While fronted by singer John Farnham from 1982–1986, the band's original members were Glenn Shorrock (vocals), Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Ric Formosa (guitars and vocals), Roger McLachlan (bass) and Derek Pellicci (drums).
The group evolved from the harmony-rock group Mississippi in 1975. Prior to that, Birtles had been the bassist in 1960s pop band Zoot (which also included singer-guitarist Rick Springfield), and Shorrock had been the lead singer of leading Australian 60s pop band The Twilights and early 1970s country rock band Axiom.
They found immediate success in Australia, but individual members had greater ambitions. Like many other Australasian groups of the period, both Axiom and Mississippi had tried to break into the UK record market without success. Remembering the indifferent reaction they had received in the UK, they decided the new band would focus on establishing themselves in the United States.
A key factor in their eventual success was their manager Glenn Wheatley, who had been the bassist in the highly-regarded Australian rock band The Masters Apprentices. Wheatley's first-hand experiences of the rip-offs in the 1960s music scene, combined with his subsequent experience working in music management in Britain and the United States in the early 1970s, enabled him to help LRB become the first Australian group to enjoy sustained commercial and chart success in the United States.
Fuelled by a very successful Australian hit single "Curiosity Killed The Cat", the band began making promotional visits to the US in 1976. This resulted in a hit single, "It's A Long Way There", which broke into the Top 30 and galvanised the commitment of the band members. More concert performances in the US followed, and in 1977 "Help Is On Its Way" (an Australian number one single) and "Happy Anniversary"[4] both narrowly missed the US Top 10. During this period McLachlan left the group and was replaced by George McArdle while lead guitarist Formosa was replaced by David Briggs.
From 1978 until 1981, Little River Band achieved six consecutive US Top 10 singles with "Reminiscing", "Lady", "Lonesome Loser", "Cool Change", "The Night Owls" and "Take It Easy On Me". During their career the band have sold more than 25 million records and scored 13 American Top 40 hits.
Bassist/vocalist Wayne Nelson joined in 1980 and is currently the lead singer. In 1981 he sang lead vocals on their top ten US hit "Night Owls". Guitarist Stephen Housden joined the band in 1981 replacing David Briggs. Housden owns the rights to the name Little River Band. He co-wrote the band's last hit in Australia "Love is a Bridge".
In 1982 Shorrock was forced out of the band and went on to pursue a solo career. He failed to make an impression in the U.S., but he had a substantial hit in Australia with a cover version of Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover".
The pressures of success and constant touring gradually took their toll on LRB and members gradually left. John Farnham replaced Shorrock in 1982 and the first single with Farnham, "The Other Guy" reached #11 in the US. Subsequent singles were only minor hits. In Australia the band continued to be popular and songs such as "Down On The Border", "Playing To Win" and "Love is a Bridge" were major hits. Farnham's popularity in Australia was increasing at this time, and he left the band to return to his solo career, achieving huge success in Australia (he was also managed by Wheatley).
Birtles left in 1983 because he did not like the direction the band was taking and he was not a fan of Farnham's onstage performance. Farnham left in 1986 to be replaced by the returning Shorrock. Goble left the group in 1990. Shorrock left again in 1996; he was offered the option to buy out the remaining members but he decided instead to take a payment. Derek Pellicci left the band in 1999.
Little River Band are considered to be among Australia's most significant bands. The "classic lineup" of the band (Birtles, Shorrock, Goble, Pellicci, Briggs and McArdle) were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004. They performed "Help Is On Its Way" that night.
Three founding members, Birtles, Shorrock and Goble, continue to perform reunion concerts but due to the fact they lost the rights to the name Little River Band, they appear under the name Birtles Shorrock Goble: The Original Voices of Little River Band.
"Reminiscing", written by Goble, was recognised by BMI as one of the most frequently played songs in the history of American radio, with more than four million plays to its credit. "Lady" has also accumulated more than three million plays, and Goble is the first and only Australian songwriter ever to win a Four "Million Air" award from BMI. According to Albert Goldman's biography, John Lennon named "Reminiscing" as one of his favorite songs.
Little River Band continues to work in the US and performs around 100 shows every year.
We Two
Little River Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since I walked out on you I walked out on me, now
It's gone,
And you, what to do,
There's so much time and so many nights to get through,
Oh why do we play, and why do we lose,
It's a dangerous life we live, we two.
We make it so hard to find love, to feel free, to
Be fresh outta school,
And now, what of romance,
Do we know that life is sweeter when we're taking a chance,
So why do we run, and why do we cry,
It's crazy life we live, you and I.
Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved,
To fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of, oh ....
Alone, out on my own,
I just wander the streets and stare at the places
We've known,
And now, what of myself,
Can I go on pretending a love for somebody else,
Oh why do we play, and why do we lose,
It's a dangerous life we live, we two.
Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved,
Why did we play, why did we stay alone, we two,
To fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of,
Why did we love and leave the memory of we two,
Now she is gone, I'm left to carry on.
The song We Two by Little River Band tells the story of a failed relationship between two people who only have themselves to blame for their current situation. The opening lines, "All alone, on my own, since I walked out on you I walked out on me, now it's gone," suggest that one person in the relationship walked out, leaving both parties alone and uncertain about what to do next. The chorus repeats the question, "why do we play, and why do we lose?" implying that their game-playing and inability to communicate effectively led to the breakdown of their relationship. The song acknowledges that living life and being in a relationship is risky and challenging, but the decision to play it safe and avoid taking chances can lead to stagnation and missed opportunities.
The song's nostalgic tone is further emphasized by the verses that reflect on the past and the things they used to love: "Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved, to fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of." These memories serve as a reminder of what they've lost and add to their sense of regret. The song concludes with the realization that life goes on, but the memory of "we two" lingers on.
Overall, We Two is a poignant and honest reflection on failed relationships that offers no easy answers but encourages the listener to take risks and make the most of what life has to offer.
Line by Line Meaning
All alone, on my own,
I am separated from you, and now I am by myself.
Since I walked out on you I walked out on me, now
When I left you, I also lost a part of myself.
It's gone,
Our relationship is over.
And you, what to do,
I wonder how you are feeling and what you are doing.
There's so much time and so many nights to get through,
I have a lot of time to think about what happened and how to move forward.
Oh why do we play, and why do we lose,
Why do we take risks and end up with nothing to show for it?
It's a dangerous life we live, we two.
Our love may not always work out, and it can be risky to give our hearts to someone else.
We are fools, we make all these rules,
We create our own guidelines for love, even if they end up hurting us in the long run.
We make it so hard to find love, to feel free, to
Our complicated rules and expectations make it difficult for us to experience true love and freedom.
Be fresh outta school,
We were young and inexperienced when we fell in love.
And now, what of romance,
Now that we are older and have more life experience, how do we approach romantic relationships?
Do we know that life is sweeter when we're taking a chance,
Sometimes taking a risk is worth it to experience the sweetness of life and love.
So why do we run, and why do we cry,
We tend to flee from love and then feel sad and emotional about it later on.
It's crazy life we live, you and I.
Our love life can be unpredictable and challenging.
Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved,
We enjoyed simple joys like carousels and wishing wells when we were together.
To fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of, oh ....
We had dreams and aspirations for our future together.
Alone, out on my own,
I am still alone without you.
I just wander the streets and stare at the places we've known,
I reminisce about our past and where we used to go.
Can I go on pretending a love for somebody else,
Can I really fake my love for someone new?
Why did we play, why did we stay alone, we two,
Why did we choose to remain alone instead of pursuing love with each other?
Why did we love and leave the memory of we two,
Why did we fall in love and then let it go, leaving only our memories together?
Now she is gone, I'm left to carry on.
You are no longer in my life, and I must move on without you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GRAHAM GOBLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pablo Mori Aguilar
All alone, on my own
Since I walked out on you, I walked out on me, now it's gone
And you, what to do
There's so much time,and so many nights to get through
Oh why do we play, and why do we lose
It's a dangerous life we live, we two
We are fools, we make all these rules
We make it so hard to find love, to feel free, to be fresh outta school
And now, what of romance
Do we know that life is sweeter when we're taking a chance
So why do we run, and why do we cry
It's a crazy life we life, you and I
Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved
To fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of, oh...
Alone, out on my own
I just wander the streets and stare at the places we've known
And now, what of myself
Can I go on pretending a love for somebody else
Oh why do we play, and why do we lose
It's a dangerous life we live, we two
Carousels and wishing wells were the things we loved
Why did we play, why did we stay alone, we two
To fly away in a big balloon was what she talked of
Why did we love and leave the memory of we two
Now she is gone, I'm left to carry on
Blue Hornet
One of the best male voices of all-time, without question.
Jason Funk
The perfect combination of awesome vocals with great song writing. LRB are one of the best bands of all times. The harmonies are unmatched.
groovinmoose
what a great lead by Farnham...never understood why this song wasn't a huge seller, because it's fabulous
Bruce Gehlen
I sang this song with my band, i only wish i could sing as well as he does, still touches my heart. Love these guys.
Donald Cash
I think the phrasing, "we two" that gave the song it's name is a bit awkward. IMHO, were a person to hear this phrase in passing, say, walking by a boom box or whatever at the pool, their attention may be canceled by the brief confusion. One must hear the preceding words to understand it, and this takes time.
michael riggans
It wasn't that unusual back then for a great song not to make it to the top 10. So many great songs out
Donnie BunkerBoi
Because it's not American band, Americans are the best and the greatest
modspell
@islezeus As a TIEOM fan (one of my favorites of all time), I'd say it's an unfair comparison. It's another gorgeous Goble composition that stands right alongside his other masterpieces.
John Penny
Anyone who doesn't think this is some of the best rock singing ever must be dead from the neck up.
Charlie Manning
Is the best for me.