Tim Rogers formed the first version of the band in Sydney, Australia, with his school friend Nick Tischler and his older brother Jaimme in December 1989. This initial line-up was short lived and by the end of 1990 both Nick and Jaimme had left the band. They were replaced by the group's one-time sound mixer Andy Kent on bass and Mark Tunaley on drums.
The band released several EPs and singles in the early 90s, though the real breakthrough came when Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth caught the band performing at 1993's Big Day Out festival and was impressed enough to produce their fourth EP, Coprolalia, and later the debut album, Sound as Ever, which went on to win the 1993 ARIA Award for Best Alternative Release.
After the release of their first album, Mark and the band parted company. He was replaced by the charismatic Russell Hopkinson (formerly of Nursery Crimes) creating the core line-up to this day. Since then, the band has been augmented by Davey Lane of The Pictures on guitar.
You Am I had toured the US extensively during the mid 90s, including playing with Soundgarden on the Lollapalooza festival, Red Kross, The Strokes and Smoking Popes to name a few. Despite little success overseas, the band became well known throughout Australia for their Pete Townshend-esque guitar windmills and their upbeat "ponce and thuggery" take on Rock 'n' Roll.
Further success came with the albums Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily, with both picking up ARIA Awards. Hourly Daily was the first album released on the Shock label to go to number one in the ARIA charts upon launch. For many, the suburban inspired, 60s bop and folky 12 string melodies were a welcome departure from ever pervasive 70s rock sounds, or even grunge rock.
Subtle country influences became apparent on their 1998 Number 4 Record, which included the poignant Heavy Heart. A heart wrenching, almost karaoke inspired ballad about being 'dropped' by your girlfriend. Evidently each subsequent album has had a few countryish twang which have polarised some fans, who idolise the band's earlier warts and all rock beginnings.
1999 saw frontman Tim Rogers release his first solo album What Rhymes With Cars And Girls, followed up in 2004 by the record Spit Polish. In 2005 he released the critically acclaimed double-LP 'Ghost Songs' and 'Dirty Ron'.
After an album absence prolonged by touring and record label interference, Dress Me Slowly was released April 2001. Arguably containing some of the bands' best work including Damage and Kick a Hole in the Sky there were also some stellar b-Sides on the commercial singles that accompanied the album. These include a song called Older Guys which is track 2 on the Get Up single. Older Guys was one of the stand out songs on Gram Parsons' group The Flying Burrito Brothers album Burrito Deluxe and although the You Am I b-side is an original, Rogers is recognised as a keen student of music history and some connection can be assumed.
Dress Me Slowly was second guitarist, Davey Lane's first bona fide appearance on a studio record. Lane had come to the band's attention from his own work with The Pictures and transcribing, with almost scary accuracy, the band's guitar tabs on the You Am I web site. The band's last collective studio effort was Deliverance in 2002.
The likes of Nic Cester of Jet have mentioned that You Am I, at the very least, reminded them that you don't have to be American to be a successful rock band. Iconic references to Australian everyday suburban life remain a constant theme of Roger's material. The Vines also credit You Am I as a major influence and Silverchair take their name, in part, from You Am I's song Berlin Chair.
Their seventh album "Convicts" was released in May 2006. An about face on the previous two albums, Convicts rocks hard all of the way through with much more straight forward production and higher energy that makes you jump.
Their eighth album "Dilettantes" was released in September 2008.
Doug Sahm
You Am I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When your strung out or when you're bored
Been so long and heavy
But now you think I'm ready
Lean on me, lean on me
Give it a try, it won't hurt
Leave it with the papers and the capers and the dirt
Got a long distance call
Who knows what or when or how
But what I'd do to see his face now
Lean on me, lean on me
Wham bam, Doug Sahm
Get my brains from a garden plant
You ain't got the truth in the line
Stick with the ones who never
Get put out by the fire
I never was one for pictures yeah
You could hang up on the wall
Start 'em up here in my head
Wait for them to fall
Let's go get wrong, real real gone
Raise a toast to the Polaroid ghost
And let some water fall
You ain't got the truth in the line
Stick with the ones who never
Get put out by the fire
The lyrics to You Am I’s song “Doug Sahm” are multifaceted, to say the least. At first listen, it seems like a call for a friend to come and lean on the singer for support. However, when combined with other details throughout the song, a story of grief and loss emerges. The first two stanzas seem to be directed towards a troubled friend, encouraging them to reach out when they’re feeling lost, while the third shifts the focus to the singer's recent loss.
The line “had a friend who died today” is both abrupt and gut-wrenching, and from there the song tempo picks up, with the lines “lean on me, lean on me / Wham bam, Doug Sahm / Get my brains from a garden plant” representing a sort of manic coping strategy. Clearly, the song's narrator is sublimating their grief into creativity, drawing on cultural references (Doug Sahm was a Texan musician, known for his work in the Sir Douglas Quintet) and urging their audience to join them in a moment of revelry rather than wallowing in sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me a call
Contact me/Reach out to me
When your strung out or when you're bored
Whether you need help during tough times or just want to chat
Been so long and heavy
Life has been difficult for a while
But now you think I'm ready
But I'm ready now to be there for you
Lean on me, lean on me
Rely on me for support
Give it a try, it won't hurt
Take a chance on me, it won't be a bad thing
Leave it with the papers and the capers and the dirt
Forget about the negative aspects of life
Had a friend who died today
Received news that a friend recently passed away
Got a long distance call
Received the news from far away
Who knows what or when or how
Uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of the friend's death
But what I'd do to see his face now
Wishing to have one last moment with the friend
Wham bam, Doug Sahm
Mentioning the musician Doug Sahm
Get my brains from a garden plant
Making a witty remark about Doug Sahm and his influence
You ain't got the truth in the line
Don't trust those who don't tell the truth
Stick with the ones who never
Stay with those who are honest and reliable
Get put out by the fire
Those who are not easily discouraged during difficult times
I never was one for pictures yeah
Not being particularly nostalgic or sentimental
You could hang up on the wall
Referring to photographs that could be displayed
Start 'em up here in my head
Remembering memories in the mind
Wait for them to fall
To allow the memories to come back
Let's go get wrong, real real gone
Let's have some fun and push the limits
Raise a toast to the Polaroid ghost
Drink to memories captured in photographs
And let some water fall
Let the tears flow for those memories and people that are no longer with us
You ain't got the truth in the line
Don't trust those who don't tell the truth
Stick with the ones who never
Stay with those who are honest and reliable
Get put out by the fire
Those who are not easily discouraged during difficult times
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TIM ADRIAN ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind