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.
http://www.thirstymerc.com/
Tommy And Krista
Thirsty Merc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The prettiest girl that he'd ever seen
And there was not alot of waiting, they started dating
They used to hang out at the coffee shop there
And the weather was nice and the stakes were quite high
And one day Tommy made Krista cry
A little mixup, screwup, started a fight and Krista
Went and said goodbye
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
Well couple years on, he was out with his friends
When Tommy walked into a room and saw Krista again
Crazy thing was it was all still there
Tommy said "Hey you want to drive somewhere?"
They drove to the city where the lights shine low
And Tommy had a feeling that his heart could regrow
In a second he was down as something she said
"Tommy I'm with someone else"
"Tommy I'm with someone else"
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
Well Tommy never turned to aggression nor fear
Instead he started working in the New Year
But at night she'd invade his thoughts and his dreams
He can't keep his mind away from Krista it seems
And, so cold but funny enough
Krista and her boyfriend were broken up
But until they meet again and the time feels right
This is how it ends tonight
This is how it ends tonight
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
She used to be in love with me
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
And now I'm just a memory
"Tommy and Krista" is a bittersweet song that recounts a typical romantic love story between two young people who met and fell in love. At age nineteen, Tommy met Krista, who he considered the prettiest girl he had ever seen. They started dating right away and were inseparable, hanging out at the coffee shop where the stakes were quite high. Unfortunately, they had a little mix-up and screw-up that resulted in a fight, and Krista said goodbye to Tommy.
Years later, Tommy saw Krista again in a room full of people, and it turned out that the chemistry between them was still there. They drove to the city, and Tommy thought he could regrow his heart. However, Krista dropped a bombshell by revealing that she was with someone else, and Tommy had become nothing more than a memory for her. Despite this, Tommy never turned to aggression nor fear; instead, he focused on work in the New Year, but Krista invaded his thoughts and dreams every night.
The song's meaning is self-evident: it's a cautionary tale about lost love and regrets. The lyrics reveal that once the love is gone, it's gone, and it'll never be the same. The song uses simple and relatable language to convey the emotions of heartbreak and the difficulties of moving on from a broken relationship. The song is both sad and hopeful, and it's an excellent reminder that love can be unpredictable and fleeting.
Line by Line Meaning
Well Tommy met Krista at the age of nineteen
Tommy and Krista first met when they were both nineteen years old
The prettiest girl that he'd ever seen
Tommy thought Krista was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen
And there was not alot of waiting, they started dating
They began dating shortly after they met
They used to hang out at the coffee shop there
They would spend time together at a coffee shop
And the weather was nice and the stakes were quite high
Their relationship was intense and exciting
And one day Tommy made Krista cry
Tommy did something that upset Krista so much she cried
A little mixup, screwup, started a fight and Krista
They got into an argument due to a small misunderstanding or mistake
Went and said goodbye
Krista broke up with Tommy and left him
She used to be in love with me
Tommy is reminiscing about the time when Krista was in love with him
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
Krista no longer loves Tommy and has moved on
Well couple years on, he was out with his friends
Years later, Tommy was out with his friends
When Tommy walked into a room and saw Krista again
Tommy bumped into Krista again
Crazy thing was it was all still there
Despite the time passed, Tommy's feelings for Krista still existed
Tommy said "Hey you want to drive somewhere?"
Tommy asked Krista if she wanted to go for a drive
They drove to the city where the lights shine low
They went to the city where the lights were dim
And Tommy had a feeling that his heart could regrow
Tommy believed that his heart could be mended and he could fall in love with Krista again
In a second he was down as something she said
Something that Krista said made Tommy feel sad
"Tommy I'm with someone else"
Krista told Tommy that she was in a relationship with someone else
Well Tommy never turned to aggression nor fear
Tommy did not react with anger or fear
Instead he started working in the New Year
Tommy focused on working in the new year
But at night she'd invade his thoughts and his dreams
Krista still occupied Tommy's thoughts and dreams at night
He can't keep his mind away from Krista it seems
Tommy still can't stop thinking about Krista
And, so cold but funny enough
Despite the situation being cold and heartless, there was still irony in it
Krista and her boyfriend were broken up
Krista had broken up with her boyfriend
But until they meet again and the time feels right
Tommy hopes that they will meet again when the timing is better
This is how it ends tonight
This is how the story ends
She used to be in love with me
Tommy is still dwelling on the fact that Krista used to love him
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
But now Krista is gone and has taken all the love away
She used to be in love with me
Tommy sadly repeats that Krista used to love him
And now I'm just a memory
But now he is just a distant memory to Krista
She used to be in love with me
Tommy wonders what happened to make Krista fall out of love with him
And now I'm just a memory
He is left with the painful realization that he is no longer a part of Krista's life
She used to be in love with me
Tommy repeats again that Krista used to love him
And now she's gone and taken all the love away
But she has now moved on and taken all the love away with her
She used to be in love with me
Tommy is still lamenting the loss of Krista's love
And now I'm just a memory
But he is left with only memories of their time together
Contributed by Gabriel A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amzbly1
One of the most underrated Australian bands ever.
@vpsaviation732
Yep
@joh7198
For shore
@teknikgroup7597
proper Aussie rock classic :)
@shanbags76
They are not underrated for me. Stratosphere is pretty high 🙏
@drewbabydrew7742
Absolutely
@dipayanchakraborty4751
I just can't understand the fact why this song didn't hit the billions!!!
Great stuff mate.
@addlzp2009
HOW iS THIS SONG NOT MORE FAMOUS!?
@Howtheheak
9 years later and this song still slaps
@cascade3769
Why shouldn't it still slap? Dumb comment. Good music is good music.