Australian Crawl | Boys Light Up ( 1981 ) Reaction 

There wasn't a pub or backyard Barby that you wouldn't have this playing. Brings back so many memories. 👍

If you like Aussie Crawl, you’ll love their most beautiful ballad: Reckless! Australian Crawl was part of the soundtrack of growing up in Australia in the late 70s and 80s. The lead singer with the appalling diction is Mr James Reyne, who also had a decent career as a solo artist and an actor. (He played the bad guy guy on the iconic TV mini-series ‘Return to Eden’.) Seriously, check out ‘Reckless’… such a beautiful ballad. Very much a song of Sydney.

The golden era of Aussie pop / rock ( late 70s -mid 80s ) is a treasure trove of quality bands. AC DC / ROSE TATTOO / MIDNIGHT OIL / INXS / COLD CHISEL / THE ANGELS / DIVINYLS / MEN AT WORK / MONDO ROCK / ICEHOUSE / HOODOO GURUS / THE SWINGERS / AUSTRALIAN CRAWL / EUROGLIDERS / MENTAL AS ANYTHING / DRAGON / SPLIT ENZ / LITTLE HEROES / LITTLE RIVER BAND / AIR SUPPLY / RICHARD CLAPTON / THE MODELS / REAL LIFE / MI SEX Etc. a couple of them are New Zealand bands but were just as much a part of the Aussie music scene.

“Shout out for him having a normal haircut in 1981” 😂😂😂

Very iconic Aussie band of the 80s. One the best misheard\misunderstood lyrics ever...

Australian rock music had its own sound. You could always tell the difference between Aussie and American guitarists. Privilege to have grown up listening to one of our iconic bands 🥰

James was famous for his lack of diction. One of the local radio stations played part of a Aussie Crawl track and asked if anyone could decipher the words. James actually heard the broadcast and phoned in and admitted he had to get out the lyric sheets to see what he was singing!

Oooh - forgot Aussie Crawl’s absolute belter! If you can understand more than 50% of the lyrics from Beautiful People, you’re better than most of Australia!

"Reckless" and" Oh Errol", two of their best. They were an exciting band to see live in the days when Bands played at every Pub.

Aussie pub bands were the best back in the day.. chisel, acdc, the angels, Aussie crawl, inxs, Rose tatoo .. too many to mention . I'm glad you're getting to experience it for yourself

Wow this song reminds me of summer in the 80’s in the back seat of Mums Kingswood with all 5 kids packed in the car and this song blaring while we eat sunnyboys! Thanks for another great reaction, this song really doesn’t portray how beautiful James’ voice is, I love his song Reckless

this song is full of double entendre's like mothers kittle helper, strategically positioned before the midday show the back is arched those lips are parched repeated blow by blow, hopes are up for trousers down with the hostess on the business flight, boys light up australian crawl means a swimming stroke

Gotta pay attention to the lyrics with that one! The Boys Light Up Song by Australian Crawl Thumbnail image OverviewLyricsListen Let me tell you about my mountain home Where all the ladies names are Joan Where husband works back late at night Hopes are up for trousers down With hostess on a business flight Taxi in a Mercedes drive I hope that driver's coming out alive The garden it is dorsetted That lady she's so corseted She's got 15 ways to lead that boy astray He thinks he's one and only But that lovely she's so lonely She pumps him full of breakfast and she sends him on his way What a sing song dance What a performance What a cheap tent show Oh no no no no no Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Silently she opens the drawer Mother's little helper is coming out for more Strategically positioned before the midday show Her back is arched, those lips are parched Repeated blow by blow Later at the party all the MP's rave About the hummers she's been giving And the money that they save To her it is skin lotion For him promotion to That flat in surfers paradise with the ocean view What a sing song dance What a performance What a cheap ten show Oh no no no no no Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up, light up, light up Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up) Then the boys light up (then the boys light up)

James is still awesome to go see live, he can play a 2 hour set and every song has been a radio hit song. Between his solo and Aussie crawl albums, his song list is huge.

You would love Dynamic Hepnotics singing Soul Kind Of Feeling!

Thanks.. I asked you a while back if you had listened to them and you said no. I already recommended a few others but here are my recommendations, 1 Errol 2 oh No,not you again 3 Reckless

I’m 52, and these guys got me through my teens, love Aussie Crawl, and cried like a baby when Guy Donough died and when Brad Robinson did as well.

