The band originally consisted of David Sterry (lead vocals/guitar), Richard Zatorski (violin/keyboard), Alan Johnson (bass) and Danny Simcic (drums). Steve Williams (keyboard) replaced Zatorski in 1986, who was then replaced by George Pappas in 1996 after a long hiatus of band activity.
Real Life released their second and final album with the original lineup in 1985 titled Flame, which spawned minor hits "One Blind Love" and "Face To Face" although neither the album nor the singles repeated their previous success. The first single "No Shame" failed to chart, a video was shot for the second single "Face to Face" and it got airplay in Australia but nothing in the way of success. In 1986, they recorded the controversial song "Babies", which was even less successful, for a new North American release Down Comes the Hammer. "Babies", was the first new recording by the band that was not written by David Sterry and Zatorski. There were two other new songs and a re-mix of "Send Me an Angel". Incredibly this was to be the first of three best of albums after the band had only recorded two studio LPs. Zatorski left the band due to management pressure and attended law school and is now a practising lawyer in Melbourne.
At some stage Zatorski formed a new band called Zatorski, and recorded an updated version of "Send Me an Angel". In 1989 Real Life released a new version of "Send me an Angel", titled "Send Me an Angel '89", which fared slightly better than the original in the United States. The video for the 1989 version was identical to the original except Zatorski was edited out of all shots. The Australian video of "Send Me An Angel '89" was shot in Ormond College, The University of Melbourne, with Steve Williams on keyboard. In 1990, they released Lifetime, their first album of all-new material in five years, which spawned minor hits with "God Tonight" and "Kiss The Ground".
Steve Williams (keyboard) was the post Zatorski musician and was followed by George Pappas. A falling out occurred between Sterry and the remaining two original members Simcic and Johnson.
In 1998, they released Happy, which was followed in 2004 by Imperfection, this time featuring only David Sterry and George Pappas. In November of 2005, George announced his departure from the band. David has continued to carry the band name on his own. In 2004 toured the West coast of the U.S. to promote the album Imperfection with additional member Scott Ingram on drums. For this tour the band consisted of David Sterry, George Pappas and Scott Ingram.
In 2006, a new album of new mixes Send Me an Angel was released, bring the total number of versions of the song to approximately seventeen, including: * 1983: the original recording * 1983: the extended version * 1986: "Down Comes the Hammer" version * 1989: 4 versions in remix form on the "Send Me an Angel 89" single * 2006: 10 versions in remix form on the Send Me an Angel album which has the same cover as the 2004 release Send Me an Angel - Real Life's Greatest Hits, which has two 1989 versions of the song.
In spring 2008 Real Life (David Sterry) performed live for the first time in the Philippines along with When in Rome and A Flock of Seagulls as part of the Lost 80's Tour in Manila.
In 2009 they released a sixth album of covers of 80s songs called Send Me an Angel - '80s Synth Essentials.
In 2020 they released their seventh album Sirens.
There is another artist with the same name:
2. A performer by the name of Castle uses the moniker "Real Life" on the NinjaTune label (and its sublabel NTone) where they have released several 'space-bass' electronic works, including "Leysh" which featured vocals by Natasha Atlas. These songs are generally in a mid-tempo ambient-dub style.
Babies
Real Life Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you win or lose you choose
Every inch a soldier soldier
Military men in high heel shoes
Safe not safe streets for walking
Children talking discipline
I can't take anymore
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
Is anyone there
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
In a playground battlefield
Justify (justify) just to simplyfy (simplify)
Ah we all we all we all bleeding bleeding babies
So you laugh laugh laugh
As you build a fire
The mirror cracks, no no not so fast
Slow down waiting for that fatal sound
Survive we must survive
Be prepared and don't get caught in the lions lair
A battle circus, an army of clowns
A battle cry how does it sound
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
Is anyone there
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
In a playground battlefield
Justify (justify) just to simplyfy (simplify)
Ah we all we all we all bleeding bleeding babies
So you're on the frontline sipping wine
Sipping German wine from crystal steel
Last suppers being served too soon
Soon I'm gonna need another meal
A new deal
Feast feast feast on final scraps
Perhaps the banquets at an end
High tech on the lower deck shipwreck
Children shall we do it again
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
Is anyone there
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
In a playground battlefield
Justify (justify) just to simplyfy (simplify)
Ah we all we all we all bleeding bleeding babies
The song "Babies" by Real Life talks about the struggles of life that we all face as we grow up. The lyrics portray the idea that we are all vulnerable and fragile like babies, no matter how tough we seem on the outside. The opening lines suggest that sometimes we are our own worst enemy, and we tend to fight ourselves. It implies that in such circumstances, we have to choose between winning and losing. The line "every inch a soldier" suggests the need for strength and determination to fight the battles of life.
