Thirsty Merc have released one EP entitled First Work, and 3 studio albums; Thirsty Merc, Slideshows, and Mousetrap Heart. The band has sold over 200,000 albums, has toured extensively around Australia, and have received heavy airplay in Australia on an impressive number of songs. After breaking through onto the Australian music scene they were nominated for four ARIA Awards in 2005 and Rai was nominated for Song of the Year at the APRA Awards in 2008 for Thirsty Merc's top 2 airplay hit 20 Good Reasons. Their song In the Summertime was selected as the theme song for the Australian TV reality show Bondi Rescue and has been the theme song for seven consecutive seasons.
Three of the founding members of Thirsty Merc - Karl Robertson, Matthew Baker and Phil Stack - had played together in bands in Dubbo in regional NSW. In 2002 they teamed up with Sydney-sider Rai Thistlethwayte to form a band called "Thirsty"; soon after, they moved to Sydney and renamed themselves "Thirsty Merc". The band's name comes from a gas guzzling Mercedes Benz which belonged to lead singer Rai when the band was first rehearsing. The name also is a play on the phrase 'Thirsty Work:' The band members used to say that it was 'thirsty work' being in a rock band.
Thirsty Merc's first EP, First Work, was released on 8 September 2003 on the band's own label Don't Music label. The EP had been recorded independently during downtime at a studio that lead singer Rai worked during the days. The EP's only Single Wasting Time achieved radio airplay on Australian Radio stations Triple J and Nova but failed to chart. The self funded music video to the single became the 'ripe clip of the week' on Channel V. After extensive gigging around Sydney's pubs, reps from Warner Music approached the band after watching the band perform live at the Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills, and soon after at the Annandale Hotel.
Thirsty Merc's debut studio album was the self titled Thirsty Merc, released on 16 August 2004. The band again chose to work with Warner Music Australia. The album spent 48 weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart, peaking at #15, and launched the band in the Australian mainstream. The album reached #29 on New Zealand's RIANZ chart. The band worked with producer Lindsay Gravina on the album, who had been producing Australian bands over the past 15 years or so, notably The Living End and Magic Dirt. The band's debut was entirely recorded and mixed on 2 inch tape, and mixed by Gravina himself at his Melbourne studio, Birdland Studios.
Four singles were released from Thirsty Merc: Emancipate Myself, My Completeness, Someday, Someday, In the Summertime, and When the Weather Is Fine. All of the singles charted in Australia, with Someday, Someday reaching #19, while only In the Summertime charted in New Zealand, where it peaked higher than in Australia. In the Summertime was nominated for the 2005 ARIA Award for "Best Video", while Someday, Someday was nominated for "Single Of The Year", "Best Group", and "Best Pop Release". In interviews after the album's release, Thistlethwayte stated that the album was the band trying to "Just be yourself", and that the album was "just about being young and living in Australia".
Prior to the touring of Thirsty Merc's Debut album, guitarist Matt Baker left the band, and was replaced by Sean Carey, whom the band had met when they played a support slot to Carey's band at Kings Cross venue/club 'Club 77. Slideshows, was released on 21 April 2007 via Warner Music Australia. The album was the band's most successful release yet, peaking at #4 in Australia, although it was less successful in New Zealand, only reaching #38. The album's first three singles, 20 Good Reasons, The Hard Way, and Those Eyes, achieved chart success, with 20 Good Reasons reaching #4 in Australia and #17 in New Zealand. The album's fourth single, Homesick, was released digitally, peaking at #57 in Australia.
After the release of Slideshows, Thirsty Merc toured extensively around Australia, playing an album tour in theatres nationally and then regional tours, the biggest of which had 38 shows booked across seven weeks.
Prior to the recording of Mousetrap Heart, lead guitarist Sean left the band indefinitely and this was formally announced on 14 January 2010. Sean was replaced by Matt Smith, who also plays with afrobeat and reggae band The Strides.
On 18 June 2010, Thirsty Merc released their third album, entitled Mousetrap Heart which was recorded mostly in LA with producer Matt Wallace, and two tracks produced in Melbourne with longtime Thirsty Merc producer Lindsay Gravina. The band toured nationally in July 2010 to support the new album. The lead single is the title track, which reached top 15 airplay in Australia and charted Top 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The band's next single, All My Life, was featured in the promotional clips for the AFL grand final in 2010. The official music video for All My Life was shot in early October 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand, and follows a narrative of 'heroic love' set on a Thailand military base. The video features Russian model/actress Maria Mazikova, 50 Thai army troops, an Iroquois helicopter and a Chinook helicopter. The All My Life video was directed by Adrian Van de Velde, who also directed the bands ARIA nominated clip In The Summertime.
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My Completeness
Thirsty Merc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With her arms
Open wide
Learnt my style
There she stood
Like a child
With her hair
Love, lapping at her feet
Life, dancing in a masquerade
My completeness
I could say no words
None would breathe
With my heart
On my sleeve
All was clear
There she was
With her hair
Flowing down in blue cascades
Love, lapping at her feet
Life, dancing in a masquerade
My completeness
Alright
She's everything to me
She came to me
With her arms
Open wide
Learnt my style
There she stood
Like a child
With her
Hair, flowing down in blue cascades
Love, lapping at her feet
Life, dancing in a masquerade
Hair, flowing down in blue cascades
Love, lapping at her feet
Life, dancing in a masquerade
My completeness
She's everything to me, yeah
In Thirsty Merc's song "My Completeness," the singer describes the arrival of a new love interest in their life. The first verse conveys a sense of welcome and acceptance - the woman comes to the singer with open arms and learns his style, as if eager to fit in with his life. The second verse uses vivid imagery to describe the woman's beauty and the way love and life seem to surround her. The repeated refrain of "My completeness" emphasizes the idea that this new love interest has filled a void in the singer's life, making them feel whole and happy.
The lyrics suggest a deep emotional bond between the singer and the woman, as well as a sense of vulnerability on the singer's part. They seem to be entirely taken with this person, unable to speak or do anything but bask in their presence. At the same time, there is a feeling of mutual respect - the woman is described as being "like a child," which could suggest innocence and wonder rather than weakness.
Overall, "My Completeness" is a heartfelt and romantic song that conveys a deep connection between two people. The lyrics are simple but powerful, using imagery and repetition to emphasize the importance of the singer's new love interest in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
She came to me
The subject of the song approached the singer
With her arms
She had her arms outstretched, as if offering an embrace
Open wide
Her embrace was open and uninhibited
Learnt my style
She took the time to understand the artist's preferences and mannerisms
There she stood
The subject remained standing in front of the artist
Like a child
She appeared innocent and youthful in her behavior
With her hair
The singer pays attention to the subject's hair
Flowing down in blue cascades
Her hair was long and a shade of blue, and fell down in waves
Love, lapping at her feet
The subject was immersed in a feeling of love, which metaphorically was represented as water or something that can lap at one's feet
Life, dancing in a masquerade
Life is metaphorically characterized as a masquerade that is full of unpredictable motion and events
My completeness
The subject helped complete or fulfill the singer's life in some significant way
I could say no words
The artist was at a loss for words, possibly because of an intense emotion
None would breathe
In this moment of speechlessness, the singer's breath (or the 'breath' of the situation) was suspended
With my heart
This line starts the description of the singer's emotional state
On my sleeve
The singer's emotions were visible and open
All was clear
In spite of the inability to speak, the artist's emotions were apparent
There she was
The subject remained present in the room or in the artist's mind
Alright
This line could be taken as an interjection meaning 'ok' or 'I understand'
She's everything to me
The subject is incredibly important to the singer and contributes significantly to their well-being
Hair, flowing down in blue cascades
Repetition of earlier description of subject's hair
Love, lapping at her feet
Repetition of earlier description of the feeling of love that embodies the subject's presence
Life, dancing in a masquerade
Repetition of earlier metaphorical description of life as a masquerade
My completeness
Repetition of earlier assertion of the subject's importance to speaker's well-being
She's everything to me, yeah
Repetition and reiteration of earlier assertions about the subject's importance to the artist
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PHIL STACK, RAI THISTLETHWAYTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PapitoX
MOST UNDERRATED BAND EVER!!!
Emma Woodbury
Best band to come out of Australia.. Honestly dont understand why they have so little views!!!
DJ LakeSea
This is one of those songs that gets stuck in my head for weeks!
toocool2beat
Most underrated band in the world!!!!!!
André Castro
just found out about this band in may 2022.... extremely underrated!
Vanessa Gould-Nugent
My all time fave Thirsty Merc song.
Dean Jackson
You can go and see these guys in a local intimate venue for about $35.00, just sensational!
Aaron Williams
I remember hearing this song on rage so long ago when i was in high school and the chorus just stuck into my brain.
ummmmmm17
this is just one of those songs that brings back many memories when you listen to it!
baba waimarama
How does this song have 646 likes 38 comments as of November 2021 this song is an absolute masterpiece!!