COMING UP FROM DOWN UNDER Al Steele 3/9/97-4/12/97
In the beginning there was the stone age
We all sat round in cave's and lit fire's and stuff
Drew pretty picture's on the wall when we were bored
Killed wild animal's to show that we were tough
Then sometime later came Edison and the Lighthouse
Powered by electricity the saviour of the world
The hairdryer's and heater's and hamburger's gave us hope
Worst thing of all they gave us soap, and it's all
Coming up from down under
You asked for my blessing and I gave you my curse
I'm coming up from down under
Jelly gone bad and just about to get worse
You must be joking
Shakespearian verse says 'You guys are choking me'
Theatrical tragedy falls to the sword of surfing and small talk
'Has anybody seen bouncer?'
Sometimes I have this inescapable impulse
To gather up all the TV's in the world
And go down to the beach and wait for that big wave
And send them all off surfing to the grave
CHORUS

'Coming Up From Down Under', is NOT autobiographical! This song was written about the inescapable rise of Australian soaps. Everyone that wasn't avidly watching them was probably thinking the same as me. As one of my favourite lines goes... 'You must be joking! Shakespearean verse says 'You guys are choking me'. Theatrical tragedy falls to the sword of surfing, and small talk - 'HAS ANYBODY SEEN BOUNCER?!!!'
DRIVING Al Steele 22/11/91
I work all day, and I sleep all night
Grey is grey black is black, and white is white
Got no time to think, about just where I am
It's hard enough in times like these
Just to walk like a man
And I don't know what's behind
And I don't know what's ahead
All in know is the road I'm on
And a voice inside my head says
Keep Driving, keep driving, keep driving
You gotta keep on driving
Don't look down, try to hold the line
In the rough and tumble, in the push and shove,
Time is money and money is time
Got my souvenirs, from the people that I've met
And the places that I've been
And if I don't say much, It's 'cause I'm staring out this windscreen
CHORUS
I work all day, and I sleep all night
Grey is grey black is black, and white is white
Got no time to think, about just where I am
It's hard enough these days, just to walk like a man
Don't look down, try to hold the line
In the rough and tumble, in the push and shove,
Time is money and money is time
Got my souvenirs, from the people that I've met
And the places that I've been
And if I don't say much, It's 'cause I'm staring out this windscreen
And I don't know who to fear, and I don't know who trust
And I don't know how or why, I just know that I must
I've got no time to laugh, I've got no time to cry
There's a train rolling through me, and it never says die
And I'm calling out to you, and you're calling out to me
But the cat's eyes and the white lines, are all that I can see
CHORUS
I'm driving now, yes I'm driving now
Just keep on driving
I had really got into orchestral sounds. I had a dream of creating some new music that would be somewhere between classical and rock and pop (probably only realised over a decade later with 'My Desire', Paul Weston/Al Steele), and so, wherever I felt the music could take it, I would build in some orchestra. The whole rhythm is built around windscreen wipers, and again, lyrically, I didn't want anything to be gratuitous.
NOBODY EVER LOVED ME THAT MUCH Al Steele 16/07/90-6/12/93
He wore a white tuxedo
And he ran a bar, and his name was Rick
And he never drank with the customers
But he always seemed to drink too much
Well, Sam played, and Rick made sure
That no woman ever stayed too long
And he never seemed to say too much
But he always knew just what to say
Where do you come from?
I'm a bum, I'm a drunkard
Do you despise me?
Maybe I would if I thought about it but
Nobody ever loved me that much
No she never made me feel so good
I bet she told you she got through to me
Nobody ever could
Nobody took my breath away
No I never tremble at here touch
So don't bother asking
Nobody ever loved me that much
Once he had a lover
But she never really meant that much
Anyway, that's what he tells himself
That's how he forgets, as time goes by
Where were you last night?
It's so long ago I can't remember
Will I see you tonight?
I never plan that far ahead 'cause
CHORUS
Any heart in the world you could find
And you had to walk into mine
So how will it end up this time
I go to bed dreaming, and I wake up screaming
Nobody!
I didn't count the days, I didn't count the nights
Not once did I wish I was holding you
I didn't wait up, I didn't pace the floor
When you begged me to stay, I just walked out the door
You ask me would I, give up my life
Give up my freedom just to be with you
Well I have to say, I have to come clean
It didn't even cross my mind , and here's the reason why
CHORUS

I have always loved the film Casablanca. It has so many memorable lines, and apparently the script was minimal, so Humphrey Bogart made much of it up. I wrote 'Nobody Ever Loved Me That Much' and tried to get in as many of those famous quotes as I could. I had also toured there on 3 separate occasions, playing at big sports arenas. Surreal, mind-boggling tours!