now we want to see the face
We want to know who you really are,
Behind the name
Behind your public persona,
Cross your palm with silver,
Pay someone off to keep their mouth shut,
See it shining so bright
The temptation to do something bad is so strong,
You know there has to be
It's inevitable that someone will take the fall,
Someone to take the blame
Someone to bear the responsibility for the wrongdoing,
You better think about it, Judas
Consider the consequences before you act,
You may be headline news yet, Judas
Your actions could make you famous, but not in a good way,
You better get it straight now, Judas
You need to come clean and tell the truth,
You better be damned sure, Judas
You better be absolutely certain before you act,
So you thought you could take a little piece,
You thought you could get away with a small misdeed,
Well, kiss it all good-bye
You'll lose everything, including your reputation,
Only losers can play that kind of game, yeah
Only those with no self-respect would stoop so low,
I've heard people talking, how do you sleep at night?
People are discussing your wrongdoing and wondering how you can live with yourself,
Nobody told you how to pay the price of fame
You weren't warned about the negative consequences of getting famous,
Judas
The person being addressed,
It's up to you now, wrong or right
The decision is yours, regardless of whether it's ethical or not,
It's on your head now, the hand of fate
Whatever happens next is your responsibility,
Think about it, think about it
Take a moment to consider your actions and their consequences,
So there is just one simple question,
There is only one thing to ask you,
Can you tell me why?
Why would you do something like this?
Would you say that it was worth it in the end?
Was the price you paid worth the benefits you gained?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Malcolm Chapman, Ivor Arthur Davies, Paul Wheeler, Paul Kenneth Wheeler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind