Age of Reason (song) explained

Age of Reason
Cover:Age_of_Reason_(song)_by_John_Farnham.jpg
Type:single
Artist:John Farnham
Album:Age of Reason
Released:[1]
Length:5:08
Label:Sony BMG, RCA, Wheatley
Producer:Ross Fraser
Prev Title:Reasons
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:Two Strong Hearts
Next Year:1988

"Age of Reason" is a song by Australian pop rock singer John Farnham. Written by Todd Hunter and Johanna Pigott, it was released as the first single from Farnham's 1988 album of the same name. The song topped Australia's ARIA Singles Chart for four weeks and became a hit in New Zealand, where it peaked at number four. At the APRA Music Awards of 1990, the song won the Most Performed Australasian Popular Work award.[2]

Composition

"Age of Reason" was composed by Todd Hunter and partner Johanna Pigott, who had previously written the song "Rain" for Dragon and played together in the XL Capris. Pigott said, "You write songs and you're surprised at what you wrote sometimes, and you think, goodness, is that me, did I do that? It's not something you consider of perfect taste or anything, and someone records them and you think that's fantastic. It's a really exciting and thrilling thing."[3]

Music video

The music video for "Age of Reason" was filmed in 1988 and included six key scenes, with the Victorian Children's Choir in three of the sequences: running through a scrap metal yard, running down a hill behind Farnham, and standing in a warehouse as Farnham walks between them.

In the "making of" feature included on the DVD, Farnham can be seen singing with the children after the film clip wraps shooting in the warehouse. They each received a copy of the track on vinyl.

Track listing

  1. "Age of Reason" (Extended mix) – 7:42
  2. "Age of Reason" (album) – 5:08
  3. "When the War Is Over" – 4:49

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988–1989)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 25
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[5] 22
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6] 63

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)Position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 41

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Music Report No 727 – 4 July 1988 > Singles: New Releases. Australian Music Report. Imgur. 26 March 2019.
  2. Web site: 1990 APRA MUSIC AWARD WINNERS. APRA AMCOs. 5 July 2019. 5 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190705092734/http://apraamcos.com.au/awards/1990-1999/1991-music-awards/. dead.
  3. Book: Tracee Hutchison . Your Name's On The Door. 176. 1992 . ABC Enterprises . Sydney . 0-7333-0115-0. Tracee Hutchison.
  4. RPM 100 Singles. RPM. 49. 7. 6. 3 December 1988.
  5. Web site: SA Charts 1969 – 1989. 17 January 2018.
  6. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 5. 42. 27. 15 October 1988. 3 August 2024.
  7. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1989. ARIA. 13 February 2020.
  8. Web site: End of Year Charts 1988. Recorded Music NZ. 28 July 2022.