Throw Your Arms Around Me

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"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
ThrowYourArmsAroundMe.jpg
1984 single cover
Single by Hunters & Collectors
from the album Human Frailty
A-side "Throw Your Arms Around Me"
B-side "Unbeliever"
ReleasedNovember 1984
RecordedJohn & Paula's Hardware St. Studio, October 1984
Genre Australian rock
Length3:29
Label Mushroom
Songwriter(s) John Archer, Geoffrey Crosby, Douglas Falconer, Jack Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Michael Waters
Producer(s) Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors singles chronology
"Carry Me"
(1984)		"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
(1984)		"Say Goodbye"
(1986)

"Throw Your Arms Around Me" is a song by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors first released as a single in November 1984 by White Label for Mushroom Records. [1] A re-recorded version of the song later appeared on the band's 1986 album Human Frailty . Written by bass guitarist John Archer, keyboardist Geoffrey Crosby, drummer Douglas Falconer, trumpet player Jack Howard, recorder/mixing engineer Robert Miles, vocalist/lead guitarist Mark Seymour and trombone player Michael Waters. [2] [3] The song captures the intensity of sensual love at the same time portraying its fleeting nature with lyrics including "And we may never meet again, So shed your skin and let's get started".

Contents

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Throw Your Arms Around Me" was ranked number 19. [4]

Background

Hunters & Collectors had formed in 1981 with Mark Seymour (guitar, vocals), John Archer (bass guitar), Doug Falconer (drums) Geoff Crosby (keyboards), Greg Perano (percussion), Ray Tosti-Guerra (guitar), and Robert Miles, their sound engineer and art director. [1] Miles was credited as an equal part of the band's output and stayed with the band throughout their career. Tosti-Guerra was later replaced by Martin Lubran, then by Barry Palmer. Seymour is the older brother of bassist Nick Seymour of Crowded House. Hunters & Collectors signed to White Label, an offshoot of Mushroom Records, and by 1985 the line-up was Seymour, Archer, Falconer, Crosby and Miles with Jack Howard on trumpet and Michael Waters on trombone. They recorded the first version of "Throw Your Arms Around Me" for a single-only release in 1984, with "Unbeliever" as its B-side; all members were credited as the songs' writers. [2] [3] [5] A live version of "Throw Your Arms Around Me" appeared on their 1985 album The Way to Go Out . Their breakthrough commercial success in Australia came in 1986, with the release of the album Human Frailty , which featured another recording of the single "Throw Your Arms Around Me", as well as "Say Goodbye" and "Everything's on Fire". In 1990, a slower, more acoustically introspective version of the single was recorded and released from their compilation album Collected Works. The promotional video was a mosaic of all their previous videos.

Mark Seymour described writing for Human Frailty:

I was in a relationship with a woman I was very much in love with and she was the inspiration. I wrote virtually all the lyrics on Human Frailty about my relationship with her...Throw Your Arms Around Me was the first song I wrote that wasn't angry. And because it was so out of the square, we didn't record it particularly well...One time, we played it at The Palace, to about 2,000 people who just went off. We finally got it right, so we recorded it again. I think we did about four versions of it. [6]

— Mark Seymour

Cover versions

A shortened version was performed by Crowded House (a band whose members include Mark Seymour's brother Nick) at their Farewell to the World concert in 1996 and earlier was covered by the band on MTV Unplugged .

The song has been covered by Australian musical comedy act Tripod, famous for their work on the Triple J radio Australian network. The song was covered by Pearl Jam, with the lyric "I will kiss you in four places" changed to "I will kiss you in 155 places" by vocalist Eddie Vedder. Neil Finn attributes this change to Vedder's having heard one of Crowded House's many cover versions of the song before hearing the original. [7] Finn typically changes the number each time he performs it.

The comic trio Doug Anthony All Stars performed acoustic versions of this song at many of their performances. In 2007, Kate Ceberano recorded a version for her album Nine Lime Avenue .

Australian singer-songwriter Hopkinson released a version to radio in 2009 and Canadian musician Allison Crowe recorded the song for release on her 2010 album Spiral.

