Home Page | 80s Lyrics Main Page



Icehouse


A little something about Icehouse
In 1977 Iva Davies started up Flowers, a Sydney, Australia pub band that primarily played rock standards from the late 60s and early 70s. By 1980 Flowers had become a big enough name in their native land to sign a recording deal, and they release a number of singles that did well in the Australian charts. In 1980 Flowers also released their debut album, Icehouse, which was also well received by their fans at home. The success meant it was time to go international, but like so many other bands - Yazoo, the Beat, and all the British acts that tack a "U.K." to their names for their American releases - Flowers ran into legal problems with their name. The resulting move was to adopt the name of their first album as their new monicre, and so Icehouse was born. Primitive Man, the second album by Flowers/Icehouse, again played well at home, and gave the band their first real crack at a commercial success in the northern hemispere as sales improved in England. The band had previously toured the UK, even opening for the then relatively unknown act Simple Minds. But it was their fourth album, Measure for Measure, which opened up the American market. Measure for Measure was a much slicker piece of work than the band's previous releases, in part due to the production talents of David Lord (Peter Gabriel, XTC) and Rhett Davies (Roxy Music). Roxy Music was also repesented on Measure for Measure by Brian Eno, who did some back-up work on the album. The track "No Promises" was an instant top 40 hit in the US. The success was repeated a year later with the internationally successful single "Electric Blue."

Lyrics featured below: "Electric Blue", "Crazy" & "Great Southern Land"

Electric Blue

If a boy had a chance
a chance with someone like you
are you gonna break his heart?
let him cry for the moon?
are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes?
I just freeze
everytime you see through me
and it's all over you
electric blue
on my knees
help me, baby
tell me, what can I do?
electric blue
Oh, I had a dream
for a moment I believed it was true
oh, I'd have given anything
just to be there with you
are you hiding
somewhere behind those eyes?
I just freeze
everytime you see through me
and it's all over you
electric blue
in too deep
standing here waiting
as I'm breaking into
electric blue
I can see 
can see that it may be just a vision for you
electric blue
on my knees
help me, baby
tell me what can I do?
electric blue


Crazy I've got a pocket full of holes head in the clouds the king of fools you've got a ribbon of rainbows the sun in your eyes burning through could be I'm happy and sad could be I'm losing my head over you well, you've gotta be crazy, baby to want a guy like me yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy So if I'm dreaming don't wake me tonight if this is all wrong I don't want it right 'cause you're the one sure thing when I get lost in the game once again hey, I'm a lucky guy without a reason and I don't understand well, you've gotta be crazy, baby to want a guy like me yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy Well, there must be some kind of mistake to give your heart away yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy I've got a pocket full of holes head in the clouds the king of fools you've got a ribbon of rainbows the sun in your eyes burning through could be I'm happy and sad could be I'm losing my head over you well, you've gotta be crazy, baby to want a guy like me yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy Well, there must be some kind of mistake to give your heart away yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy well, you've gotta be crazy, baby to want a guy like me yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy Well, there must be some kind of mistake to give your heart away yeah, you've gotta be out of your mind crazy well you've gotta be crazy baby to want a guy like me yeah, you've gotta be crazy, baby.....
Great Southern Land Standing at the limit of an endless ocean stranded like a runaway, lost at sea city on a rainy day down in the harbour watching as the grey clouds shadow the bay looking everywhere 'cause I had to find you this is not the way that i remember it here anyone will tell you its a prisoner island hidden in the summer for a million years Great Southern Land, burned you black so you look into the land and it will tell you a story story 'bout a journey ended long ago if you listen to the motion of the wind in the mountains maybe you can hear them talking like I do ". . they're gonna betray, they're gonna forget you are you gonna let them take you over this way . ." Great Southern Land, Great Southern Land you walk alone like a primitive man and they make it work with sticks and bones see their hungry eyes, its a hungry home I hear the sound of the stranger's voices I see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyes Great Southern Land, Great Southern Land they burned you black, black against the ground Great Southern Land, in the sleeping sun you walk alone with the ghost of time they burned you black, black against the ground and they make it work with rocks and sand I hear the sound of the stanger's voices I see their hungry eyes, their hungry eyes Great Southern Land, Great Southern Land you walk alone, like a primitive man you walk alone with the ghost of time and they burned you black yeah, they burned you black Great Southern Land