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.
Descent Into The Maelstrom
Radio Birdman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Started swimming out
Lost sight of land
Time ran out
Arms getting heavy
Exhaustion's setting in
Waves getting bigger
Life's getting thin
My mind said no
My mouth was bleeding
Said you gotta go
Hit the high side
Monster / wave
Buried at sea
In an early grave
Free fall dive
Thousand foot pit
Cliffs of water turning
Adrenachrome hit
Death-like animals
The death of slaves
The death of humans
Getting sucked away
Ship trucks and planes
A million screaming heads
Agonised moaning
From the island of the dead
I'm going down
Into the maelstrom
Going down
Gonna drown
Alive alive alive
I'm alive
Radio Birdman's song Descent Into The Maelstrom is an intense and powerful depiction of a drowning experience, narrated by the person who is sinking. The song describes a man who takes a ride on the ocean but then starts swimming out, eventually losing sight of land. As time runs out, he feels his arms getting heavy, and exhaustion sets in. The waves keep increasing in intensity, and his life is hanging by a thread. The man's brain screams for him to keep going, but his body is not responding. He feels like he is going to drown, and his final breaths escape his bleeding mouth.
As the scene becomes more and more chaotic, the song takes different turns, describing a monster wave, an early grave, and a thousand-foot pit. The cliffs of water turn into an adrenaline hit, heightening the intensity of the moment. The lyrics hint at the death of several animals, slaves, and humans, sinking away into the abyss, accompanied by million screaming heads and agonized moaning from the island of the dead. The singer ultimately gives in to the maelstrom, admitting that he is going down, and he is going to drown. Still, in his dying moments, he breathes his final thought, claiming that he is alive, alive, alive.
Overall, Descent Into The Maelstrom tells a harrowing story about the fragility of life and the struggle to survive in a merciless environment like the ocean. Its lyrics perfectly capture the fear, desperation, and acceptance in the singer's mind, providing listeners with a vivid and graphic portrayal of a man's final moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Took a ride on the ocean
I embarked on a journey into the unknown sea
Started swimming out
I kept on swimming, venturing deeper into the ocean
Lost sight of land
I couldn't see the shore anymore, I was lost in the vastness of the sea
Time ran out
I had spent too much time exploring and now had a limited amount of time left
Arms getting heavy
I was getting tired and couldn't swim as well as I had before
Exhaustion's setting in
My body was becoming tired and I needed to rest
Waves getting bigger
The ocean was becoming more turbulent and the waves were getting larger
Life's getting thin
My life was becoming threatened by the dangers of the sea
My brain was screaming
I was panicking and didn't know what to do
My mind said no
I wanted to give up, but my will was stronger than my fear
My mouth was bleeding
I was injured and losing blood
Said you gotta go
I knew I had to keep going in order to survive
Hit the high side
I climbed up the steep waves to try to escape danger
Monster / wave
An exceptionally large and dangerous wave
Buried at sea
Some people died at sea and were buried there
In an early grave
Those who perished at sea had an early death
Free fall dive
I dove into the dangerous, unknown depths of the sea
Thousand foot pit
I went deep into the sea, so deep it felt like a bottomless hole
Cliffs of water turning
The waves were so large and steep, they resembled giant cliffs
Adrenachrome hit
The intense rush of adrenaline I experienced during this dangerous event
Death-like animals
The sea is home to dangerous, life-threatening creatures
The death of slaves
During the height of slavery, slaves would die during their forced journeys across the sea
The death of humans
Many people have died at sea throughout history
Getting sucked away
The waves and dangers of the sea can easily drag people down and suck them away
Ship trucks and planes
Many ships, trucks, and planes have been lost at sea, a dangerous and unpredictable place
A million screaming heads
The horror of so many people dying at sea over time is overwhelming and deafening
Agonised moaning
The pain and agony of those who have died at sea
From the island of the dead
The sea can be seen as an island of the dead, where many have lost their lives
I'm going down
I'm in danger and might not survive
Into the maelstrom
Into the heart of danger and the unknown depths of the sea
Going down
My chances of surviving are decreasing, I'm in trouble
Gonna drown
I'm in danger of sinking and never making it back to the surface alive
Alive alive alive
I'm still alive, despite the dangers and odds against me
I'm alive
I have survived, despite all the dangers of the ocean
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENIZ TEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nigelcreighton2411
Growing up in Australia in the 80’s, Radio Birdman were truly mythological, more so than any other local band I can think of. Seeing New Christs and Hitmen gigs on their jaunts to a largely uninterested Melbourne crowd was cool, Deniz Teks solo shows in ‘92 were cool, but to finally see em in ‘96 with the original line up was truly one of my all time greatest gigs. An awesome band, one of the greatest.
@williamdowding3343
yeah, me too.
@Gungho1a
Very underrated band, truly gritty. These guys made ACDC look like manufactured latte music.
@petertrezise4545
I was lucky enough to see the Radios in Melbourne back in the mid 70’s. Approaching 68 years now and Radio Birdman are still my favourite.
@SleazyBoy
5 minutes of pure energy and emotions. This band saved my life
@tonyturner3530
Mine aswell plus Flanning Groovies & Only Ones!
@shanekonarson
Love hearing that . Good stuff man
.
@seang3019
@@tonyturner3530 Only Ones! Playing that Next!
@CRFLAus
I hear you. Eddy Current Suppression Ring saved my life.
@michaelbousfield6114
A tsunami of Tek power chords, a surging kingtide tempo by Keeley, and a roaring tidal wave of Younger vocals - a truly terrific thrashing triumph!