Thought I would cover Paul Kelly today with this rock song Darling It Hurts. I’m starting to know his music more and more now. His Christmas song How To Make Gravy has been on my list since 2022. With this song, yes, I love that guitar, but that organ is what hooked me on this one. He kept the organ right below the surface, and it fits. Below is a quick rundown of Paul.
Paul Kelly was born in Adelaide, Australia, and began performing in Hobart in 1974. By 1976, he had relocated to Melbourne, working the pub circuit before forming the Dots, who released Talk (1981) and Manila (1982). He moved to Sydney in 1984 and, alongside Steve Connolly and Ian Rilen, released Post in 1985. The following year, he formed Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls and released Gossip (1986). The band later regrouped as Paul Kelly and the Messengers, issuing Gossip in the United States and following it with Under the Sun in 1987.
In 1993, Kelly published Lyrics, a collection of his songwriting, and continued evolving his sound with a new lineup that included Shane O’Mara, Bruce Haymes, Peter Luscombe, Stephen Hadley, and Spencer Jones. He has remained consistently active, continuing to record and release new material. His most recent album, Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train, arrived in 2021. Over the course of his career, Kelly has released 28 studio albums, along with 6 live albums, 8 compilations, and 64 singles.
This song was off his album Gossip, released in 1986. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. The album peaked at #15 in Australia and #34 in New Zealand. The album was in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.
This link will take you to a live version that YouTube would not let me embed.
Darling It Hurts
I see you standing on the corner with your dress so highAnd all the cars slow down as they go driving byThought you said you had some place to goWhat you doing up here putting it all on show?Darling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonight
Do you remember Darling how we laughed and criedWe said we’d be together till the day we dieHow could something so good turn so bad?I’d do it all again ‘coz you’re the best I’ve ever hadDarling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonight
See that man with the glad handsI want to kill him but it wouldn’t be rightNow here comes another man with the glad bagsI want to break him but it’s not my fightIn one hand and out the otherBaby I don’t even know why you botherDarling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonight
I see you standing on the corner with your dress so highAnd all the cars slow down as they go driving byIn one hand and out the otherBaby I don’t even know why you botherDarling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonightDarling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonightDarling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonight
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My favorite song of his. Thanks for covering it.
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Got a good hook to it. Given the time and the success of INXS, Men at Work and Midnight Oil over here, it’s a little surprising he didn’t get known at least a little more on our side of the Pacific
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He used to tour with Midnight Oil so yea he should have been known more…he is huge over there. A really good songwriter. Also I agree with Jim…this song has that early Beatle energy.
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Nice music, Max and it is new to me, but it did remind me of the early Beatles as it had that kind of energy in it.
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You know…I didn’t think of that at first but I hear it now…you are right.
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Paul and the boys rock out. Back to the beginning with this one Max. I like everything about this song. Love the way it ends, Paul has good words and this band he had was dynamite. I just might press repeat.
“I want kill him but it wouldn’t be right”
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Gotta love that lyric! I’ve been listening to him and I just flipped a coin on the song…there are so many great ones. I love the energy in this one.
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Yes he’s my kind of wordsmith. I’ve been listening to some completely different music so this woke me up. “Flip a coin’ cant lose with this guy.
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Pretty sure he’s had a couple more albums recently? He has a wealth of great songs, but you picked one of his strongest.
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He could have…I wrote some of this 2 years ago. He has some really good songs.
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This song is firing on all cylinders. The organ does add a certain something to the mix, esp the solo. For some reason I’m thinking Chris Isaak on a few of his rockers. I love that repeat line. Quite a narrative.
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Jim mentioned the energy of it reminded him of the early Beatles…after relistening…I can hear that as well… but yea I see the Chris Isaak link
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p.s. “To Her Door” auto-played after this one. Another good one. People who’ve lived the life know how to write the lyrics.
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I get a ? And The Mysterians/96 Tears feel from this- obviously the organ. Yes, I too like those lyrics- ‘Darling/down Darlinghurst tonight.’
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I figured you would know this guy more than some. Oh yea…I like his lyrics throughout.
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He’s been around for years. If he was based in the US I’d say he’d be far more well known.
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Yea I agree….he should be known…a productive and quality artist.
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