In my home country of Germany, Air Supply never really made a splash. Their only charting song was Making Love Out of Nothing at All, which peaked at number 57—a feat likely achieved only because Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler were popular at the time and the song fit the prevailing style. Incidentally, their second and final entry on the German singles chart was Sleigh Ride in 2022. For whatever reason, it is Air Supply's version that has made it onto major Christmas streaming playlists; consequently, Sleigh Ride has appeared in the official top 100 three times over the past four years, and hopefully, it will make the cut again this year.
For a long time, Air Supply passed me by. I knew the name but not really their repertoire. I have The Orville to thank for introducing me to Air Supply, because Scott Grimes—who already holds a special place in my heart because I like his Richard Carpenter produced debut album—performed Air Supply's Goodbye on the show.
That’s how I got into Air Supply—starting with a best of collection, then the regular albums; though I am missing their Australian albums (even though I know the singles from that era on one of their many best of albums) and everything from Yours Truly onwards on CD. So, I’m not as familiar with their last three albums as I am with the ones before them.
I do like many of Air Supply's hits—Two Less Lonely People in the World really appealed to me from the poll—yet strangely enough, I don't care all that much for their most popular song, All Out of Love. Chances, from the Lost in Love album, might well be my absolute favorite; I don't understand why it wasn't released as a single, though oddly enough, it does appear on a few best of albums.
Looking back, I feel that things went downhill for Air Supply starting in 1985. There is nothing wrong with Just as I Am and Lonely Is the Night as lead singles, yet at the same time, something is missing. The albums from the 1990s are quite remarkable compared to what came before. Everything sounds freer.
I find your favorite songs very interesting—especially your admission of having a weakness for ear candy—because this highlights once again that English is a foreign language for me. While songs in my native language can win me over with their lyrics, I unfortunately lack that connection when it comes to English. I just listened to all the songs again (and recognized every one of them except I'll Find You), and I’m a bit sad that the very thing that makes them special—their poetic and deceptively clever lyrics—doesn't really resonate with me due to the language barrier. With your knowledge and dedication to the band, you would certainly be a welcome member of the Air Supply fan club—unless, of course, you’re already active there.
How great that you were lucky enough to see Air Supply live! They seem to still be touring actively and have plenty of fans who want to see them live. If my research is correct, Air Supply performed live in Germany only once and that was only a few years ago, at a large Berlin hotel. This shows that Germany has never been a significant market for Air Supply.
"Goodbye"..yes. I forgot about that one. I really liked the live version that was on "Greatest Hits Live, Now And Forever". In fact, I heard that version before the studio, and for some reason, I think I prefer the live take. It may just be because I heard it first, but the album version seems a little restrained to me, a little sterile, but again, had I heard it first, maybe I would prefer it.
Count me in on "All Out Of Love".. I have never understood the appeal, but obviously, there were 'several' that felt otherwise. Had I been the record label, I don't know that I would have heard that song, and thought it was going to be a hit single. I don't know if it would have been one of my choices, but again..Clive Davis must have known what he was doing. I don't want to put the song down too much because I know there are people here who really appreciate it, and probably wonder how I came up with my favorites..lol. It's fair. Interesting tidbit, if you don't already know, I guess Clive liked the song, but wanted them to change one line. I guess it was originally, "I'm All Out Of Love, I want to arrest you"..Here in the states, that doesn't really make sense(at least that I'm aware of), but I guess it's possibly an Australian saying, or something to that effect. So, Clive got writing credit because of changing that line. and one of their biggest hits was born. "Chances" is a nice song. That's actually pretty poetic writing, reminding me more of their earlier Australian material than what was about to come. "American Hearts" is a song that means a lot to me on that same album, but it's pretty obscure, and a unique, 'amost' Philadelphia Soul style for them, but kinda mixed with Neil Diamond as well, LOL.
