Reckless (Australian Crawl song)

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"Reckless (Don't Be So)"
Single by Australian Crawl
from the album Semantics
Released19 September 1983[1]
RecordedRhinoceros Studios (Sydney)
GenreRock
Length5:23
LabelEMI, Geffen
Songwriter(s)James Reyne
Producer(s)Mark Opitz
Australian Crawl singles chronology
"Runaway Girls"
(1982) 		"Reckless (Don't Be So)"
(1983) 		"Louie Louie"
(1984)

"Reckless"[2] (aka "Reckless (Don't Be So)", "Reckless (Don't You Be So)", "She Don't Like That") is a 1983 song from the EP Semantics by Australian band Australian Crawl. The song showed a change in the line up of the band as drummer Bill McDonough was temporarily replaced by Graham Bidstrup (also on keyboards).[3][4] After the EP was released, Bidstrup was replaced by John Watson (drums).[3][4]

The EP Semantics charted on the Australian Singles Charts to reach #1 and consequently some sources list "Reckless" as a #1 single.[5][6] It was written by lead singer and guitarist James Reyne.[2] Listeners of Triple M voted "Reckless" the 39th best song of all time in 2007; it was the highest placed Australian Crawl song.[7]

The song's lyrics refer to locations in Sydney such as Manly and Circular Quay.

In Europe (including the United Kingdom) "Reckless" was released by Geffen Records as a single backed with "White Limbo"; it was also a track on the 1984 expanded LP version of Semantics.[3][8]

Australian Crawl performed "Reckless" as one of their three songs for the Oz for Africa concert (1985). This was the Australian leg of the global Live Aid show organised by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof. The "Oz for Africa" concert was broadcast on MTV, but only performances by Australian band INXS were placed on the 20th Anniversary DVD collection.[9]

Cover versions[edit]

Fellow Australian artists Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls performed "Reckless" for their 1988 double single EP release of Dumb Things, it was later credited to Paul Kelly and the Messengers for the 1992 CD Hidden Things.[10]

During his solo career, Reyne recorded a different version of "Reckless" for Electric Digger Dandy (aka Any Day Above Ground) in 1991. He still performs the song during live concerts.[8]

John Farnham covered the song for his 2005 covers album I Remember When I Was Young, he also covered the Crawl's song "Downhearted".[11]

Melbourne-based DJs / producers, Smash N Grab, released "She Don't Like That" in 2005 with re-recorded vocals by James Reyne. The CD single had three versions: a radio edit, an extended edit and a club mix.[12]

Misheard lyric[edit]

Readers of lyrics websites have suggested the line in the song about "A Russian sub beneath the Arctic" is a mondegreen in which "sub" has often been transcribed wrongly as "sun".[13][better source needed]

Track listing[edit]

European Single

  1. "Reckless (Don't You Be So)" (James Reyne) - 5:23
  2. "White Limbo" (Simon Binks) - 4:03

Personnel[edit]

Australian Crawl[edit]

Additional credits[edit]

  • Andrew Thompson — saxophone
  • Rosemary Westbrook — double bass on "Reckless"
  • Engineer — David Nicholas
  • Producer — Mark Opitz

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

Weekyl chart performance for "Reckless"
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] 1

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Reckless"
Chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[15] 12

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kent Music Report No 482 – 19 September 1983 > Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 27 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  2. ^ a b "APRA". APRA. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  3. ^ a b c McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (doc). Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  4. ^ a b Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; Draper, Oliver; McDonough, Bill. "Australian Crawl". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  6. ^ Baker, Glenn A. (1983). "Phalanx liner notes". Axel Husfeldt. Archived from the original on 29 July 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  7. ^ "Triple M's Essential 2007 Countdown". Triple M. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Zentrum Mensch-Maschine-Systeme". Axel Husfeldt. 9 July 1999. Archived from the original on 29 July 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  9. ^ "Oz For Africa". Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  10. ^ Hogan, David (13 December 2004). "More great rarities of Oz Rock released". National Film and Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  11. ^ "John Farnham's official website entry on I Remember When I Was Young". johnfarnham.com. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  12. ^ ""She Don't Like That" Smash N Grab release". central station. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  13. ^ "Australian Crawl – Reckless". Song Meanings. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 21. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  16. ^ "International Dateline" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 February 1984. p. 18. Retrieved 8 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
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