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.
Hit Them Again
Radio Birdman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't show you all my plans
Until I activate you, you can't see
That's all right, all right by me
It's all right It's all right
Let's hit and run again tonite
Death from the skies blowing us away
Fire melts helmet and skull within
We gotta go behind the lines and hit 'em again
It's all right, it's all right
Let's hit and run again tonite
Now if you run babe you ain't got a chance
That Laser eye will freeze you with one glance
Burnin' wind howlin' at my door
Like Hamburg babe circa '44
It's all right, it's all right
Let's hit and run again tonite
Radio Birdman's "Hit Them Again" is a song that can have different interpretations depending on how you look at it. At first glance, the song appears to be about a dystopian world filled with conflict, where one party must use manipulative tactics to get ahead. The lyrics, "Manipulations flashing out my hands, I can't show you all my plans, until I activate you, you can't see," suggest that the main character is engaged in some form of battle, and they are unable to rely on their own intuition alone to triumph. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the main character is fighting a war against powerful enemies. In the line "40 strikes come over every day, death from the skies blowing us away," we sense the fear and terror of a people being bombarded with attacks from above. The singer's only solution is to "go behind the lines and hit 'em again" - an act of guerrilla warfare that echoes the tactics of the Viet Cong.
At its core, "Hit Them Again" is a call to arms, a rallying cry to those fighting against overwhelming odds. The chorus, "It's all right, it's all right, let's hit and run again tonight," is a message of hope and perseverance. Even though the singer's world is falling apart, they are willing to engage in guerrilla tactics and hit the enemy where it hurts. The image of the Laser eye freezing you with one glance suggests a mechanized army with advanced weaponry, but the singer isn't deterred. They are willing to fight until the end, even if it means facing overwhelming odds.
Line by Line Meaning
Manipulations flashing out my hands
I have plans that I can't reveal until I take action
I can't show you all my plans
I can't reveal my plans to you
Until I activate you, you can't see
You can't see my plans until I involve you
That's all right, all right by me
I'm okay with that
It's all right It's all right
Everything is fine
Let's hit and run again tonite
Let's carry out a surprise attack tonight and quickly flee the scene
40 strikes come over every day
There are 40 aerial attacks happening everyday
Death from the skies blowing us away
The enemy is bombing us and causing a lot of casualties
Fire melts helmet and skull within
The bombing is so intense that it melts protective gear and human skulls
We gotta go behind the lines and hit 'em again
We need to go behind enemy lines and carry out another attack
Now if you run babe you ain't got a chance
If you run away, the enemy's laser sight will immediately track and freeze you
That Laser eye will freeze you with one glance
The enemy's laser sight can instantly cripple you
Burnin' wind howlin' at my door
A devastating attack is imminent
Like Hamburg babe circa '44
This attack is similar to but not quite as bad as the bombing of Hamburg in 1944
Contributed by Nathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.