I agree about 1985 kind of being when things started going downhill(at least here). I think "The Power Of Love" probably should have been the first single, but I can see why they went with something more upbeat, such as "Just As I Am". They were possibly trying to have more of a rock(well, mildly) sounding single, especially after the big success over here of "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All". They probably felt like it was a good time to take a chance, and mix the sound up a little. Unfortunately, what happened was that "Just As I Am" barely made the top 20, and "The Power Of Love" #68 when it was released next. I still can't believe it did that poorly, and forgot to name it as one of my recommended songs. I had heard the Celine Dion version first, and while it's good, being a guy, I just didn't really 'feel' the song till I heard the Air Supply spin.
Yes, I'm first and foremost a lyrics person, and that's why my appreciation for "Lost In Love" surprises me a little. The lyrics are fine, but..it's a song that I always have gone back to, simply because there's just something about it. The way they sing, especially Russell, and just the soothing nature of the song.
Being a lyrics person is probably why some of their biggest hits don't really work for me..although, I guess I did name off a few of them in my list. Don't get me wrong, though, while the lyrics are usually crucial to me, the melody, the instrumentation, of course I have a place for that, too, and those things can help me appreciate songs as well, but I like to feel the sentiment of a song..it's just really a special thing when all of those elements actually end up falling into place at times.
I concur that when they reemerged in 1991, there was already an obvious shift in creativity again, and Graham Russel's writing talent was beginning to really become apparent again. I'm not saying it didn't come through here and there during their peak time in the 80's, but as I mentioned before, I feel they found a formula that worked, and ran with it, and yeah..even in the early 90's, they still tried some of this same formula, but it was somehow less apparent. I guess possibly because those songs practically got no attention over here. I think their version of "Without You" just barely cracked the Adult Contemporary charts. The same with "Goodbye" a couple of years later, and..don't quote me, but I think the song "Someone" from "News From Nowhere" also hit the bottom of the A/C charts.
It's intriguing to envision listening to songs where I wouldn't know the language, but I appreciate this, and it's something I'm tempted to try..just because I know there are things to feel and appreciate from the melodies. I know the music can sometimes convey the feeling along with the lyrics, and sometimes even more so, so I appreciate this. I can see enjoying Air Supply for the actual music, as a lot of their songs do have an appealing, soothing, and sometimes uplifting sound. My problem with the 80's time period is that..for me, that sound seems to start to sound too samey after a while.
"Empty Pages".. I first heard this one in..2014..on some compilation(I think it's called "The Ones That You Love")..and I just remember going for drives out by the lake, and hearing this song play, and it was just almost majestic at times. Yes, this is one of those songs, that for me, the melody and the meaning both pull me in. I was always curious about the meaning..and tried to figure out what he was actually saying. It was also kind of interesting to resonate with the song in my own different ways, but over the years, I began to think I understood the message he was trying to convey..and..it really aligned with something I dealt with.
On the surface, the song sounds happy..the music, even the way Russell sings, especially towards the end, it sounds uplifting, but if I'm not mistaken..it's more or less a song about filling the spaces in an empty person's life..this person says all the things you want to hear..tries to allure you, but something just feels off. and then..towards the end of the song, it's revealed.."I've been learning so long about the things you do, I've been learning so long about you: empty pages, I've read you all through, empty Pages, filled with spaces, and I fell in, I fell in..". I guess I love this again because on the surface, if someone didn't really read into the words, it could come across as happy, and I suppose you could still walk away from it with that perspective, depending on how you choose to perceive what he's saying. It could be that you filled their empty spaces, and that's a good thing, or it could be that you finally came to the realization that that's all you are doing..serving a purpose for them..being used..however you want to put it..as something felt slightly off about their flattery and forms of affection all along. In any case, I think it's a perfect example of their best talent.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to write a novel here, LOL. I appreciate the suggestion of joining the fan club, and just may do that. I'm happy to hear they are still touring. I'm sorry they haven't made it over to Germany much. I would suggest watching some live stuff on YouTube, but of course, no, that isn't the same experience as being there, and I'm sure you've probably already done this. I just remember my friend and I kind of looking at each other periodically throughout the concert, with amazement that these guys were just blasting out the house. It was quite an experience.
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