When the River Runs Dry

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"When the River Runs Dry"
Single by Hunters & Collectors
from the album Ghost Nation
ReleasedSeptember 1989
Genre Rock, pub rock
Length5:02
Label White/Mushroom, Festival
Songwriter(s) Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard
Producer(s) Gavin MacKillop, Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors singles chronology
"Back on the Breadline"
(1988)		"When the River Runs Dry"
(1989)		"Blind Eye"
(1990)

"When the River Runs Dry" is the first single from the Australian pub rock band Hunters & Collectors' sixth album, Ghost Nation . The single was released on 25 September 1989. The song peaked at number 23 in Australia and number 41 in New Zealand. [1] The band performed the song on Late Night With David Letterman in 1990. [2]

Contents

Background

Lead singer Mark Seymour stated the song was about middle class excess, the end of the world, rampant greed and the decline of western civilisation. The music video loosely investigated the encroaching effect of surveillance on daily life, but was accompanied with images of very attractive women engaged in a range of activities, from drinking champagne to hanging out clothes on a Hills hoist. [3]

Track listing

7" version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When the River Runs Dry" (edit) Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard3:34
2."Two Roads"Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard3:19

All tracks are written by Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard

12" version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When the River Runs Dry"Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard5:02
2."The Price of Freedom"Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard 
3."Wishing Well"Mark Seymour, John Archer, Doug Falconer, Robert Miles, Jeremy Smith, Michael Waters, John Howard 

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [4] 23
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [5] 41

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References

  1. ↑ "HUNTERS & COLLECTORS - WHEN THE RIVER RUNS DRY (SONG)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "H&C's on Letterman Show 1990 When The River Runs Dry". Youtube com. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS – WHEN THE RIVER RUNS DRY". humanfrailty.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Hunters and Collectors – When The River Runs Dry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Charts.nz – Hunters and Collectors – When The River Runs Dry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
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