Great songwriters can usually deliver something worthwhile under any circumstance. But if they’re pressured to come up with something on the spot, a creative logjam could ensue. John Oates endured something similar when he wrote with Iva Davies of the Australian band Icehouse.
The two men initially struggled to come up with anything workable when they collaborated. And then a pretty girl on a beach opened the floodgates on the biggest American hit in Icehouse’s career.
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Davies & Oates
John Oates was on a hiatus from his partnership with Daryl Hall when he found out Iva Davies was in a hotel in New York City. Oates was a fan of Davies’ band Icehouse, which, by the mid-80s, had established itself as hitmakers in their native country of Australia.
Oates called Davies up at the hotel and expressed his admiration for the band. He also floated the possibility of writing some songs together. Davies wasn’t used to working in that manner, which is why he tried to get out of it by explaining that he was due to return to Australia.
But Oates, perhaps sensing some kind of artistic chemistry, persisted, so Davies invited him to come to Australia on a little working vacation. But when Oates and Davies gathered together initially to try and write, they couldn’t come up with anything good. Davies suggested a quick trip to the beach to clear their heads.
An “Electric” Experience
While Davies headed out on the water to do some windsurfing, Oates lounged about checking out the scenery. Since it was a nude beach, some of that scenery included pretty girls. One of them caught Oates’ attention. In an effort to not seem rude, he locked onto the girl’s eyes, which he deemed to be “Electric Blue”.
He grabbed Davies and suggested that they write a song with that title. Soon, the two men were back inside sketching out the song. Oates immediately knew how the falsetto backing vocals would fit into the mix, and he’d eventually perform them once the song was recorded.
Because they only half-finished the song before Oates left, Davies wasn’t sure if it was anything special. But Oates insisted it was a hit, telling him he’d record it with Hall & Oates if Icehouse didn’t want it. The song made it to No. 7 in America for the band when released in 1987.
Behind the Lyrics of “Electric Blue”
“Electric Blue” builds the entire song around a pair of stunning peepers that completely enthrall the narrator. He wonders if falling for her is a wise move. “Are you gonna break his heart?” he asks. “Let him cry for the moon?”
Her beauty is such that it skews reality for him. “Oh, I had a dream,” he says. “For a moment I believed it was true.” Before the chorus, he tries to see the girl behind the distraction. “Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes?”
Icehouse actually showed life in the US with their previous single “Crazy”, which went to the Top 15 in ’87. But “Electric Blue” outdid that one and every other song in their long career. Good thing John Oates kept his own eyes on the prize when all seemed lost.
Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns