"Boys in Town" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Divinyls | ||||
from the album Monkey Grip and Desperate | ||||
B-side | "Only You" | |||
Released | September 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | Pub rock, new wave | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | WEA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Christina Amphlett Mark McEntee Jeremy Paul | |||
Producer(s) | Christina Amphlett, Mark McEntee | |||
Divinyls singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Boys in Town" on YouTube | ||||
Audio | ||||
"Boys in Town" on YouTube |
"Boys in Town" is the debut single by Australian rock band Divinyls,released in 1981. The song was written in 1979 and was used on the soundtrack of the 1982 film Monkey Grip ,along with several other Divinyls tracks written and recorded for the film,including the single's b-side "Only You". "Boys in Town" was also included on the international version of the Divinyls 1983 debut studio album, Desperate . The song became a success in Australia,entering the singles chart top ten and peaking at number eight.
Divinyls formed in 1980,fronted by lead singer Christina Amphlett. After scoring several gigs in pubs and clubs,the group was discovered by Australian film director Ken Cameron,who was in the midst of making the movie Monkey Grip ,based on the novel of the same name by Helen Garner. That discovery led to Divinyls providing the entire soundtrack for the film,and also resulted in Amphlett getting a supporting role,playing a temperamental rock singer,based on herself. "Boys in Town",from the soundtrack,was released as the band's debut single,and garnered commercial success,reaching the top ten on the Australian singles chart. It was the first song that Amphlett and McEntee had written together. [1]
When Divinyls released their debut studio album Desperate in 1983,four of the songs from the Monkey Grip soundtrack were included,in particular "Boys in Town". However,"Boys in Town",and the other songs previously seen on Monkey Grip,were omitted from Australian release of Desperate. "Boys in Town" was also released in Canada on the K-tel compilation album entitled Rock '83. [2]
At the 1981 Countdown Music Awards,the song was nominated for Best Australian Single. [3]
In January 2018,as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100",the 'most Australian' songs of all time,"Boys in Town" was ranked number 83. [4]
Named by Double J as one of the best debut singles of all time,they said,"'Get me out of here.' There is a whole world in those five words. A million songs,a thousand books and films. Every small town. Every mistake. Billions of dreams of starting over. 'Boys in Town' couldn't lose with a line like that and 21-year-old Christine Joy Amphlett knew it." [5]
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Divinyls were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings,and she often used an illuminated neon tube as a prop for displaying aggression towards both band members and the audience. Originally a five-piece,the band underwent numerous line-up changes,with Amphlett and McEntee remaining as core members,before its dissolution in 1996.
Christine Joy Amphlett was an Australian singer,songwriter and actress,best known as the frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls. She was notable for her brash,overtly sexual persona and subversive humour in lyrics,performances and media interviews.
"I Touch Myself" is a song recorded by Australian rock band Divinyls. It was written by the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg along with Christine Amphlett and Mark McEntee of the Divinyls. It was released in November 1990 by Virgin as the lead single from the band's fourth album,diVINYLS (1991),and deals with the subjects of eroticism,orgasm and female masturbation. The single achieved success,reaching No. 1 in Australia and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In January 2018,Australian network Triple M ranked the song at No. 60 in its list of the "most Australian" songs of all time. In 2023,Billboard magazine ranked it among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time".
"T.N.T." is a song released in 1975 by Australian hard rock band AC/DC,taken from their Australian album T.N.T. and the international version of High Voltage. It was released as a single in 1976 and was written by Bon Scott,Angus Young and Malcolm Young. It peaked at No.19 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The song's title is a reference to the explosive chemical TNT.
What a Life! is the second studio album by Australian band Divinyls,released in October 1985 by Chrysalis Records. The album is a genre of rock and new wave songs—written by Divinyls members Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee.
Divinyls is the fifth studio album by Australian band Divinyls,released on 29 January 1991 by Virgin Records. The album was the band's most successful,peaking at number 5 in Australia and number 15 on the US Billboard 200. It also contains the band's biggest-selling single,"I Touch Myself",which reached number one in Australia,number four in the US and number 10 in the UK.
Desperate is the debut studio album and second overall album by Australian rock band Divinyls,released in 1983 by Chrysalis Records. The album contains the singles "Science Fiction" and "Siren " and "Casual Encounter". The international version included the single "Boys in Town" from Monkey Grip.