The song frequently was performed in concert by Canadian band Spirit of the West, [8] although they never released a studio cover.

In 2004, Original Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page recorded a version of the song on his album of the same name. In 2013, a cover version Vedder and Finn as a duo appeared on the tribute album Crucible – The Songs of Hunters & Collectors. [9]

A Spanish version of the song titled "Deja Caer Tus Brazos Sobre Mi" was released in 2019 by Melbourne based musician Damián Gaume in collaboration with bassist John Favaro (Mark Seymour and the Undertow), singer Piru Sáez, drummer Julián Isod (Ciro Y Los Persas) and Jack Gaume.

Phil "Swill" Odgers of the English band The Men They Couldn't Hang recorded and performed an acoustic version of the song during the first of his Facebook live "Sunday Sessions" on 26 April 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown. He included it on the CD The Best of Swill's Sunday Session 2020, Volume 1. During the spoken introduction he states "Mark Seymour even messaged me to say that it was ok to do this song - honestly - a couple of years ago."

Legacy

"Throw Your Arms Around Me" remained one of the more popular songs in Australia for years, being voted number 2, 2 and 4 on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1989, 1990 and 1991. Prior to 1992, songs from any year were eligible for inclusion in the hottest 100. It placed 2nd in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time in 1998. [10] In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Throw Your Arms Around Me" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. [3] [11]

Junkee noted, "Nobody that has witnessed this song being sung drunkenly in a pub by a hundred people, arms linked, can deny its hold over the Australian psyche." [12]

Track listing

All tracks written by John Archer, Geoffrey Crosby, Douglas Falconer, Jack Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour and Michael Waters, according to APRA. [2] [5]

  1. "Throw Your Arms Around Me" - 3:29
  2. "Unbeliever" - 5:19
"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
ThrowYourArmsAroundMe1986.jpg
1986 single cover
Single by Hunters & Collectors
from the album Human Frailty
A-side "Throw Your Arms Around Me"
B-side
  • "Who's on Left?"
  • "When the Truth Comes Out"
ReleasedApril 1986
RecordedAllan Easton's Studio, St Kilda, 1985
Genre Australian rock
Length3:52
Label Mushroom
Songwriter(s) John Archer, Geoffrey Crosby, Douglas Falconer, John Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Michael Waters
Producer(s) Gavin MacKillop, Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors singles chronology
"Say Goodbye"
(1986)		"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
(1986)		"Everything's on Fire"
(1986)

Charts

Chart (1984–86)Peak

position

Australia (Kent Music Report)34
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [13] 28
"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
Single by Hunters & Collectors
from the album Collected Works
B-side " Something to Believe In" / "When the Truth Comes Calling"
ReleasedNovember 1990
Recorded1989
Platinum Studios, Melbourne
Genre Australian rock
Label White/Mushroom
Songwriter(s) John Archer, Geoffrey Crosby, Douglas Falconer, John Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Michael Waters
Producer(s) Clive Martin, Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors singles chronology
"Love All Over Again"
(1990)		"Throw Your Arms Around Me"
(1990)		"Where Do You Go?"
(1991)

Personnel

Credited to: [1] Hunters & Collectors members

Recording details

Art works

Related Research Articles

Hunters & Collectors are an Australian rock band formed in 1981. Fronted by founding mainstay, singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk. Other mainstays are John Archer on bass guitar, Doug Falconer on drums and percussion. Soon after forming they were joined by Jack Howard on trumpet and keyboards, Jeremy Smith on French horn, guitars and keyboards, and Michael Waters on trombone and keyboards. Also acknowledged as a founder was engineer and art designer Robert Miles. Joining in 1988, Barry Palmer, on lead guitar, remained until they disbanded in 1998. The group reformed in 2013 with the 1998 line-up.

<i>Human Frailty</i> 1986 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Human Frailty is the fourth studio album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, which was released on 7 April 1986. It was a commercial and critical success. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 5 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. Four singles were issued from the album, "Say Goodbye", which reached No. 24 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart; "Throw Your Arms Around Me", No. 49; "Everything's on Fire", No. 78; and "Is There Anybody in There", which did not chart in Australia but did reach No. 41 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

<i>Ghost Nation</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Ghost Nation is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors. It was co-produced by the band with Clive Martin and issued on White/Mushroom Records on 27 November 1989. It reached No. 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart, No. 29 in New Zealand and No. 31 in Sweden.

