D.A.F. (song)

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"D.A.F."
D.A.F..jpg
Single by Powderfinger
from the album Double Allergic
Released5 August 1996 (Australia)
RecordedSing Sing Studios, Melbourne
Genre Alternative rock
Length3:30
Label Universal Music Australia
Songwriter(s) Jon Coghill, John Collins, Bernard Fanning, Ian Haug, Darren Middleton
Producer(s) Tim Whitten
Powderfinger singles chronology
"Pick You Up"
(1996)		"D.A.F."
(1996)		"Living Type"
(1997)

"D.A.F." is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, released as a single from their second studio album, Double Allergic , on 5 August 1996.

Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1980s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock. Although the genre evolved in the late 1970s and 1980s, music anticipating the sound of the genre can be found as early as the 1960s, with bands such as The Velvet Underground and artists such as Syd Barrett.

Powderfinger Australian rock band

Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010 the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collin and drummer Jon Coghill. The group's third studio album Internationalist peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in September 1998. They followed with four more number-one studio albums in a row: Odyssey Number Five, Vulture Street, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence and Golden Rule. Their Top Ten hit singles are "My Happiness" (2000), "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" (2003) and "Lost and Running" (2007). Powderfinger earned a total of eighteen ARIA Awards, making them the second-most awarded band behind Silverchair. Ten Powderfinger albums and DVDs certified multiple-platinum, with Odyssey Number Five – their most successful album – achieving eightfold platinum certification for shipment of over 560,000 units.

Single (music) Type of music release usually containing one or two tracks

In the music industry, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.

Contents

"D.A.F." reached number 39 on the Australian music chart. The song was doubly nominated in the 1997 ARIA Awards, once for Song of the Year and once for Single of the Year, however won neither.

History

When "D.A.F." was first released, Australian television program Recovery ran a competition asking what the song's title stood for. Powderfinger guitarist Darren Middleton recalls that "people wrote in saying something like Dylan something farts" (referring to then host Dylan Lewis), [1] but Middleton stated that the title was actually the song's chord progression - D,A,F. [1] [2] When asked about the naming of the song, bassist John Collins replied "It's just because we were stupid". [3]

<i>Recovery</i> (TV series) TV series

Recovery was a music and youth-oriented television series that was broadcast by ABC TV in Australia. The show was aired each Saturday morning from 9am to 12pm, following the overnight video clip program, Rage, and was broadcast from 20 April 1996 to 29 April 2000. Recovery was produced "live-to-air" from ABC's Ripponlea studios in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Each episode featured a mix of live performances, music videos, other youth-relevant pop culture segments and comedy sketches.

Darren Middleton Australian musician

Darren Middleton is best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow-up to his 2013 solo tour 'Translations.' The 'Splinters' tour is Middleton's tour of Western Australia and Victoria in August and November 2016, respectively.

Dylan Lewis Australian broadcaster and Big Brother winner

Dylan Lewis is an Australian television and radio personality, music critic, journalist and film actor.

"D.A.F." received healthy radio airplay from numerous mainstream stations including the Today Network. [4] This came as a surprise for the band, as only their previous single, "Pick You Up", had achieved such airplay. Lead singer Bernard Fanning commented that "You can't really control who plays what you do on the radio, so it's pretty weird hearing your song on B105". [5]

Pick You Up 1996 single by Powderfinger

"Pick You Up" is the first single released from Powderfinger's second album Double Allergic. The single was released on 13 April 1996, and was Powderfinger's first moderate success both on commercial and Indie radio stations, and the most successful single from the album reaching #23 on the ARIA Charts. In 2007, eleven years after its initial release, "Pick You Up" was selected to be included in the soundtrack for Australian SBS soccer television program The World Game. The song is the oldest recording on the compilation album.

Bernard Fanning Australian musician and singer-songwriter

Bernard Fanning is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 to its dissolution in 2010.