Monkey Grip is a soundtrack to the film of the same name,with songs provided by the Divinyls. The movie is an adaptation by director Ken Cameron of Helen Garner's novel Monkey Grip. The movie had little impact at the box office,taking only A$451,000. The soundtrack was released in May 1982 and peaked at #25 on the Australian Kent Music Report album chart. The soundtrack contains the band's first single,"Boys in Town",as well as "Only Lonely","Elsie" and "Only You" –all of which are featured on the international version of the Divinyls' first studio album,Desperate. Monkey Grip also features two other songs "Gonna Get You" and "Girlfriends". Christina Amphlett also co-starred in the movie Monkey Grip,playing a temperamental rock singer loosely based on herself,fronting a band played by fellow Divinyls members.
Make You Happy is a compilation album by Australian rock band Divinyls,which was released on 21 October 1997. It consists of material spanning from 1981 to 1993 including the hits "Boys in Town","Science Fiction","Pleasure and Pain" and their number-one signature song "I Touch Myself". The album's name comes from "I'll Make You Happy",the B-side of "Science Fiction" and a cover version of the 1960s track by The Easybeats. Track 20,"Love in Motion",is a 1992 rerecording of Icehouse's 1981 single with Divinyls' Christina Amphlett featuring on co-lead vocals.
"Pleasure and Pain" is a song written by Michael Chapman and Holly Knight,produced by Chapman for Divinyls' second studio album What a Life! (1985). It was released as the album's third single in the formats of 7-inch single and 12" single. It became one of their most successful songs,charting at No. 11 in Australia,No. 8 in New Zealand and No. 76 in the United States.
Richard Grossman is an Australian rock musician who has played bass guitar for two iconic bands:Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus. Hoodoo Gurus' status on the Australian rock scene was acknowledged when they were inducted into the 2007 ARIA Hall of Fame. For Grossman,this was his second Hall of Fame induction in a row;the 2006 award was for his stint with Divinyls. Often referred to as Rick Grossman,he has also performed with other Australian bands:Matt Finish,Ghostwriters,Persian Rugs,The Kelly Gang and Men at Work.
Australian Made was a festival concert series held during 1986–1987 in the six state capitals of Australia and featured local rock acts Mental as Anything,I'm Talking,The Triffids,The Saints,Divinyls,Models,INXS and even Jimmy Barnes. The series started in Hobart on 26 December 1986 and concluded in Sydney on 26 January 1987. Rock journalist Jeff Jenkins rated it as one of his 50 most significant events in Australian music history,"It wasn't a huge success,but it showed that an all-Australian festival could work." Australian Made was conceived to counter tours of international acts,like Dire Straits' 1985–1986 world tour,which were drying up funds for Australian groups. As from October 2010,the following artists have been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame:INXS and The Saints,Barnes,Divinyls (2006),The Triffids (2008),Mental As Anything (2009),and Models (2010).
Monkey Grip is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by Ken Cameron. It is based on the novel,also titled Monkey Grip (1977),by Helen Garner. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Patricia Lovell and stars Noni Hazelhurst and Colin Friels,and featured an original soundtrack by Australian rock band the Divinyls.
"Science Fiction" is a song by Australian rock/new wave group Divinyls,which was the lead single from their first studio album Desperate. Released in December 1982,"Science Fiction",peaked at No. 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. The B-side,"I'll Make You Happy" is a cover of The Easybeats 1966 hit.
"Back to the Wall" is a song by Australian rock group Divinyls. Released in February 1988 as the lead single from their third studio album Temperamental,the song made the top forty on the Australian singles chart.
"Good Die Young" is a song by Australian rock band Divinyls,released in July 1984 as the lead single the band's second studio album What a Life! and proved to be a moderate success in Australia.
"I'm on Your Side" is a ballad performed by Australian rock duo Divinyls. It was released 9 September 1991 as the fourth and final single from their self-titled album,Divinyls (1991).
"In My Life" is rock song by Australian band Divinyls. It was released in November 1984 as the second single from their second studio album What a Life! and charted within the top fifty on the Australian singles chart,peaking at number forty-seven.
"Heart Telegraph" is a song by Australian rock band Divinyls. It was released in 1986 as the fifth and final single from their second studio album What a Life!. The song was written by Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee and produced by Gary Langan,who was one of three producers who worked on the album What a Life!.
"No Secrets" is a song by Australian hard rock group,the Angels,released in April 1980 from their fourth studio album,Dark Room. "No Secrets" peaked at number 8 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart. It was co-written by band members,Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup and Bernard "Doc" Neeson. In January 2018,as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100",the most Australian songs of all time,"No Secrets" was ranked number 50.
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