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“For
me, drinking is one of the great pleasures of life,” he explains. “A
glass of wine or two with dinner, the first beer after hard physical
work or sport, a dark ale and a whisky on a cold night….the beaded
bubbles winking at the brim of the glass on the surf club balcony
looking out over the sea… little buzz on.”
Kelly, being the exquisite songwriter that he is, has found subtle yet
resonant ways to use drinking as a gateway to explore human nature of
both the jovial social aspect as well as the darker and destructive
side. Breakup songs such as “No You” and “Stories of Me” aren’t mere “tears in my beers” weepers but are existential snapshots of someone losing their sense of self. “I Don’t Remember A Thing” conveys a blackout drunk’s tragic actions and “Sweet Guy”
delivers a harrowing account of domestic abuse from the POV of the
woman who is confused over her sweet guy’s polarized behavior.
Characters in “Gonna Be Good” and “King of Fool,” meanwhile, talk about cleaning up their acts, but they sound far from convincing.
Ranking as one of Australia’s most revered musicians, Paul Kelly holds the prestigious title of an Officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the arts as well as being inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. One of Drinking’s songs, “To Her Door,” ranked among the top 30 Most Australian songs of all time. Words & Music (1998), featuring stellar classics, “Nothing On My Mind” and “Tease Me,” earned him ARIA’s Male Artist of the Year honors. 2004’s Ways & Means (“Crying Shame”) and 2018’s Nature (“Seagulls of Seattle”) both won ARIA’s Best Adult Contemporary Album
awards. Ten other albums represented on this collection are part of
Kelly’s approximately 80 Australian music award nominations that he has
received during his career. paulkelly.com.au twitter.com/paulkelly
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