The band shocked conservative middle Australia with their outrageous (for the time) costumes, lyrics, and on-stage activities, leading to seven of the ten tracks on their first album being banned from commercial radio. Much of the group's success derived from its distinctive repertoire, most of which was penned by bassist Macainsh.
Although Skyhooks was not the first Australian rock band to write songs in Australia, about Australians, for Australians (rather than ditties about love or songs about New York or other foreign lands), they were the first band to do so and be commercially successful, and the songs were set apart from much of the pop fare of the time thanks to Macainish's mordant humour.
The 'Hooks were the Australian pop success story of their era. Their first album, Living in the Seventies, rocketed to the top of the charts and stayed there for so long that it became the best selling Australian album ever up to that time, with the follow-up, Ego is not a Dirty Word, coming a close second. The band's success was also widely credited with saving the struggling Mushroom record label and enabling it to develop into the most successful independent Australian label of its time.
Both these LPs were produced by Ross Wilson, former lead singer of Daddy Cool, which had been the most successful Australian rock group of the early 1970s. Wilson championed the group, signing them to a publishing contract and convincing Mushroom Records boss Michael Gudinski to give them a recording contract.
Remarkably, the success of Living in the Seventies was mainly due to the enormous support the band were given by the TV pop show Countdown, rather than support from radio β in fact, most of the tracks on the LP had been banned by commercial radio because of their sex and drug references. Despite the ban, and as a deliberate act of provocation to commercial radio, the ABC's newly established 24-hour rock music station Double Jay chose the album's first track, the provocatively titled "You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good In Bed" as the first track played on air on its first day of broadcasting on January 19, 1975.
Over the next few years, Skyhooks gradually faded from the public eye with the departure of key members, and in 1980 the band announced its break-up in controversial circumstances. The demands for the band to reform were successful in 1983, with a record sum of money being paid for each of the original members to play a series of concerts. Further reformations took place in 1984 and then in 1990 the band finally recorded new material, "Jukebox in Siberia", which shot to the top of the charts.
"Shirley" Strachan and Red Symons both went on to successful careers in Australian commercial television. Symons was for many years a villain-cum-guitarist on the long-running TV show 'Hey Hey It's Saturday.' He was especially known for wielding the gong on the 'Red Faces' talent segment. He now works on ABC radio and writes humorous columns for the press. After the demise of Skyhooks, Starkie still plays locally, Freddie became the drummer in the later lineup of noted Melbourne rock band The Sports, and other acts such as The Bushwackers and the "Old Skydaddys". Greg Macainsh played with John Farnham, and in recent years has been a board member of both APRA and PPCA, and is currently completing a Law Degree. Strachan hosted a popular children's TV show 'Shirl's Neighbourhood' in the early 80s and went on to use his carpentry trade skills on air in various home improvement TV shows. He was also a familiar face at Hawthorn Football Club functions, of which he was a passionate supporter. Sadly, Strachan was killed in an air crash on August 29th, 2001, when the helicopter he was learning to fly crashed into Mount Alexander near Kilcoy, northwest of Brisbane. Strachan died instantly.
A Memorial was held to pay Tribute to Strachan at the Palais Theatre shortly after. Tribute were paid and Guest Vocalist and Producer Ross Wilson assisted on the night.
A Night to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the release of the Living in the 70s album was held in 2004. It was a historic night with several different incarnations of the band performing. The only absences were Graham Strachan and Steve Hill.
The Skyhooks and Steve Hill then reformed in 2005 in Sydney for a One-Off gig. Hill had been diagnosed with Cancer and the Original Skyhooks, Peter Inglis, Peter Starkie, Fred Strauks and Greg Macainsh joined with Hill to show their support.
The name "Skyhooks" comes from an imaginary device created in the book Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator used to hold the elevator up in mid-air.
All My Friends Are Getting Married
Skyhooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes they're all growin' old
They're staying home on weekends
They're all doin' what they're told
But I'm caught up in this magic
I'm all caught up in the fun
I'm all caught up in this music
Maybe I'll never have a son
Well I looked into the crowd the other night
And I saw an old familiar face
He said "How are you doin' Shirl my boy?"
He said " Tell me, are you still playin' the same old place
I asked him all about himself
And he said that he was married with a kid
Showed me a picture of his wife
And we talked about all the things we did
Well sometimes I feel like I'm left behind
And sometimes I feel like I just left school
Wonder if I'll ever grow up
Maybe I'm the only fool
But I'm all caught up in this magic
Yes I'm caught up in this fun
I'm all caught up with this music
Well maybe I'll never have a son
The lyrics of Skyhooks's song "All My Friends Are Getting Married" describe the feeling of being left behind while everyone around you is settling down and getting married. The singer notes that all of their friends are growing old and doing what they're supposed to, but they are still caught up in the magic and fun of their current lifestyle. Despite feeling like they might be a fool or left behind, they still find joy in music and the experiences they are having.
One possible interpretation of this song is that it speaks to the conflict between conformity and individuality. The singerβs friends are conforming to societal expectations by getting married and settling down, but the singer still finds joy in pursuing their own interests and desires. The line "maybe I'll never have a son" suggests that the singer may have different priorities or goals than their married friends.
Another interpretation could be that the song speaks to the fear of missing out. The singer is worried that they are missing out on important milestones and experiences that their friends are having. They are left wondering if they will ever grow up and reach the same milestones as their friends.
Overall, the lyrics of "All My Friends Are Getting Married" convey a sense of uncertainty and mixed emotions that arise when friends are moving at different paces through life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well all my friends are getting married
The singer's friends are all getting married and settling down.
Yes they're all growin' old
The singer's friends are getting older as they settle down into married life.
They're staying home on weekends
The singer's friends are prioritizing staying at home over going out and having fun.
They're all doin' what they're told
The artist's friends are following societal and cultural expectations of settling down and starting a family.
But I'm caught up in this magic
The artist is enraptured by the excitement of their musical career and lifestyle.
I'm all caught up in the fun
The singer is having a great time being involved in the music scene and not settling down yet.
I'm all caught up in this music
The singer's love for music is keeping them content, even though they don't have a traditional family life.
Maybe I'll never have a son
The artist acknowledges that their lifestyle may mean that they never have a child.
Well I looked into the crowd the other night
The artist is reminiscing about a recent night out at a music event.
And I saw an old familiar face
The artist recognizes someone they haven't seen in a long time.
He said 'How are you doin' Shirl my boy?'
The person the singer recognized greets them familiarly.
He said ' Tell me, are you still playin' the same old place
The person the artist recognized asks if they are still playing music in the same venue as before.
I asked him all about himself
The singer catches up with the person they recognized, wanting to hear about their life.
And he said that he was married with a kid
The person the singer recognized tells them that they have gotten married and started a family.
Showed me a picture of his wife
The person the singer recognized shares a photo of their spouse with the singer.
And we talked about all the things we did
The artist and the person they recognized reminisce about past experiences.
Well sometimes I feel like I'm left behind
The artist sometimes feels like they are not keeping up with their peers who have settled down and started families.
And sometimes I feel like I just left school
The singer sometimes feels like they are still in a state of youth and not fully adulting yet.
Wonder if I'll ever grow up
The singer wonders if they will ever mature into a traditional lifestyle of settling down and starting a family.
Maybe I'm the only fool
The artist acknowledges that they may be perceived as foolish for not following societal norms of settling down and starting a family.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GREGORY J MACAINSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MPT B
It's 2023 and I've come to watch this clip..One of Skyhooks best, Shirls voice perfection..RIP Shirl..gone too soonπ’
Ruiseart Alcorn
Great song, great band, great memories! :)
Adrenalin Be My Ride
Bachelor by choice for life here
This song is true and makes me grateful
Trending Upwards P/L
Holy crap. I remember when this came out....... Nah, that'll never happen to me...... The days when you listened to music instead of watching it, and argued over the lyrics, cause noone really knew.....
Pamela Lawrence
I loved this group. Their make up was cool.
Jodie Maree
We Love This β€
Ian Woff
Great song, great video clip - much pathos now.
rosalie jones
A great song
Joel Osborn
Love the XA.
wildwombat
I wonder, who the couple were, that featured at the church, permissions granted no doubt. How did their marriage turn out?