Midnight oil are another great Aussie band in this era, they sang about a lot of indigenous issues , so many great songs .... beds are burning is one and my fav blue sky mine :-)

Errol...same band...song about Errol Flynn the famous Australian actor in 60S

Since you're on an Aussie music trek, try some Goanna- Solid Rock, INXS - Never Tear Us Apart, Noiseworks - Touch or R.I.P. Millie, Diesel - Come to Me or Cry In Shame, Crowded House - Don't Dream it's Over or Into Temptation or Better Be Home Soon, Powderfinger - These Days or Sunsets, or really any of their songs. Skunkhour - Up to Our Necks in it, The Divinyls - Jealous. LOL, that should do you for a bit.

Epic Australian band. Lead singer James Reyne also has many great songs and solo albums after the band broke up. Unusual and unique voice and always sensational live in concert.

James Reyne the lead singer is still killing it. His voice is still fantastic. He is live streaming a gig this weekend in Melbourne, Australia at The Corner Hotel in Richmond.

James Reyne (lead singer here) and Daryl Braithwaite (whom you did a reaction to as well) combined to form a group called 'Company of Strangers', and their song 'Motor City' absolutely slaps. I heard it on the radio briefly in the shops a few years ago and it drove me crazy for months trying to figure our what it was. Searching for any lyric you think James is singing is basically impossible so eventually I just put on the oldies radio station on the drive to and from work, and about three weeks later, on it came, and by the end of the year it was #1 most played on spotify. Anyway

Aussie Crawl ? My god, I am surprised you reacted to them. Probably my favourite band circa 1980. Them, Mental as Anything and the Sports. I reckon their best album was Sirocco from 1981. They were very popular around the late 70's and early 80's.

Aah...memories! One of my favourite groups ...back when the pub scene was alive.

I’ve been diving deep into your reactions the last couple of days and I need to say thank you and your followers for showing such delight in the bands that I grew up with. I’m a Melbourne woman and saw James Reyne and Australian Crawl a few times as a teen. I could go to free and cheap gigs at pubs all over town. It’s not unusual to this day to be able to see 3 or more bands over a weekend. I have dozens of tiny, small and medium venues a short drive from my home in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, about an hour from the city. Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am.

Australian Crawl, another iconic Aussie band. James Reyne is an amazing entertainer, but maaaan no one could ever understand what he was singing 😂 he was the subject of many comedy sketches 😂 Shut Down is another great song of theirs. One of my favourite songs, thanks for reacting to it 😊

I love that YOU love all our music heroes. Sad that you never heard them before now. Im 57 and i grew up with them.

We have so much musical talent in this country we should be incredibly proud of it!

Check out Reckless by Aussie Crawl. Absolutely Legend-ary!

G'day from Australia. Thank you so much for broadening your musical horizons and reacting to these. The term "Australian Crawl" refers to the Aussie slang for the freestyle swim.

James Reyne is always like that. Don't know that he's drunk. That's just how he rolls. If you want to see some really weird moves check out Midnight Oil. Their lead singer, Peter Garrett, has a style all his own!🤣🤣

Saw the Crawl at the Ocean Grove Hotel in the early 80's legendary band, great times, when we were YOUNG. and reckless....that brings me to another classic from them, recommended, highly

Ill tell you what TSR I've found those guys a couple years ago and Why now not you again is the best one I've heard . They're a really good band or was. I run straight to my neighbors as soon as I saw you were reacting to them !!! And as far as I know you're the first one I have seen react to these guys . Australia has got take running everywhere 😂 Some of the best talent I've seen or heard !

Classic Aussie rock, killer..... if you want a true linguistic cultural experience look for The Angels - Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again (live in Melbourne 1988), you won't be disappointed.

You always surprise me Nic, didn't think you would like this iconic Aussie song but you totally did, love it

There was a music show on TV called Countdown that would showcase up and coming artists. Aussie Crawl's debut appearance on the show singing "Beautiful People" was made all the more memorable by James Reyne performing with both arms in plaster after having been hit by a car. As for his "normal" hair, it was 1981...James mulleted up real good as the decade progressed! 😂

Thanks for covering Australia ❤

Aaah 1981. That was the year I saw Aussie Crawl in my home town and was sitting in their ‘Lucky Seat’ in the theatre. So they gave me a surfboard. 🏄🏻‍♀️ I sold that and bought a new wardrobe of shiny disco clothes to hit the dance floor in. Thanks so much, Aussie Crawl. I still love you guys. 💚

You should listen to the Divynils. Chrissy Amphlett was the lead singer of this Aussie rock band. Sadly she passed away in 2013. The song “I touch myself “ was quite controversial for the time. She was famous for wearing school uniforms with stockings and suspenders.

Ohhh, those were the days. i was 19 in 1981, happy days. i went to see Australian Crawl on their last tour in the late 1980s the last wave i think the tour was called. You should react to the singer's solo stuff, I recommend "Fall of Rome" it's a blast.

Sadly a lot of Aussie Bands/Singers don't do well in America in fact Cold Chisel wrote a song called... You Got Nothing I want... regarding their experience there.

Errol..... like Errol Flynn. The first Aussie to take over Hollywood back in the Golden Era. Also a legendary pants man. 😆

So many legendary Aussie bands.... sooooo lucky to have grown up with all of them.

I had to comment on this.That line,"that flat in surfers paradise with the ocean views".Ive seen Aussie crawl about 5 times live in Surfers Paradise in the late 80s.Bombay rock baby.great memories.

Whithout a word of a lie i can tell you, I still listen to that song daily! Love your show dude..

Ah sometimes you forget how legendary Aussie pub rock is, love hearing it through new ears

Who else has memories of driving to the beach and cranking up this song on the radio with the wind blowing through your hair running your 4 x 80 air conditioner (4 windows x 80 kilometres per hour)? 😀 And let’s not forget another classic - The Choirboys “Run to Paradise” ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3hxYDqhy2Vc.html

Aww! Love that you loved it. It’s a iconic song here in Australia from a great Aussie Band. They were a huge part of my teenage years saw them with they came to town love all our Aussie band from the 70s and 80s pub rock ruled back then with live rock 🥰🇦🇺

America must have been the same in those times. Live performances were the thing. Concerts ,festivals, pubs. Live bands everywhere. I remember working in Karatha and everyone for 100s of miles around travelling to port hedland to see the Angels live for the weekend. There were so many outdoor concerts that were like australian mini versions of Woodstock. It was a great time to indulge in live music.

I love that you love this song. This is one of my favourites, growing up in Australia this was played on the radio almost daily, although I never picked up on the meaning behind the lyrics until I was a bit older. Beautiful People is also a groove (even if you can't understand half the lyrics.)

James Reyne is still performing as a solo performer. Other Australian Crawl hits included Errol, a tribute to an old Hollywood star called Errol Flynn, Beautiful People, and Reckless, which has a lot of specific Sydney references.

One of the best of Australia 🇦🇺 they used to play at our Pub💗💗💗🇦🇺👏👏👏💗

Aussie crawl was the first tape I ever bought in 1983 and I still love them

Hi Nick. I think we, in Australia 🇦🇺 were just happy doing our own thing. We have great music, great artists, great authors and so on. We have been having fun together on our island paradise .

One of my all time favourite bands bro!

A very underated band. Great talent on guitars too.

Thanks for the reaction and glad u enjoyed it. Aussie Crawl were a great band and saw them in Melbourne in a small club in early 80s. Huge night. Two unique songs of theirs are Reckless and Saturday Night. Now i have to go listen to them.

Australian Crawl with the gorgeous James Reyne up front every song is brilliant. James Reyne solo with Fall of Rome and One More River. As a band Reckless and Oh No Not You Again. I have seen Australian Crawl 8 times live and James Reyne solo 5. They are supreme

We couldn’t understand most of what they were saying, but we loved them anyway😉

What a treat to watch someone grooving and enjoying all this wonderful old music...we sure took music and live bands for granted in the 70s and 80s! How lucky were we?! Thanks Nic!

You are so groovy and it is great to see you liking one of our 80’s bands. They were truly beautiful. Please watch “ Oh no not you again” by Australian Crawl. You will love it. Pure sync and beauty.

Huge smile, love this song too.., thanks.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Didn't think you would watch Aussie Crawl after i recommended them in one of your Farnzy clips. Good stuff mate

I saw Crawl in Coffs Harbour, when they played this song, it seemed like an instant blue haze of smoke appeared over the crowd!

Great Aussie band, grew up loving them, thanks for the reaction, love your work👍

Now this brings back memories. Loved dancing to this and getting our groove on. Great reaction😁

G'day from Australia!❤️🌺 Awesome reaction, much appreciated brother! 👌

Keep playing that great Aussie music mate !!! 👍 Absolutely loving your reactions to our stuff.

Oh we loved them so much. Growing up with this music. Aussie music was superb then...

I was at University with James Reyne. We both studied Law. I went on to qualify as a lawyer and he became a rock God. But at least I can always say I knew him way back when

First band I ever saw live. Under age in a pub in 1981. This is part of my DNA. 😎👍

When I came to Australia from Scotland I didn't know this guy was speaking English. Took a lot of beers and a CD left behind from a party for me to realise. HE IS SPEAKING ENGLISH.

I grew up in Australian Crawl times. Best time for music, midnight oil, crowded house, Paul Kelly, cold chisel, inxs, AC/DC….. I could go on and on

1981 I met the lead singer James after a concert and we got down and dirty 😂😂😂😂 What a memory lmao

Absolutely loving your classic Oz rock reactions. An incredible genre with world class songs. Keep them coming, makes my day!!

This is a classic Aussie Song!!! glad you like it bro. I saw Aussie Crawl in the early ninetys. They were amazing!

So many cultural references in 70's and 80's Aussie songs. 'Strategically positioned before the midday show" was a reference to "The Midday show", which yes started at midday and was a long running chat show, strategically timed for nap time (so I was told by a friend's dad who worked in TV at the time). Stay at home mum's were the audience.

James Reyne on vocals n Brad Robinson on lead guitar , Simon Bnks on guitar, Guy McDonough on guitar, , Paul Williams on bass, John Watson on drums , David Reyne , James’s brother also played drums for a time

Just an FYI, in case it hasn't been mentioned yet.. the 'australian crawl' was what we called 'freestyle' (as in swimming) stroke.

LOVE YOUR REACTIONS !!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This band was named after a swimming stroke which is now called freestyle They were mostly school friends from Mornington Peninsula Victoria

Love that you love such an Aussie band. Full of local references to places and things.

We had some FABULOUS music in Australia!

If you want a great Aussie 70s band check out the Skyhooks, legends

Classic Australian band Australian crawl , takes me back ❤️

You're a great deal of fun to listen to. Which is what pop music claims to be about. Go brother.

Let's not forget one of the best things about Aussie Crawl was the razor-sharp lyrics

I’m 39. As a kid this was legitimately my FAVOURITE band. I don’t know why, I just love how James is someone who one minute is legible then other moments (Indisposed, Beautiful People) completely gibberish - to the point that their videos had to have subtitles hahaha 😝

Part of the soundtrack of my 20s, sweet,sweet memories ❤️❤️❤️

The way James Renye is singing is deliberate his manager wanted him to sing in a nervous style. This song is dig at the socialites in Toorak and South Yarra, Melbourne.

I love this amazing Aussie classic .

It’s actually pretty cool how countries had different pop music going on, really different flavours..

Australian Crawl were a huge band locally, but I don't think they made it in the US (or even tried, for that matter). They'd only been together for a couple of years in 1981, but they wrote some amazing songs. The mid-70s to mid-80s was an incredibly creative time in Aussie music. Band toured relentlessly and became very polished performers, whether or not they made it big overseas. James Reyne, the singer in Aussie Crawl, still performs solo today.

Oh man!! You just had to go and remind me how old I am didn't you Nick?? I'm loving your Aussie Music Adventure! I could recommend so may Aussie artists from Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly, INXS to SIA!! Also Guy Sebastian has a new song out to called Believer. Look forward to the next adventure. Stay Aamzing!!

Great Australian band should checkout, Daughters of the Northern Coast, Errol, Beautiful People so many oh The Party Boys featuring James Reyne the singer. They said it was about smoking a durrie but really 4.20. Great time to be going to pubs in Sydney I've still got the record and actually listened to it last week.

WE here in oz land who are getting towards 60 years old still jump up and sing along and dance Boys Light Up

Australian Crawl were an iconic Aussie Band

I had their song 'Oh No not you again ' stuck in my head the last few days

SOO cool to see you reacting to people we've grown up with and pretty well take for granted That would be the one and only James Reyne.... check out his song or their song Reckless...