<i>Cut</i> (Hunters and Collectors album) 1992 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Cut is the seventh studio album by the Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors. It was mostly produced by American Don Gehman with the group and issued by White Label/Mushroom on 5 October 1992. It reached No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 17 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The band were nominated for Best Group at the 1992 ARIA Music Awards and Album of the Year for Cut in the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Grail (Hunters & Collectors song)</span> 1993 single by Hunters & Collectors

"Holy Grail" is a song performed by the Australian band Hunters & Collectors on their 1992 album Cut. With lyrics referring to popular Holy Grail mythology, the song is an anthemic single inspired by Napoleon's march to Russia in 1812, but also referencing the Hunters and Collectors' flagging attempts to "crack" the American market.

<i>Juggernaut</i> (Hunters & Collectors album) 1998 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Juggernaut is the ninth and final studio album by Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors. The album, recorded in 1997, was co-produced by the group with Kalju Tonuma and Mark Opitz. It was released on 26 January 1998 on Mushroom's White Label. With its release, Hunters & Collectors announced they would disband after the Say Goodbye Tour – they gave their final performances in late March 1998. The album peaked at No. 36 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 48 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.

<i>Demon Flower</i> 1994 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Demon Flower is the eighth studio album by Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors and was released on 16 May 1994. It was co-produced by the band with Nick Mainsbridge, reaching No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association. It also peaked at No. 9 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.

<i>Whats a Few Men?</i> 1987 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

What's a Few Men? is the fifth studio album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, which was released on 16 November 1987. The album's title was drawn from Albert Facey's memoir A Fortunate Life. The album peaked at No. 16 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 9 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. It provided the singles, "Do You See What I See", issued in October 1987 and "Still Hangin' Round", in February the following year. "Do You See What I See" reached No. 33 in Australia while in New Zealand it became their highest charting single at No. 13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distant Sun</span> 1993 single by Crowded House

"Distant Sun" is a song by Australian band Crowded House. It was the first single released from the group's fourth studio album, Together Alone (1993). The song gave the band another top-20 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 19, but fell shy of the mark in Australia at number 23. It was also a top-five hit in Canada and New Zealand, reaching numbers four and five, respectively. In March 1994, a remixed version of "Distant Sun" was released in the United States, reaching number 26 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The regular mix was not released as a single in the US and was only available on the album.

<i>Spiral</i> (Allison Crowe album) 2010 studio album by Allison Crowe

Spiral, released in 2010 is the sixth studio album from musician Allison Crowe and the first to include strings and orchestration in addition to band elements. Tracks for this album were recorded in a range of locations across Canada and Europe, including Crowe's home-bases of Nanaimo, British Columbia and Corner Brook, Newfoundland as well as Vienna, Austria and on Salt Spring Island, Canada.

<i>Hunters & Collectors</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors is the self-titled debut studio album by Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors, which was released on 26 July 1982. It was produced by the band with Tony Cohen as audio engineer. The album peaked at No. 21 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 14 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The album's first single, "Talking to a Stranger", was released ahead of the album on 12 July, and was accompanied by a music video directed by film maker Richard Lowenstein, but it did not reach the Top 50 on the related singles chart.

<i>World of Stone</i> (EP) 1982 EP by Hunters & Collectors

World of Stone is the debut extended play by Australian rock music group, Hunters & Collectors, which was issued in January 1982. Mushroom Records had specifically started the White Label imprint for alternative artists when signing the group. World of Stone was co-produced by the group and Tony Cohen; and reached No. 50 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart.

<i>Payload</i> (EP) 1982 EP by Hunters & Collectors

Payload is the second extended play by Australian rock music group, Hunters & Collectors, which was issued on 29 November 1982. It was co-produced by the group and Mike Howlett; and reached No. 31 on the New Zealand Singles Chart but did not reach the top 100 in Australia. Its lead single, "Lumps of Lead", was also released in November but did not chart in either Australia or New Zealand despite a music video by film maker, Richard Lowenstein.

