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)
Modern Life
Richard Clapton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got the prize
But you paid the money, man
You hit those clowns
Fair and square in the mouth
We take our chances
On side-show alley but
That's what we have to do to win that prize
Don't say nobody told you
Taught you how to play modern life
It's just a game
But the golden rule is
You never ever get the same chance twice
And that's modern life
Bozo the clown is struttin' round the city
Without his make-up
He's a sorry sight
He thinks he knows
Every trick in the book
He plays the game by cheatin' and lyin'
I watch him slowly dying inside
He's got a monkey to collect all his money
They go to discos in their Porsche turbo drive
They spend their days playing games
On O'Connell street
Then put the money up their nose every night
They wonder why they are dying inside
The song Modern Life by Richard Clapton reflects on the game of life in the modern times. The lyrics suggest that everyone in this game is willing to take their chances and compete to win the prize, but it comes with a price. The artist warns the listeners that in modern life, you never get the same chance twice, and it is a game where you have to put your ass on the line to win. He further explains how some people cheat and lie to play the game and win, but in the end, they are only slowly dying inside.
Line by Line Meaning
You got the prize
You have succeeded at achieving your goals
But you paid the money, man
The success came with a high cost
You hit those clowns
You surpassed your competition
Fair and square in the mouth
You beat them honestly and fairly
We take our chances
We risk everything to succeed
On side-show alley but
In the dark, neglected side of life
You took the chance and put your ass on the line
You risk everything to succeed, even your own well-being
That's what we have to do to win that prize
One must be willing to risk everything to achieve their goals
Don't say nobody told you
You were warned beforehand
Taught you how to play modern life
The lessons you learned to succeed in the modern world
It's just a game
Life is like a game, unpredictable and uncertain
But the golden rule is
The most important thing to remember is
You never ever get the same chance twice
One must seize their opportunities when they arise because they may not come again
And that's modern life
This is the way life is in our modern world
Bozo the clown is struttin' round the city
A foolish and empty person is walking around looking for validation
Without his make-up
He is exposed as being superficial
He's a sorry sight
He is pitiful and sad
He thinks he knows
He believes he is knowledgeable and wise
Every trick in the book
All the ways to deceive and mislead others
He plays the game by cheatin' and lyin'
He succeeds by breaking the rules and manipulating others
I watch him slowly dying inside
He is unhappy and unfulfilled despite his success
He's got a monkey to collect all his money
He has someone to do his dirty work and gather his wealth
They go to discos in their Porsche turbo drive
They celebrate their success by indulging in materialistic pleasures
They spend their days playing games
They waste their time on superficial and meaningless activities
On O'Connell street
In the popular city center where people go to have fun
Then put the money up their nose every night
They waste their wealth by indulging in drugs and other vices
They wonder why they are dying inside
They question their unhappiness despite their material success and pleasures
Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tatechasers2393
How many times must I tell you, baby?
How many bridges I've got to cross?
How many times must I explain myself?
Before I can talk to the boss
'Fore I can talk to the boss
How many times must I say, "I love you"
Before you finally understand?
Won't you be my forever woman?
I'll try to be your forever man (forever man)
Try to be your forever man
How many times must I say, "I love you"
Before you finally understand?
Won't you be my forever woman?
I'll try to be your forever man
Try to be your forever man (forever man)
Forever man, forever man, forever man (forever man)
Forever man, forever man, forever man
Try to be your forever man
Forever man, forever man, forever man (forever man)
Forever man, forever man, forever man (forever man)
Forever man, forever man, forever man (forever man)
Try to be your forever man
@joearnold5535
A lot of guitar players can play 1000 notes per minute, but here is a guy that can give you goose bumps with one note. He's right, it's in the way that you use it.
@MitchClement-il6iq
Ginger baker, claptons drummer of cream of course once said... it's not how hard u play it's what u say!
@jumpmaster181
I had this on a cassette as a kid, CD as a teen, and now online as an adult. Damn good song that still goes hard in 2023!!!💯💯💯
@DuckiestBoat959
Psst. Doesn’t matter what year you type. It’s gonna go hard no matter what
@skcarpet
Killer tune. One of his best.
@yoshih5084
simply the great rock tune🎉
@johntweedly8170
Oh yea
@ZeligUbique
Yup
@beckyhayob1557
Love this song, been in "love" with him for years, but my absolute favorite is "No Alibis" ... so much Truth in the lyrics ❤
@studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272
Maybe his best vocals too 🥳👌