MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Boys in Town

Boys in Town

posted 22 days ago by KiwiJim (1176)
7 replies | jump to latest

I assume this song would be largely unknown to those in the Northern Hemisphere, the Divinyls only made ripples up there with I Touch Myself a few years after this. So I’d be interested to hear what you guys think of this, my favourite track of theirs:

https://youtu.be/WnOXYcO4zjg?si=6WJbSpeNFgChL7oz

Personally I find it electrifying. To this day those crashing guitars and Chrissy Amphlett’s tortured howl just stir something in me. Also, the subject matter is unique, the tale of a young girl who is trying to escape a small town where she’s sleeping around, looking for validation but yearning for a real human connection. Just great stuff.

Would love to hear other’s thoughts on this punk rock masterpiece.

[–] AndyKing1967 (38068) 22 days ago

It reminded me of early 80s Pat Benatar - a solid 7/10.

[–] KiwiJim (1176) 22 days ago

Yeah it was released in 81 so it’s of the same era.

I was shattered when Chrissy passed away in 2013. She was a true legend of Aussie rock.

[–] fourlemons (1649) 22 days ago

You're right, I did not already know this song and I'm glad you shared it. As you guessed, I only knew I Touch Myself.

I liked the song, but I think what I actually liked best were the lyrics. Sometimes if a lyricist is gifted enough they can keep the words simple and still have a deep impact. This is an example of that. I agree with Andy that her voice reminds me of Pat Benatar.

Great song! Feel free to share more from down under.

[–] KiwiJim (1176) 22 days ago

Absolutely, the lyrics make it for me too. It was quite bold and shocking back then for a woman to be writing and singing about being promiscuous and the anguish that causes. Also she was a wild performer with the school girl uniform and outrageous stage antics, a true original.

So glad you liked it!

[–] KiwiJim (1176) 22 days ago

And since you requested more, here’s my other favourite Divinyls song:

https://youtu.be/5boYiMktOvs?si=V6le6TwajlocS03A

God they were good!

[–] fourlemons (1649) 22 days ago

Thank you for sending! They had a great sound. I'm honestly surprised they weren't bigger here.

[–] KiwiJim (1176) 22 days ago

Yeah, me too. Although there’s a long list of Aussie and Kiwi groups and artists that were huge down here but never broke the international market. I think if streaming and social media had been around it would have been a completely different story. International exposure is so much easier for global artists these days.