Paul Kelly – To Her Door… and more

This extended from my last chat with CB… we had Graham Parker last week and Paul Kelly was brought up. I ran out of time last week to write this one up. I really like great storytellers…and Paul Kelly is one of them. His music touches on many styles. Country, rock, folk, reggae, bluegrass,  and touches of many more styles. He has been described as the poet laureate of Australian music. He writes about everyday life that many people can relate to. I’ve seen this stated about him… Paul Kelly’s songs dig deep into Australia: how it feels, looks, tastes, sounds.

Today I’m going to give you a small sample platter of this great artist. 

Here is a very short bio of Paul Kelly.

Paul Kelly was born in 1955 is from Adelaide, Australia. Debuted in Hobart, Australia, 1974; moved to Melbourne and performed in pubs, 1976; formed band the Dots, released albums Talk, 1981, and Manila, 1982; moved to Sydney, 1984; released Post with Steve Connolly and Ian Rilen, 1985; formed as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released Gossip, 1986; regrouped as Paul Kelly and the Messengers, released Gossip in the U.S., followed by Under the Sun, 1987; published collected writings volume Lyrics, 1993; formed new lineup with Shane O’Mara, Bruce Haymes, Peter Luscombe, Stephen Hadley, and Spencer Jones. Kelly is still releasing albums. His last album was Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train released in 2021. Altogether he had 28 studio albums, 6 live albums, 8 compilation albums, and an incredible 64 singles.

He also comments on important social and historical events and their significance to Australian identity and life. Several of his songs highlight the plight of Australia’s Indigenous people including ‘Maralinga (Rainy Land)’, a song about atomic testing by the British in Australia’s outback and its effects on the Indigenous people of that area. He and Midnight Oil were some of the artists who contributed to the album  Building Bridges – Australia Has A Black History. All sales proceeds were donated to the National Coalition of Aboriginal Organisations.

The first song I listened to by Paul Kelly was “To Her Door.” It reminded me of Steve Earle or Springsteen. Not because of his voice but because of the songwriting. The story…the way lyrics flow and ebb and fit together like a puzzle. All the while this is going on the music has great dynamics that rise up to meet the lyrics head-on and punctuates it. The song was released in 1987 and was on the album Under The Sun that peaked at #14 in Australia. 

That album also produced the single Dumb Things. This song has a shuffle that jumps. It starts off with a cool harmonica blasting and invites you in. This character-driven song stuck with me for days. This one peaked at #36 in Australia and #17 on the Billboard Alternative Charts in 1987.

Now it’s time for a pure rock song by Kelly called Darling It Hurts. This song was off of the album Gossip released in 1986. The song peaked at #25 in Australia and #19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts. 

This one is called Bradman and it’s off of Gossip as well. It has a sports connection. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Cricket but the song is great. It’s about Sir Donald Bradman, arguably…. the greatest ever cricketer (and definitely the greatest ever Australian cricketer). This one peaked at #51 in Australia and was part of a double A-sided single along with the song Leaps and Bounds. 

I’m going to close this on this song or I could go on for pages. This song is called Careless. It was released in 1989 on the album So Much Water So Close to Home. It’s an incredibly catchy song but a song that means something. Like a mixture in a bottle, like a frozen over lake, Like a long-time, painted smile I got so hard I had to crack, You were there, you held the line, you’re the one that brought me back

If you liked what you have heard…do some homework and look this artist up…you won’t be sorry. He will now remain on my playlist. I’ve given you a few samples but it’s so much more to explore. 

Rock Critic David Fricke: “I have had the pleasure and privilege of seeing Paul Kelly in performance more times than I can count – although it’s still not enough. I’ve seen him in performance in the Northeast and Southwest Hemispheres, unplug and plugged in, solo, with his band and, on one memorable evening in New York, on stage exchanging songs, quips and composing tips with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Michelle Shocked and Allen Toussaint. If memory serves me right, Paul actually sang a few bars of Fats Domino’s‘Blueberry Hill’ one thanksgivings back in the mid 80s at my apartment in Manhattan as he pored over a road atlas- his forefinger on the city of New Orleans – and excitedly pointed out the route he was taking on a car trip through the southern United States”

Now here is one for the road…this song’s title appealed me right away… “How to Make Gravy.”

How To Make Gravy

Hello Dan, it’s Joe here
I hope you’re keeping well
It’s the 21st of December
And now they’re ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour
I’ll be out of here by July
Won’t you kiss my kids on Christmas Day?
Please don’t let ’em cry for me

I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella’s flying in from the coast
They say it’s gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won’t stop the roast
Who’s gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won’t taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don’t forget a dollop of tomato sauce
For sweetness and that extra tang

And give my love to Angus, and to Frank and Dolly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I’ll be thinking of her
Early Christmas morning when I’m standing in line

I hear Mary’s got a new boyfriend
I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one? What was his name again?
Ahh, just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I’m even gonna miss Roger
‘Cause there’s sure as hell no one in here I want to fight

Oh, praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I’m really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You’ll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back

And you’ll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don’t hold her too close
Oh, brother, please don’t stab me in the back
I didn’t mean to say that, it’s just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact

You know I love her badly, she’s the one to save me
I’m gonna make some gravy, I’m gonna taste the fat
Ahh, tell her that I’m sorry, yeah, I love her badly
Tell ’em all I’m sorry, and kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I’ll be making gravy
I’ll be making plenty, I’m gonna pay ’em all back

Yeah, do-do-do-do, do-do
Do-do-do-do, do-do

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

31 thoughts on “Paul Kelly – To Her Door… and more”

  1. I sampled the songs, and he’s the real deal for sure. The lyrics draw you in to the story, and the instrumentation sounds low-tech and high-quality. This is consistently good music I could have playing while I sew or work around the house.

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  3. Hey Max. I was looking forward to this. Great expose in the music legend that is Paul Kelly. The Bradman story is cool. Bradman finished with a batting average of 99.94. I believe if he got just one run in his last ‘at bat’ he would have exceeded a ‘100’ batting average. If a batter in cricket has a 50 average that is considered exceptional. One of Australia’s greatest sportspersons, if not the greatest. Cheers buddy.

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    1. I was going to ask you about the Cricket part…I triple checked it to see… So 50 is close to what batting .300 is in baseball? Is that fair?
      I love the music I’ve listened to so far.

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      1. I think it’s a hard comparison to make and I’m far from knowledgeable about baseball. My guesstimate is I would consider ’99’ close to 0.400 in baseball. The next best would have been high 0.200 or bordering on 0.300. Bradman had 99.9 average, the next 4 best in history were in low 60’s. It’s a pretty remarkable record.

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    1. Some great stuff Dave…his writing reminds me of Ray Davies a little also becasue of the story telling

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  6. The other cricket song I know is by the Kinks. Paul Kelly shrinks the globe for me. I’ve learned about his homeland from his perspective which is a lot like Bruce and the States, The Kinks, The Who and the UK. We are kind of a like. Like Paul I’ve done a lot of dumb things. Kelly can rock out but he has a way to weave a story and move you at the same time. I have also had the pleasure of seeing him and he did not disappoint. You are in for a wealth of good listening Max if he’s grabbed you. Up there as a favorite for me. Good piece Max.

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    1. Thanks CB! Yes I just mentioned Ray Davies to someone else also. Some great songs I found by him… more than what I posted…I just posted a few to keep it brief.

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      2. I was more nervous about this one CB…because of the total lack of knowledge and what websites to believe but it turned out better than I thought. His music though was a no brainer…that I knew was great.

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  8. Damn, Max, I guess this has also happened to you before. Sometimes all you need to know that you’re gonna love an artist who is new to you are a few bars of a song. Well, I guess this is what just happened to me with Paul Kelly!

    The funny thing is when I saw the headline of your post, I thought, ‘yeah, Paul Kelly, I heard that name before.’ But once I started reading your mini bio I was a bit puzzled to realize that none of it sounded familiar.

    So, yes, Paul Kelly is all new to me and he sounds awesome – yet another artist to add to my seemingly ever-growing “to explore further” pile!

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    1. Thanks Christian… I’m glad you liked him. Yes it happened to me with Kelly….the same thing!
      He is new to me and once again….CB comes through. So far he is batting a 1000

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      1. I checked out part of his debut album and currently listening to a greatest hits compilation that came out in Sep 2011. I can’t believe Paul Kelly hasn’t gotten any traction in the U.S.!

        He has great songs, some of which are reminiscent of Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and the Byrds. If you had told me he’s an American artist, I would have believed you!

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      2. That is me also…I don’t know why he hasn’t made it. He does have that heartland sound to him….and those story songs.

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  11. Kelly’s name is familiar to me, as I’ve perhaps read a post about him on another blog in the past, but I was not very familiar with his music. But I’ve listened to all the songs you included, and he’s great.

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