The next set of lyrics point towards the complexities of growing up in a society that demands discipline and conformity. The phrases "safe not safe streets for walking" and "children talking discipline" hints at how the rules of society can be complicated and sometimes oppressive. The artist then asks the question, "are we all we all we all bleeding babies?" which is a call for us to recognize our vulnerability and need for support. The phrases "in a playground battlefield" and "a battle circus, an army of clowns" suggest how the world can be chaotic and challenging.
The final set of lyrics talks about the inevitability of mortality, with the references to "Last suppers being served too soon" and "high tech on the lower deck shipwreck." The artist ends the song with a final question, "shall we do it again?", implying that despite the challenges of life, we are resilient and capable of continuing to thrive.
Line by Line Meaning
When you stay at home fighting your own worst enemy
When you are trapped in your own mind fighting the demons within
Will you win or lose you choose
It's up to you whether you want to overcome your inner struggles or succumb to them
Every inch a soldier soldier
Even though you are battling your own fears, you should still fight it with the spirit of a warrior
Military men in high heel shoes
Sometimes, people who are expected to be strong and fearless are actually struggling beneath the surface
Safe not safe streets for walking
The world can be a dangerous place, even if things seem fine on the surface
Children talking discipline
The younger generation needs to learn discipline to survive in this world
I can't take anymore
The weight of the world's problems can be overwhelming and exhausting
As we fall helpless to the floor
Sometimes, things get so bad that all we can do is surrender to our struggles and admit defeat
Are we all we all we all bleeding babies
We are all vulnerable and fragile, even the strongest among us
Is anyone there
When things get tough, it can be comforting to know that someone else is there for support
In a playground battlefield
Life can feel like a dangerous and unpredictable battlefield, where anything can happen
Justify (justify) just to simplyfy (simplify)
Sometimes, we try to justify bad or complicated situations in order to simplify them so that we can better understand them
Ah we all we all we all bleeding bleeding babies
We are all human and imperfect, and we all have our own struggles and vulnerabilities
So you laugh laugh laugh
Sometimes, humor and laughter can be a coping mechanism in difficult situations
As you build a fire
Building something new and positive can be a way to rise above negative situations
The mirror cracks, no no not so fast
Even when things seem to be going well, they can suddenly shatter and break apart
Slow down waiting for that fatal sound
Sometimes, when things are going well, we are just waiting for something to go wrong
Survive we must survive
Despite all the challenges, we must find a way to survive and keep going
Be prepared and don't get caught in the lions lair
We need to be cautious and prepared to avoid situations that could be harmful
A battle circus, an army of clowns
Life can sometimes feel like a chaotic circus, full of people who are just pretending to know what they are doing
A battle cry how does it sound
When things get tough, we may need to find our own battle cry or motivation to keep us going
Sipping German wine from crystal steel
Sometimes, we try to distract ourselves from our problems by indulging in luxuries and material possessions
Last suppers being served too soon
We never know when our last moments will be, so we should cherish every moment and make the most of our time
Soon I'm gonna need another meal
Life is constantly changing and evolving, and we need to adapt and be ready for whatever comes next
Feast feast feast on final scraps
When things are nearing their end, we may try to hold onto whatever scraps of happiness we can find
Perhaps the banquets at an end
Sometimes, the good times do come to an end and we are left with nothing but memories
High tech on the lower deck shipwreck
Even with all the technology and progress in the world, we can still be shipwrecked by unexpected circumstances
Children shall we do it again
Even when we fail or things go wrong, we must keep pushing forward and trying again
Contributed by Carter M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maximilianoalonsoperaitale173
Me demore 20 años aproximadamente en volver a escuchar este tema y saber quien lo tocaba. Solo estaba en mi mente porque me gustaba. Gracias SAN Shazam
@elintrepidomoncho2779
33 años buscando éste tema y por fin lo encontré.
@waltermedina7272
moncho Aguilera hoy tuve la oportunidad de comprar el cd original en Estados Unidos de este sorprendente grupo !! Esta canción jamás la había escuchado y me enamoró !! Jamás pensé que Todo el disco fuese tan bueno !!
@marcelom1859
ME PASO LO MISMO
@f.floresdeaa2218
X2
@felipearriagada8115
X3
@citroneto
Jajajajaj me acab de pasar, gracias a Shazam pude saber como se llama, lo estaban tocando en un mercado donde compraba!
@4mrmoj
1986 was a hot year for Real Life!!!
@99marcoa
IMPRESCINDIBLE Y GENIAL GRUPO AUSTRALIANO ..................... CLAVE DE LA NEW WAVE 80's
@myriamtorres2185
I was 24 when this song came out. I feel 24 again when I hear it now. Love this song!