His albums include: "Prussian Blue" (1973)"Girls on the Avenue" (1975) "Main Street Jive" 1976 "Goodbye Tiger" 1977, "Past Hits and Previews" 1978 "Hearts on the Nightline" 1979 "Dark Spaces" 1980 "The Great Escape" 1982 "Solidarity" 1984 "Glory Road" 1987 "The Best Years of Our Lives" 1989 "Distant Thunder" 1993 "Angeltown" 1995, "Diamond Mine" 2004 and "Rewired" 2006.
Although not well-known outside Australia, a number of his songs such as "Girls On The Avenue", "Capricorn Dancer", "Deep Water", "Lucky Country", "The Best Years of Our Lives", and "I Am an Island" are staples of FM radio playlists in Australia.
The early 1970s are often regarded as a stagnant time for Australian rock music. In this context, the emergence of Richard Clapton as a talented and ambitious songwriter in the "troubadour" tradition of, for instance, Neil Young and Jackson Browne (both of whom later expressed their admiration for Clapton) was refreshing. Although no hit singles were on his first album, "Prussian Blue", by the time of his second album, "Girls on the Avenue," Clapton enjoyed a reasonable amount of mainstream success, with the title song from the album reaching #2 spot on the Australian top 40 charts. Clapton's first five albums were produced by Richard Batchens.
At the times of its release, "Goodbye Tiger" was one of the most critically acclaimed albums an Australian artist had produced. It was produced by Richard Batchens, who was one of the most prominent and successful producers of the era.(See articles collected on the fan site linked below for confirmation of this). Many Clapton fans continue to regard this notably melancholic record as Clapton's masterpiece.
Thereafter, Clapton played less of a central role in the music industry; although "The Great Escape" (featuring contributions from members of Cold Chisel and INXS) sold strongly and contained memorable singles in "I Am an Island" and "The Best Years of Our Life." During the early 1980s he was acknowledged as a mentor to several bands emerging from the then vigorous pub-rock scene, in particular INXS whose second LP, Underneath the Colours he produced.
On a 2006 album, Rewired, recorded at his home studio, Clapton produced "unplugged" acoustic versions of his early songs. This album contains many early Clapton Gems that have been reworked to fit in with the acoustic vibe of the album.
(From the Wikipedia entry for Richard Clapton)
All Fall Down
Richard Clapton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The winter's gone, I'm glad we made it
Sometimes it got so hard to tell
The whole wide world went kinda crazy
There's still the scars of where so many fell
But before we all fall down,
'Cause that big old wheel keeps turning round again
Swing me out across the starlight
I'm gonna howl up at the moon
'Cause I'm not waiting for the good times
I've got to get away real soon
But before we all fall down,
People got to look around
'Cause that big old wheel keeps turning round again
We almost had a nuclear winter
Back in 1991
Somehow the good guys beat the sinners
For every crime under the sun
But before we all fall down,
People got to look around
'Cause that big old wheel keeps turning round again (x2)
The lyrics of Richard Clapton’s song “All Fall Down” acknowledge the hardships that the world has faced, but they also deliver a message of hope. The song starts off by acknowledging the tough times that the world has faced, but also noting the fact that the winter is gone and that everyone is glad they made it through. The lyrics note that it was sometimes tough to tell that people would make it through, but that they did.
The song goes on to describe how the whole world went crazy. The lyrics suggest that there are still the scars of where so many people have fallen as a result of this craziness. The song then moves into a more hopeful message, encouraging people to look around and to keep moving forward. The lyrics suggest that people need to keep looking around because the big old wheel keeps turning round again. The song ends with an image of someone howling up at the moon and wanting to get away soon, but noting that before everyone falls down, they need to look around and keep going.
Overall, the lyrics of “All Fall Down” suggest that even though the world has faced tough times, people need to keep moving forward and keep looking for hope. It acknowledges the scars that people have, but emphasizes the fact that people can and have made it through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
The winter's gone, I'm glad we made it
Despite the challenges we faced, we made it through the winter and I'm relieved.
Sometimes it got so hard to tell
There were times when it was difficult to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong.
The whole wide world went kinda crazy
The world was in a state of chaos and confusion.
There's still the scars of where so many fell
There are visible marks left from those who suffered or died during those difficult times.
But before we all fall down,
We need to take action to prevent a catastrophic result.
People got to look around
We need to take notice of our surroundings and pay attention to the warning signs.
'Cause that big old wheel keeps turning round again
History repeats itself, and we need to be aware of this fact.
Swing me out across the starlight
Take me out of my current situation and let me experience something new and exciting.
I'm gonna howl up at the moon
I'm going to express my joy and enthusiasm in a loud way.
'Cause I'm not waiting for the good times
I'm not going to sit around waiting for things to get better.
I've got to get away real soon
I need to leave my current situation and start a new life somewhere else.
We almost had a nuclear winter
There was almost a catastrophic event that would have had long-lasting and devastating effects.
Back in 1991
Referring to a specific time in history.
Somehow the good guys beat the sinners
Through some means, the morally good people emerged victorious over those who were corrupt or immoral.
For every crime under the sun
All crimes, no matter how big or small, were committed during this time.
'Cause that big old wheel keeps turning round again (x2)
History is cyclical, and we should always be aware of this fact to prevent making the same mistakes over and over again.
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.