The Birthday Party were an Australian post-punk band, from 1977 to 1983. Fo… Read Full Bio ↴The Birthday Party were an Australian post-punk band, from 1977 to 1983. Formed in Melbourne, the band were one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s, creating bleak and noisy soundscapes that provided the perfect setting for vocalist Nick Cave's difficult, disturbing stories of religion, violence, and perversity. Their sound drew upon punk, rockabilly, free jazz and the rawest blues, but transcended concise categorization. Under the direction of Cave and guitarist Rowland S. Howard, the band tore through reams of blues and rockabilly licks, spitting out hellacious feedback and noise at an unrelenting pace. As The Birthday Party's career progressed, Cave's vision got darker and the band's songs alternated between dirges and blistering sonic assaults.

Originally, the Australian band was called The Boys Next Door, comprising Cave, Howard, Mick Harvey (guitar, drums, organ, piano), bassist Tracy Pew, and drummer Phill Calvert. After the Door Door album and Hee Haw EP under that name, the band moved to London and switched its name to the deceptively benign Birthday Party. Once they arrived in Britain, their demented, knotty post-punk began to gel. They released their first international album, Prayers On Fire, in 1981, earning critical praise in the U.K. and U.S. While the band was preparing to record the follow-up, Pew was jailed for drunk driving; former Magazine member Barry Adamson, Harry Howard, and Chris Walsh filled in for the absent Pew on 1982's Junkyard.

After the release of Junkyard, Calvert joined Psychedelic Furs and the band moved to Germany, where they began collaborating with such experimental post-punk acts as Lydia Lunch and Einstürzende Neubauten. Harvey left in the summer of 1983. The group briefly continued with drummer Des Heffner, but it soon disbanded after a final concert in Melbourne, Australia. Cave had the most successful solo career, recording a series of albums in the '80s and '90s that maintained his status as a popular cult figure; Harvey joined Cave's band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Howard joined Crime & The City Solution, which also featured his brother Harry and Harvey. Tracey Pew toured with The Saints before dying of an epileptic seizure in 1986.

--Review from AMG Allmusic Guide

Blast off
The Birthday Party Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This time it's the truth
This time nothings gonna fall on through
These books
Are broken up
Blast off!
Wham! bam!
Right off the shelf
Right off the shelf

Blast off!
This is it- the last one
This ine's the final-in-a-fair-field-of-wheat
This building
Will may be fall down
Blast off!
Down! down!
Down! down!
The ground
Down! down!

The ground
Blast off!

Overall Meaning

The Birthday Party's song "Blast Off" is a high-energy, explosive tune that showcases the band's unique sound and punk rock influences. The lyrics themselves are somewhat enigmatic, but seem to describe a feeling of finality and "last hurrah" before something inevitably comes crashing down. The song begins with the declaration "This time it's the truth / This time nothings gonna fall on through", suggesting that whatever is about to happen is going to be the real deal. The reference to "These books / Are broken up" could represent past experiences or knowledge that is no longer applicable to the future.

The chorus, which simply repeats the phrase "Blast Off!" over and over again, is a call to action, a declaration of readiness for whatever is coming next. The lines "This is it- the last one / This ine's the final-in-a-fair-field-of-wheat" could be interpreted as a nod to death or the end of something significant. The reference to the building potentially falling down and the repetition of the phrase "Down! down! / The ground" give a real sense of impending destruction, but the band seems to greet this possibility with excitement rather than fear.

Line by Line Meaning

This time it's the truth
We are being honest and truthful for once

This time nothings gonna fall on through
We are determined to not let anything fail or fall apart

These books
Our past experiences and knowledge

Are broken up
They are not complete or useful anymore

Blast off!
We are ready to start something new and exciting

Wham! bam!
We are eager and quick to take action

Right off the shelf
We are making a quick and impulsive decision

This is it- the last one
This is our final chance to make things right

This ine's the final-in-a-fair-field-of-wheat
Our last opportunity stands out amongst many other failed attempts

This building
Our current situation or circumstance

Will may be fall down
It may not last or be sustainable for much longer