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)
Sister Europe
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sick on a Steinway
The sailors drown
See them talk and see them drown
See them drink and fall around
On the floor
[Chorus]
Sister of mine, home again
Lonely in a crowded room
The radio plays out of tune
So silently
Radio upon the floor is stupid
It plays as before
So out of key
[Chorus]
Buy a car and watch it rust
Sister, see them fall to dust
They fall around
In another crowded room
Paint me like the shed I`m in
On display
[Chorus: x2]
The lyrics of Icehouse's song Sister Europe are laden with symbolism and ambiguity, making it a song that requires close attention to truly unpack. The opening line "Stupid on a stein away / Sick on a Steinway" is a clever wordplay on the different meanings of "stein." "Stein" in the first line refers to a glass beer mug, while "Steinway" in the second line refers to a high-end piano, creating a contrast between drunkenness and artistic skill. The sailors referenced in the following lines may be a nod to the idea of drowning one's sorrows with alcohol, while the repetition of "See them talk and see them drown / See them drink and fall around" suggests a sense of helplessness and despair.
The chorus, which repeats the phrase "Sister of mine, home again," appears to be a plea for comfort and connection, particularly in the midst of loneliness and chaos. The second verse introduces the idea of being lonely in a crowded room, with a radio playing out of tune, emphasizing a sense of disconnection from the world. The line "Radio upon the floor is stupid / It plays as before / So out of key" could be interpreted as a commentary on the way media can feel empty and repetitive, failing to provide real solace or answers.
The final verse of the song shifts to a more abstract sense of decay and disintegration, with the lines "Buy a car and watch it rust / Sister, see them fall to dust / They fall around." This could be seen as a commentary on the fleeting nature of material possessions, and the inevitability of decay. The closing line "Paint me like the shed I'm in / On display" suggests a sense of feeling stuck or trapped, with no real agency or control over one's own life.
Line by Line Meaning
Stupid on a stein away
Intoxicated on beer, far away from consciousness.
Sick on a Steinway
Illness brought on by the beautiful classical music coming from a Steinway piano.
The sailors drown
The men on the ship struggle and eventually drown in the cold water.
See them talk and see them drown
The sailors are shown in high spirits at first, but their emotions quickly turn to despair as they drown.
See them drink and fall around
The men are wildly consuming alcohol and pass out on the floor.
On the floor
The sailors are seen lying on the ground, unconscious.
Sister of mine, home again
The singer’s sister has returned home after a long absence.
Lonely in a crowded room
Feeling alone despite being surrounded by many people.
The radio plays out of tune
The sound produced by the radio is off-key and unpleasant.
So silently
The sound that is currently present is very slight.
Radio upon the floor is stupid
The inanimate object, the radio, seems foolish lying on the ground.
It plays as before
The radio produces the same distorted sounds, as it has been doing all along.
So out of key
The sound that the radio produces is very un-melodic and unpleasant.
Buy a car and watch it rust
Purchase an expensive, yet ultimately fading asset like a car or a luxury item.
Sister, see them fall to dust
The singer’s sister sees the transient nature of these material things that we cling to.
They fall around
These things that we think have long-lasting value prove to be less worthwhile than we believed.
In another crowded room
In a different room, but still feeling loneliness in the face of many people.
Paint me like the shed I`m in
The singer wishes to be painted like he's on display, like an object in a shed.
On display
Being exhibited like a display object, seen by all but trapped in one location.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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