Chords for Cold Chisel honoured at the 2016 APRA Music Awards

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[C] The legendary Cold Chisel figure in the lives of so many Australians, [D] because they embody
and articulate our [G] hopes, fears, [D] anger, alienation and [Bm] humour, and simply because they were [G] and
are one of the most feral and beautiful rock and [D] roll bands in the world.
_ Since blasting [A] onto the Australian music scene, [C] Cold Chisel have defined a uniquely [D] Australian
infusion of rockabilly, [F] metal and rough house soul and [Bb] blues, with piano player Don Walker's
tales of loners, [C] losers and lovers moving [Dm] across the country.
[N] The music's all about Australia, and the words, you know, place like Paramount or [C] Jail, and
Four Walls, you know, you can sort of feel Australia through their song. _
[Gm] Cold Chisel formed [G] in Adelaide in 1973, [Ab] and since then the punters [F] have been with them
all [Gm] the way.
_ _ [F] _ _
[Ab] The best band in [F] the world.
Chisel cut their teeth in the blood and guts of [C] Adelaide's suburban pubs, playing impassioned
hard rock covers while developing their original songs.
_ _ By 1975 they'd settled on their definitive line-up, Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Phil Small,
Steve Presswich and Don Walker.
[Em] And before long, [B] Adelaide couldn't contain [Gb] them.
They head out for the East Coast, building an army of loyal fans and a fierce reputation
for their [Em] blistering [B] live shows. _ _ _
[E] _ _ [F] Their self-titled debut album was released in 1978, with their first single, K-San, reaching
number 48 on the [C] Australian singles chart, in spite of an initial [G] ban on commercial radio.
[E] _ _ _ [Db] _ _ _ [G] Since then, K-San's become one of [Em] Cold Chisel's signature songs, and has often been referred
[D] to as Australia's unofficial national anthem.
[C] _
Their [Am] second album earned the [E] band its first [Am] platinum record, and contained classic [G] songs
such as Breakfast at Sweetheart's, Goodbye Astrid Goodbye and [A] Shipping Steal.
_ _ [C] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [Bb] East, Cold Chisel's third album, [Ab] was released in 1980, [Bm] reaching number two [Am] on the national
album charts, [C] and spending an incredible six [G] months in the top ten.
Featuring [Bb] songs written by each of the five band [Ab] members, East introduced us to the iconic
[C] hits Cheap Wine, Choir Girl,
_ _ My Baby [Dm] and Rising [Am] Sun, and it was the [A] biggest selling Australian album that year.
[B] _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [F] _ [A] In 1981, the band won seven of the [E] eight major awards [Em] at the Countdown Music Awards, and
literally brought the house down with an infamous scene-stealing live performance.
_ _ _ _ [A] The brilliant Circus Animals, released [B] in 1982, saw [Db] drummer Steve Preswich [E] deliver two
of the band's biggest songs, Forever [A] Now [B] and _ [E] _ _ When The War [A] Is Over.
_ _ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [C] But with crack [F] starting to [C] appear, Cold Chisel recorded the album 20th Century and announced
the [Cm] hugely successful Last Stand Farewell Tour, which culminated with five sold-out
nights at [C] the Sydney Entertainment [Eb] Centre. _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ [A] _ Then, solo careers were embarked on.
Jimmy Barnes [E] accumulated a record-breaking eight number one albums and [Ebm] countless [A] hit singles.
Ian [Gb] Moss had chart-topping ARIA award [B]-winning releases, [E] and Don Walker, an inductee of
the Australian Songwriters Hall of [A] Fame, recorded and [E] toured extensively, both as catfish and
solo, and then with Tex, Don and Charlie.
Throughout it all, the [A] legend of Cold Chisel only continued [B] to grow, with their songs becoming
[Gbm] staples of FM radio.
_ [Am] _
_ [Dm] _ [Am] After many [Bb] refusals, Cold Chisel [Dm] reformed in 1998 for [Bb] a sold-out national [Dm] tour and a
new number one [Bb] album, The Last Wave Of Summer.
[D] _ _
After 2003's Ringside Tour, in 2009, Chisel played a huge one-off performance to 50,000
people at Sydney's Olympic Park.
Then they [A] secretly started [G] recording a new album, [D] making plans to tour [A] again.
But in early [Dbm] 2011, they were dealt a massive blow with the sudden passing [Gb] of drummer Steve [D] Preswich.
With [G] Steve's last songs and [E] performances captured on tape, the band opted to [A] finish the album.
No plans for their first [G] new recordings in 14 years.
The album was a [A] critically acclaimed chart-topper, and their Lifer Nitro Tour was the biggest
ever by an Australian-based [B] band, playing to over 300,000 people.
[A] These experiences and emotions galvanised the [E] members of [B] Cold Chisel, and they've continued
to record and tour, [E]
most recently releasing their ninth studio album, The Perfect [B] Crime,
and [Bm] undertaking their mammoth one-night [A] stand tour late last year.
With accumulated sales of almost 7 million albums, and an unquenchable demand for concert
tickets, the Australian public continues to reaffirm its deep connection with the inimitable Cold Chisel. _ _
_ [D] _ The Ted Albert Award honours those who've had a significant and lasting impact on Australian music.
Tonight, we fittingly and proudly bestow this award on the explosive, poetic, and uniquely
Australian rock and roll band, Cold Chisel! _ _ _