Although it was produced as a mainstream song, "D.A.F." was released as a single which included their cover version of the Warumpi Band single, "Blackfella/Whitefella", which was in recognition of Australian Indigenous people. Fanning commented on the band choosing to include the song, saying "we don't set out to preach or give social commentary, but we do have the opportunity to put forward an opinion". [4] He also explained that the topic of social justice was one the band felt strongly about, and that the song had "the perfect lyrics to reflect that opinion". [4]

Warumpi Band were an Australian country and Aboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement of Papunya, Northern Territory in 1980. The original line-up was George Burarrwanga on vocals and didgeridoo, Gordon Butcher on drums, his brother Sammy Butcher on guitar and bass guitar, and Neil Murray on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Their key singles are "Jailanguru Pakarnu" (1983), "Blackfella/Whitefella" (1985), "Sit Down Money" (1986), "My Island Home" (1987) and "No Fear" (1987). The group released three albums, Big Name, No Blankets (1985), Go Bush! (1987) and Too Much Humbug (1996). From late 1987 to mid-1995 the group rarely performed as Murray focused on his solo career. In early 1995, Christine Anu, issued a cover version of "My Island Home". Warumpi Band regrouped before disbanding in 2000. Burarrwanga died on 10 June 2007 of lung cancer.

Blackfella/Whitefella 1985 song performed by Warumpi Band

"Blackfella/Whitefella" is an Australian rock song written by Neil Murray and George Rrurrambu, recorded by their Aboriginal rock group, Warumpi Band, and released as the sole single from their 1985 album, Big Name, No Blankets on Parole Records and Powderworks Records. While not a chart success, the song drew attention to issues of racism in Australia through lyrics that encourage harmony and co-operation by people of all races. The song received national airplay and attention in 1986 when politically charged rockers and Powderworks Records founders Midnight Oil accompanied the band on a free concert tour of remote Aboriginal communities as the Blackfella/Whitefella Tour.

In a separate interview, with Juice, Fanning said that "D.A.F." centered on "the old theme of searching for truth". He said the song related heavily to the ideal of "being honest with yourself so you can be honest with other people". [6]

Response

"D.A.F." was generally received well by reviewers. Allmusic reviewer Jonathan Lewis commended the song, calling it "superb" and stating it was a "radio staple". [7] Sputnikmusic reviewer blueyxd described "D.A.F." as "quirky" and "straight forward rock", recommending it for those who prefer songs "Plain and simple, Powderfinger like they are these days". [8] Juice stated that "D.A.F." was "driven by dramatic tension". [9]

"D.A.F." was nominated for "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year" at the 1997 ARIA Awards, but failed to win either. [10] It appeared at #18 on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1996, and appeared on the CD release. [11] "D.A.F." charted moderately, reaching #39 on the ARIA singles chart, and spending four weeks on the chart. [12]

Track listing

  1. "D.A.F." – 3:30 [13]
  2. "Blackfella/Whitefella"
  3. "Ibis"
  4. "Pogo Style"

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References

  1. 1 2 Angie Lawrence). "Make Mine A Double". Rave Magazine. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  2. ↑ "What does d.a.f. stand for?". The Powdefinger FAQ. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  3. ↑ "D.A.F." Songs. Hindley Site. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  4. 1 2 3 "An Interview with Bernard Fanning". Buzz: Mini Semper. Powderfinger Central. September 1996. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  5. ↑ Peter Blythe (29 October 1996). "I Is Not Me". Drum Media. Powderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  6. ↑ Simon Wooldridge (March 1997). "Out Of The Blue". Juice. Powwderfinger Central. Archived from the original on 19 February 2001. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Jonathan Lewis. "Doble Allergic > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  8. ↑ blueyxd (16 January 2005). "Powderfinger - Double Allergic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  9. ↑ "Double Allergic Review". Juice. Hindley Site. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  10. ↑ "History: Winners by Artist: Powderfinger". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  11. ↑ "Hottest 100 1996". History. Triple J. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  12. ↑ "Powderfinger - D.A.F." australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 2007-12-22.
  13. ↑ "d.a.f. by Powderfinger". Rate Your Music. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
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