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)
The Flame
Icehouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the dust of the daylight
There's a place
Where the truth cannot hide
There's no hell and no heaven
No sense in believing
All you have is your hope
Rusting iron, bricks and paper
Hold each other for shelter
So you sleep
And you call it home
You may just hear
The sound of the calm
Before the storm
In my heart of the country
Far away from the town
Working day after day
In the factories and mines
And your name is a number
And your color is black
It's the color of midnight
And coal
Well, the young men are restless
And the old men are tired
Always working for nothing
And being alone
You can feel the heat of the calm
Before the storm
[Chorus: ]
Well, you can move a mountain
And shut out the sky
You can put out the fire
But the flame won't die
As the smoke settles slowly
And the crowd clears away
The shouting is over
They have nothing to say
Nineteen voices of silence
Lying dead in the street
Nineteen voices are still now
Ten thousand will fight
And you might know the voice of the calm
Before the storm
[Chorus: 2X]
The lyrics of Icehouse's song The Flame describe the bleak reality of life on the fringes of society. The opening lines paint a picture of a desolate, urban wasteland where the truth is hard to discern. The idea of there being no heaven or hell suggests a sense of hopelessness, that there is no ultimate reward or punishment for how one lives their life.
The song then switches focus to the countryside, where people work tirelessly in factories and mines, their names reduced to mere numbers and their skin color defining their worth. The young men are restless, and the old men are tired, each consumed by the seemingly endless cycle of work and isolation.
Despite this sense of despair, there comes a hint of optimism in the chorus when the lyrics state that "the flame won't die." It represents the indomitable spirit of those who refuse to give up hope, who keep fighting despite the odds stacked against them. The final lines of the song, which mention the nineteen voices silenced and the ten thousand who will fight, suggest a desire for change and a struggle against the oppressive forces that keep people down.
Line by Line Meaning
On the edge of the city
The setting of the place is in the outskirts of the city.
In the dust of the daylight
The area is filled with dust that is brought about by daytime.
There's a place
There is a location in that area.
Where the truth cannot hide
It is a place where reality cannot be concealed.
There's no hell and no heaven
Heaven or hell doesn't exist in that area.
No sense in believing
It is pointless to have faith or religion there.
All you have is your hope
The only thing that people have there is hope.
And your pride
The only other thing that people hold on to is their pride.
Rusting iron, bricks and paper
That area's buildings and other structures are old, rusty and dilapidated.
Hold each other for shelter
The structures are standing together to provide shelter.
So you sleep
The people living there find themselves sleeping.
And you call it home
Despite the dilapidated structures, people call it their home.
You may just hear
One might hear the sound of something.
The sound of the calm
It is the sound of calm before a storm.
Before the storm
It implies that a storm is coming soon.
In my heart of the country
It refers to the singer's location in the rural areas far away from the city.
Far away from the town
It's a place located miles away from the nearest town.
Working day after day
People work there every day without fail.
In the factories and mines
They work in factories and mines in the area.
And your name is a number
People are known by numbers instead of their names.
And your color is black
This refers to the uniform people wear. It's black in color.
It's the color of midnight
The uniform color is dark to symbolize the dark situation.
And coal
It implies that the work in the mines is coal mining.
Well, the young men are restless
The younger generation is always anxious and agitated.
And the old men are tired
The older generation is worn-out and exhausted.
Always working for nothing
Despite being tired and restless, people work without incentives.
And being alone
They work alone, feeling lonely and without support.
You can feel the heat of the calm
One can sense the tension or anxiety building up before a storm.
Before the storm
It implies that some significant event or tragedy will occur soon.
[Chorus: ]
This refers to the chorus or the repeated parts of the song.
Well, you can move a mountain
It refers to the challenges that people face and how seemingly impossible things can be achieved.
And shut out the sky
It describes the extent of control or power they exerted.
You can put out the fire
People can be extinguished or silence indefinitely.
But the flame won't die
Despite everything, the will to survive, hope, and perseverance remain and never dies.
As the smoke settles slowly
It refers to the aftermath of something significant that leaves destruction in its wake.
And the crowd clears away
The people who were there finally leave the place.
The shouting is over
An end to the noise and commotion.
They have nothing to say
People are quiet, as if what they witnessed was unbelievable.
Nineteen voices of silence
The nineteen people who died became quiet forever.
Lying dead in the street
The bodies of the dead people are left in the streets.
Nineteen voices are still now
The nineteen people before are now quiet forever.
Ten thousand will fight
People will rise up and fight against the oppressors.
And you might know the voice of the calm
One could sense the tension building up, indicating that something is yet to come.
[Chorus: 2X]
This refers to the repeated ending of the song.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ivor Arthur Davies
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind