Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again
| "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Angels | ||||
| from the album The Angels | ||||
| B-side | "Round We Go" | |||
| Released | 1 March 1976[1] | |||
| Genre | Pub rock[2] | |||
| Length | 3:12 (single version) 4:03 (album version)[1] | |||
| Label | Albert, Mushroom | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| The Angels singles chronology | ||||
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| ISWC T-901.067.910-4[3] | ||||
| "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (live)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Angels | ||||
| from the album Live Line | ||||
| Released | January 1988 | |||
| Label | Albert, Mushroom | |||
| The Angels singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" is an Australian rock song written by Doc Neeson, John Brewster and Rick Brewster,[4] and performed by their group, the Angels.[5][6] The song was initially recorded as a ballad in March 1976 but subsequently re-released as a rock song. The song reached number 58 on the Australian charts and stayed on the charts for nineteen weeks.
A live single was released in January 1988 as the lead single from Live Line. The live version features the expletive-laden audience response, "No Way, Get Fucked, Fuck Off".[7] This chant has been described by The Guardian's Darryl Mason as "one of the most famous in Australian rock history".[8] The single peaked at number 11 on the Kent Music Report.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" was ranked number 11.[9]
History
[edit]Neeson said that the song was originally written as an acoustic ballad about grief and loss. The girlfriend of Neeson's friend was killed in a motorcycle collision, and the two friends were discussing life after death. The conversation inspired Neeson to write the lyrics. References to subjects like Santa Fe and Renoir came from Neeson's own experiences.[10]
After British band Status Quo discovered numerous similarities between the song and one of their own ("Lonely Night"), the two bands reached an agreement in lieu of a lawsuit that saw Status Quo receive royalties from "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again".[11] Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster was friends with members of the Angels at the time of the incident, and lived next door to John Brewster. In 2015, Brewster recounted having asked Neeson whether the song could've been based on "Lonely Night" and recalls a non-committal response: "I might have heard it at a disco".
Call and response
[edit]Band: Am I ever gonna see your face again?
Audience: No way! Get fucked! Fuck off!
The famous response to the question posed in the chorus "Am I ever gonna see your face again?" is "No way, get fucked, fuck off".[7] The response was not developed by the band.[12][7] Neeson recalled that he first heard the response at Mount Isa in 1983 and was "a bit shocked."[13] Thinking it was a criticism of the band, he asked audience members about it. They responded that the chant had its origins at a blue light disco in Sydney where the DJ would turn down the volume to encourage the audience response. The discos were a community initiative for teenagers by the police.[8][7]
Although it is a famous audience chant in Australian rock music history, the exact origins of it are lost.[14] In May 2014 Rick Brewster opined, "I don't think it will ever be solved because too many people put their hand up and said 'I started it' and we don't believe any of it. We just think it's funny, it's the bush telegraph really. The whole country was doing it and then we found when we went overseas the people in America were doing it too."[13] Neeson noted that "it's become the audience's song, it doesn't belong to the band anymore".[10]
The song and its response have become an iconic part of Australian culture, such that the song may be played by any band anywhere in Australia with the chant sung by whatever crowds are present.[12][13]
In 1999, Neeson performed the song during a "Tour of Duty concert” for Australian troops in East Timor. The audience responded with the chant while Australia's then commander of the INTERFET forces in East Timor, Peter Cosgrove, East Timorese spokesman Jose Ramos Horta and Roman Catholic Bishop Belo were in attendance. When asked by Bishop Belo what the crowd was singing, Cosgrove responded "Well Lord Bishop I really can't quite make it out," adding in a retelling of the story, "Then Ramos Horta looked at me and I could tell that he could make it out!"[15]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" | Doc Neeson, John Brewster, Rick Brewster | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Round We Go" | Doc Neeson, John Brewster, Rick Brewster | 5:28 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" (live) | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Shoot It Up" | 3:55 |
Personnel
[edit]The Angels
- Chris Bailey – bass guitar
- Buzz Bidstrup – drums
- John Brewster – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Rick Brewster – lead guitar
- Doc Neeson – lead vocals
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] | 58 |
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] | 11 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "THE ANGELS - AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ Gawne, Holley (17 October 2021). "Check out 14 of the most iconic Aussie pub rock songs". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ "AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN". iswcnet.cisac.org. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ The Angels - Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again at 45cat
- ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Angels'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 3 August 2004.
- ^ "'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 January 2017. Note: For additional information user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' or 'Performer:'
- ^ a b c d Cashmere, Paul (30 October 2008). "The Search Is on to Find Who Came Up with the Angels Famous Chant". News. undercover.fm. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
'I was a bit shocked the first time. I didn't know why we were being told to fuck off,' Doc said. 'After the show I jumped down into the audience and asked a guy why he was telling me to fuck off. He said they were singing along to the song with the chant that started at a Blue Light disco. The DJ would stop the song and the crowd would sing the chant'.
- ^ a b Mason, Darryl (15 April 2014). "Australian anthems: the Angels – Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ a b Davies, Nathan (4 June 2014). "Doc Neeson tells sad tale of an Angels classic from his hospital bed". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "The Angels: "What happened was sad and stupid"". 30 May 2015.
- ^ a b Knox, David (23 September 2008). "Airdate: No Way, Get F*#ked, F*#k Off!". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ a b c Barnes, Candice (13 May 2014). "The Angels: Am I ever gonna see this rock mystery solved?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ "Episode 4: Berserk Warriors 1973-1981". Long Way to the Top. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 5 September 2001. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ Cheshire, Ben (27 April 2014). "Australian rock legend Doc Neeson's bittersweet personal story". ABC News. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. p. 17-18. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts