Radio Birdman are a punk band that formed in Sydney, Australia in 1974. The… Read Full Bio ↴Radio Birdman are a punk band that formed in Sydney, Australia in 1974. The band's best known lineup consisted of Deniz Tek (vocals, guitar), Rob Younger (vocals, guitar), Chris Masuak (guitar), Philip "Pip" Hoyle (keyboards), Warwick Gilbert (bass) and Ron Keeley (drums)

Radio Birdman formed in 1974 and began recording in 1976 when the single Burn My Eye was released. They took their name from a misheard lyric in The Stooges song, 1970. (The actual line is "Radio burnin'") Their first LP, "Radios Appear" showed diverse influences, including Blue Öyster Cult and Detroit bands of the late 1960s, such as The MC5 and The Stooges. The album was totally ignored by commercial radio but was championed by Sydney station 2JJ (Double Jay) and became sufficiently successful in Australia to lead to a contract with Sire Records (US label, home of The Ramones), who released a different version of Radios Appear internationally. It took three years to record a follow-up, Living Eyes, and by then, the Australian punk scene had diversified and the band broke up before the LP was released in 1978.

The band's lyrics reference US-born guitarist/main songwriter Deniz Tek's home state of Michigan, with lyrics from tracks such as "Murder City Nights" referring to Woodward Avenue in Detroit:

"Cruising down Woodward gotta find me some action/Looking for a lover with a power reaction."

Many of their other songs, such as "Hand Of Law" & "Descent Into The Maelstrom" deal in apocalyptic images of war and violence, but these are more than balanced by the lighter pop culture references of tunes such as "Aloha Steve & Danno", an ode to the TV show Hawaii 5-0. "Man With Golden Helmet" (which Tek wrote in high school) is one of their most cryptic efforts: "Man with golden helmet/drinks water from the faucet..plays with tiny children/on his way home from work...he's a top man/in the language department". Deniz Tek wrote most of the lyrics and music for the band

All members went on to other bands. Younger's New Christs would be more oriented towards hard-edged, blues-based rock and roll. Tek and Keeley and keyboardist Pip Hoyle's band, The Visitors, and guitarist Chris Masuak and bass guitarist Warwick Gilbert's The Hitmen continued the Radio Birdman sound. Tek, Younger & Gilbert played in a one-shot touring band called New Race, with Dennis Thompson of the MC5 & Ron Asheton of the Stooges.

In the 1996, the band reformed sporadically to play gigs, but a full-fledged reunion didn't surface until the 00's, with the 2006 album Zeno Beach being enthusiastically received. The band split once again in 2008.

In 2014, the band announced that Younger, Tek, Hoyle and Dickson announced that they would tour Australia as Radio Birdman to coincide with the reissue of their back catalogue.

455 SD
Radio Birdman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

455-SD :
I got a dream machine from the Promised LAnd
Got a '71 Trans Am
Got a Hurst T-stick in my hand
Borg Warner 4 speed says I can

Do the standing 1/4 mile in 12.5
Run it through bring tears to your eyes

Edelbrock high rise manifold
Zero to 70 in seven point 0

Hit the road late at night
Deserted highway cold moon light
Gotta keep driving, we gotta stay young
Drive on in the risin' sun

455-SD Energy 455-SD Mystery

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Radio Birdman's song 455 SD tell the story of a person who owns a high-performance muscle car, a 1971 Trans Am with a Borg Warner 4-speed and an Edelbrock high-rise manifold. The person is out on the deserted highway, under the cold moonlight, racing through the night as fast as the car can go. The song is about the thrill of the open road, the sense of freedom that comes with it, and the visceral thrill of speed. It is a celebration of the power of the car, the rush of adrenaline that overtakes the driver, and the sheer joy of being alive.

The lyrics also suggest a sense of yearning and desire, a sense of something missing that is only found on the open road. The idea of "keeping driving" suggests a longing to escape from the constraints of everyday life, to find something beyond the mundane and ordinary. The car becomes a symbol of freedom and release, a way to express something that cannot be put into words.

In conclusion, the lyrics of 455 SD are a celebration of the power and passion of driving, of the freedom of the open road, and the enduring allure of the muscle car.

Line by Line Meaning

I got a dream machine from the Promised LAnd
I acquired a highly desirable car from a coveted location

Got a '71 Trans Am
Specifically, my car is a 1971 Pontiac Trans Am

Got a Hurst T-stick in my hand
My car has a particular type of manual transmission known as a Hurst T-stick, which I am actively using

Borg Warner 4 speed says I can
My car's Borg Warner 4-speed transmission allows me to achieve impressive performance feats

Do the standing 1/4 mile in 12.5
I am capable of driving a quarter mile while starting from a standstill in just 12.5 seconds

Run it through bring tears to your eyes
When I drive it at high speeds, the experience is so intense that it is overwhelming to the senses

Edelbrock high rise manifold
My car's high-rise intake manifold is made by a reputable company called Edelbrock

Zero to 70 in seven point 0
From a starting speed of 0 mph, my car can accelerate to 70 mph in just 7 seconds

Hit the road late at night
I began driving on a deserted highway during the late hours of the night

Deserted highway cold moon light
The highway where I am driving is mostly empty, and it is illuminated by the cold light of the moon

Gotta keep driving, we gotta stay young
I feel compelled to keep driving, as if doing so will help me retain my youth

Drive on in the risin' sun
I plan to continue driving until the sun comes up and it is time to stop

455-SD Energy 455-SD Mystery
The 455-SD engine in my car contains an exciting blend of both energy and mystery, making it a thrilling vehicle to drive

Contributed by Nicholas E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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