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)
Regular Boys
Icehouse Lyrics
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We live in the big bad world
We're just the thing
The regular boys
And we're one in a million
And we like the way we are
This is just the big bad world
The next big thing
The regular boys
And we're one in a million
And we like the way we are
Boys
Boys
Boys
Ooh shoulder to shoulder
Ooh gotta stick together
I got the girl if I can get the money
Could fall in love with a regular girl
That's no big deal for a regular boy
And we're one in a million
And we like the way we are
That's no big deal for a regular boy
And we're one in a million
And we like the way we are
We live in this animal kingdom
We live in the big bad world
But who wants to know
The regular boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
The lyrics of the song Regular Boys by Icehouse touch on the theme of individuality and identity in a "big bad world". The opening lines "We live in a little kingdom/ We live in the big bad world" suggest that although we all lead our own lives as unique individuals, we are still part of a greater society or community. The lyrics of the song capture the essence of being a "regular boy" who is not interested in trying to stand out or be different for the sake of it, but instead has the confidence to embrace his own identity and walk his own path. The repetition of the line "And we're one in a million/ And we like the way we are" emphasises this point.
The song also describes the bond between friends, with the lines "Ooh shoulder to shoulder/ Ooh gotta stick together" highlighting the importance of support and loyalty in relationships. The idea of falling in love with a "regular girl" is presented as no big deal for a "regular boy", who is happy to embrace a simple and ordinary life.
Overall, the lyrics of Regular Boys by Icehouse celebrate individuality and authenticity in the face of a world that can sometimes demand conformity and conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
We live in a little kingdom
We have carved out our own little world, separate from everything else
We live in the big bad world
We are living in a harsh and unforgiving world
We're just the thing
We are the ones that people want and need
The regular boys
We are just like any other guys, nothing special about us
And we're one in a million
We are unique, but also part of a larger group
And we like the way we are
We are happy with our lives and ourselves
This is not a beautiful party
Our lives are not glamorous or perfect
This is just the big bad world
We are just trying to survive in this harsh world
The next big thing
We are always striving to be the next big thing, even if it seems impossible
Ooh shoulder to shoulder
We stick together through thick and thin
Ooh gotta stick together
We need to rely on each other to get through tough times
I got the girl if I can get the money
Money is often necessary to get the things we want, like relationships
Could fall in love with a regular girl
We don't need someone special or extraordinary to fall in love with
That's no big deal for a regular boy
It's not a big deal for us normal guys to find love
We live in this animal kingdom
Our world can be brutal and animalistic
But who wants to know
We don't need anyone else to understand our struggles
Boys
We are just young guys trying to navigate our lives and the world around us
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: IVOR ARTHUR DAVIES, ROBERT GRANT KRETSCHMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind