New album TOON TOWN LULLABY released July 2020.

November 2015 saw th… Read Full Bio ↴New album TOON TOWN LULLABY released July 2020.

November 2015 saw the release of ALL THE HITS LIVE, an album recorded earlier that year at Perth's Astor Theatre. James released a brand new album THIRTEEN in March 2012, containing the singles English Girls, Capsize and Whatcha Gonna Do About It?

James Reyne came to recognition to the Australian public as lead singer of classic Australian band Australian Crawl in the 1970's. They had a number of hits including "Reckless", "Boys Light Up", "Beautiful People", "Shutdown", "Errol", "Oh No Not You Again" and "Downhearted"
After the band split in 1986, James spent some time in the United States and Europe, returning to Australia in 1987.

His first solo album, "JAMES REYNE" (1987) went triple platinum and included three top 10 singles: "Fall Of Rome", "Hammerhead" and "Motors Too Fast". Other singles from this album included "Always The Way" and "Ript It Up".

In the following years James released more solo albums, "HARD REYNE" (1989) which contaimed the Top 40 singles "House Of Cards", "One More River" and "Trouble In Paradise".
In 1991 James returned with his most successful Australian album "ELECTRIC DIGGER DANDY"(1991), which effortlessly mirrored the success of the first. This album contained the smash hits "Slave", "Any Day Above Ground" and "Some People'", plus a reworking of the Aussie Crawl song "Reckless".

James joined country music star James Blundell and recorded the classic Dingoes song "WAY OUT WEST" which exploded into the number 1 position on the Australian charts in 1992.

He next joined Daryl Braithwaite, Jef Scott and Simon Hussey on the very successful album "THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS" in 1993 which included the top 40 hits "Motor City", "Sweet Love" and "Daddy's Gonna Make You A Star".

James then returned to Los Angeles to record with renowned producer Stewart Levine, arriving back in 1994 with the critically acclaimed CD "THE WHIFF OF BEDLAM". The album was a departure in sound for James and featured a more organic sound, complete with brass section. The album spawned the hits "Red Light Avenue", "Day In The Sun" and the final single "It's Only Natural" in 1995.

While touring the album in Australia and overseas during this period, James released the energetic and profilic double Live album titled LIVE IN RIO, recorded in Brazil. A single "Oh No Not You Again" was featured from this CD.

Throughout his career James has appeared in several and varied theatrical, film and television productions and concert events, the more visible of these including "Return To Eden", "Tina; What's Love Got To Do With It?", television drama "State Coroner" and "The Little Shop Of Horrors" (1996)

While signing to Roadshow Music in 1997, James headed into the studio with famed producer and produced a single "Brand New Emperor's Clothes", to be featured on a forthcoming album.

In 1999 James recorded and released the CD "DESIGN FOR LIVING" with friends and brothers Scott and Brett Kingman. Arguably the most critically applauded album of his career, it further cemented his position as a unique, witty, thoughtful and challenging songwriter and singer. This album featured the singles "Wonderful Today", "Not Waving, Drowning" and the classic live favourite "Reno".

2004 saw the completion of "SPEEDBOATS FOR BREAKFAST", released on Liberation Records. It was a self funded project and saw James break free of the record company restrictions and allowed to him to be in control creatively. Radio-only singles "Bug" and "Rainbows Dead End" were featured on this CD.
Rainbows Dead End Music Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFaXnfZbBAs

As part of the Liberation Blue Accoustic series, James released two highly successgful accoustic albums in recent times. …"AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON"" which allowed James to revisit many of the above titles with little more than a lone acoustic guitar underpinning the most distinctive voice of his generation.
More reworkings of his solo and Australian Crawl material were sounded on "GHOST SHIP" released in 2007.

2007 saw the release of James 8th Studio album. "EVERY MAN A KING" closing a 30-year circle since James first led Australian Crawl into the front line of the Oz rock boom. His eye and pen grew sharper through a platinum-lined solo career, but never have his wit and poignancy been on more consistently solid musical ground than they are here. Stand-out tracks include "Little Man You've Had a Busy Day", "Light In The Tunnel" and "The Postman".

Following a live DVD release in late 2007, titled "One Night In Melbourne", a CD/DVD of the show was available in 2009. The show was filmed and recorded at Melbourne's Palais Theatre and saw James perform 30 songs from his vast catalogue.

One project, titled JAMES REYNE SINGS THE KING has James performing and re-interpreting 14 classic Elvis Presley songs. The album TCB was released in April 2010. A dedicated website has been set up to support the project. http://www.jamesreyneTCB.com

A new album, Thirteen was released in March 2012.

shine On
James Reyne Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Love is pain
And days are rain
Can't see the morning light
Buddies go
And lights are low
And nothing's going right
Take your cares to weather fair
That mean old world is round

Pack your bag and jump the jag
And seek a sweeter sound

We're always waiting for a time bomb time bomb
We're always waiting for a time bomb, time bomb

Shine on
Pick it up and things will be alright
Shine on
Give it up and chase 'em out of sight
Shine on
Pick it up and things will be alright
Shine on
Give it up and chase 'em out of sight.

Trouble brewed is nothing new
The woes won't go away
Yeah, yeah the song and bang the gong
It's a happy time today
When days are cold and burdens bold
And bad luck on the land
The worried one will come undone
Just let me lend a hand

Sunlight in the city
What a happy sight
Say goodbye to pity
Yeah the morning

Yeah the morning light
Morning light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of James Reyne's song "Shine On" are a message of hope to people who are going through tough times. The opening lines exclaim that love brings pain and that days can feel like endless rain. It's hard to see the morning light when buddies have deserted and the lights are low. When everything in life seems to be going wrong, it's easy to give up and feel helpless.

However, Reyne offers a way out of the darkness. He encourages individuals to pack their bags and seek out places where they can be happy. Even when the world is mean, he insists that it is round, which means that change is inevitable. Reyne's solution for handling tough times is to pick up oneself, to keep going, and to persevere. The chorus encourages the listener to "shine on," which indicates a hope for a better future that one could achieve by not giving up.

The song acknowledges that life is full of struggles and that bad luck cannot be avoided. However, the chorus reminds us that things will be okay as long as one remembers to shine. When Reyne says, "sunlight in the city, what a happy sight" he is emphasizing that change can come in the blink of an eye, and joy can be found in the midst of turmoil. The song is a message of hope, urging listeners to take charge in their quest for happiness and peace of mind.

Line by Line Meaning

Love is pain
Love brings a lot of pain along with it

And days are rain
Life can be tough, just like rainy days

Can't see the morning light
Things seem bleak and there's no hope in sight

Buddies go
Friends come and go

And lights are low
Feeling down and depressed

And nothing's going right
Nothing is going according to plan

Take your cares to weather fair
Take your worries to a place where everything is fine

That mean old world is round
The world can be cruel and unfair, but it keeps turning

Pack your bag and jump the jag
Leave your problems behind and go on an adventure

And seek a sweeter sound
Look for something happier and more uplifting

We're always waiting for a time bomb time bomb
We're always on edge and waiting for something bad to happen