<i>The Jaws of Life</i> 1984 studio album by Hunters & Collectors

The Jaws of Life is the third studio album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors; it was released on 6 August 1984. It was co-produced by Konrad Plank and the band in Weilerswist, Germany. The album peaked at No. 89 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 37 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The only Australian single from the album, "The Slab" /"Carry Me", was released as a Double A sided single, in August but failed to chart on the Australian or New Zealand singles charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Goodbye (Hunters & Collectors song)</span> 1986 single by Hunters & Collectors

"Say Goodbye" was the lead single from Australian pub rockers, Hunters & Collectors' fourth studio album, Human Frailty. It was released ahead of the album on 17 February 1986 in both 7" and 12" formats. It peaked at No. 24 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart and No. 20 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. "Say Goodbye" was co-written by band members John Archer, Doug Falconer, Jack Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, and Michael Waters.

<i>Living Daylight</i> 1987 EP by Hunters & Collectors

Living Daylight is the third extended play by Australian rock music group, Hunters & Collectors, which was issued on 13 April 1987. It was co-produced by the group and Greg Edward; and reached No. 41 on the Australia Singles Chart and No. 25 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

<i>Collected Works</i> (Hunters & Collectors album) 1990 compilation album by Hunters & Collectors

Collected Works is the first compilation album by Australian rock group, Hunters & Collectors. It was issued on 19 November 1990 by Mushroom Records' White Label and includes material from their previous six studio albums as well as a re-recording of "Throw Your Arms Around Me", which was released as a single. The album peaked at No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 26 on the New Zealand Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything's on Fire</span> 1986 single by Hunters & Collectors

"Everything's on Fire" was the third single from Australian pub rockers, Hunters & Collectors' fourth studio album, Human Frailty. It was released after the album on 18 August 1986 in both 7" and 12" formats. It peaked in the top 100 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart and No. 44 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. "Everything's on Fire" was co-written by band members John Archer, Doug Falconer, Jack Howard, Robert Miles, Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, and Michael Waters.

"True Tears of Joy" was the fourth single from Australian pub rockers, Hunters & Collectors' seventh studio album, Cut. It was released after the album on 23 November 1992. It peaked at No. 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart – the highest-charting single of their career – and No. 47 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. "True Tears of Joy" was co-written by band members John Archer, Doug Falconer, Jack Howard, Robert Miles, Barry Palmer, Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, and Michael Waters.

<i>The Way to Go Out</i> 1985 live album by Hunters & Collectors

The Way to Go Out is a 1985 live album by Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, which was first released on 6 May 1985. It was recorded at Earl's Court in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda in two days on 24 and 25 August 1984, and reached No. 76 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 21 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. Six of the eight tracks were from their 1984 album The Jaws of Life, and "Throw Your Arms Around Me" had been released as a non-album single. "Follow Me No More" had not been released in Australia but had been part of the UK-only single "Carry Me" in 1984. Under the shortened title "Follow Me" it would become the B-side to their "Say Goodbye" single a year after The Way to Go Out was released.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Bamford, Alan. "Hunters and Collectors". Passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 ""Throw Your Arms Around Me" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 "APRA/AMCOS 2001 Top 30 Songs". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  4. ↑ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  5. 1 2 ""Unbeliever" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Jeff; Ian Meldrum (2007). "40 Great Australian Songs". Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 299–300. ISBN   978-1-921332-11-1 . Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  7. ↑ Farewell to the World band commentary track
  8. ↑ "On the Hip’s final tour, and enduring illness on stage". Maclean's , August 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Hunters & Collectors Crucible Tribute Album of the Week". Triple M. Southern Cross Austereo. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Hottest 100 of all Time". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 1998. Archived from the original on 4 March 2000. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  11. ↑ Kruger, Debbie (2 May 2001). "The songs that resonate through the years" (PDF). Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  12. ↑ Joseph Earp. "The 200 Greatest Australian Songs Of All Time, Part One". Junkee.
  13. ↑ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
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