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.
No Shame
Real Life Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That can take your place
No make believe
To change your life
If burning bridges fall
On all we know
Once in a lifetime
I confess
There's no second chance
That if you close your eyes
What you see is what you get
I know for sure
To understand
Everything changes
Oh, oh
So let's stop playing strangers
Turn away, don't turn away
No shame, no shame
It's no shame, no shame
No sense, no feeling
If burning bridges fall on all we know
If you touch my skin
No promises I know my way
Everything changes
So let's stop playing strangers
I say let them fall
Oh, oh
Turn away, don't turn away
It's no shame, no shame
No shame, no shame
The lyrics of "No Shame" by Real Life are about the importance of being real and honest with oneself and others. The singer is letting his partner know that there is no other person in this world who can take their place because what they have is real and not based on make-believe. He emphasizes that there is no magic or fantasy that can replace or change their life together. However, he acknowledges that there will be challenges and obstacles along the way, which will force them to make difficult decisions like burning bridges. He encourages his partner to have the courage to face these challenges and to be open to change.
The singer also acknowledges that there are no second chances in life, and if you close your eyes, what you see is what you get. He understands that everything changes, and the only way to deal with it is to stop pretending and to be real. The repeated lines of "no shame" emphasize that there is no shame in being true to oneself and in accepting change.
Overall, the song "No Shame" is a call for authenticity and honesty in relationships, and an acceptance of the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no magic
There's no easy way to replace you in my life
That can take your place
No one can replace you in my life
No make believe
No fantasy or pretend action can make your absence in my life okay
To change your life
Not even a vivid imagination will help me adjust to your absence
If burning bridges fall
If we end our relationship and destroy the bonds we had
On all we know
Our world would be turned upside down
Once in a lifetime
This is a once in a lifetime kind of love
I say let them fall
Let's take the risk and see what happens
I confess
I must admit
There's no second chance
We have to make this work because we cannot try again
That if you close your eyes
Even if you try to ignore it
What you see is what you get
The reality of our situation will not change
I know for sure
I am certain
To understand
That in order to comprehend this, we must accept it
Everything changes
Things will never be the same
Oh, oh
A poetic interlude between phrases
So let's stop playing strangers
We need to be honest and upfront with each other
Turn away, don't turn away
Don't avoid the situation or run away from it
No shame, no shame
We shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of our feelings
No sense, no feeling
Without our relationship, life would have no meaning
If burning bridges fall on all we know
If we ruin our relationship, our world will be destroyed
If you touch my skin
If we remain together
No promises I know my way
I can't guarantee things will be perfect, but I know how to navigate the uncertain future
I say let them fall
I'm willing to risk it all for us
Oh, oh
Another poetic interlude
Turn away, don't turn away
Again, don't avoid or run away from the situation
It's no shame, no shame
Don't be ashamed of who we are or our feelings
No shame, no shame
We shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of our feelings
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID THOMAS STERRY, RICHARD ZATORSKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind