Back to the Wall (song) explained

Back to the Wall
Cover:BacktothewallDivinyls.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Divinyls
Album:Temperamental
Released:8 February 1988[1]
Recorded:1988
Genre:Rock
Length:4:38
Label:Chrysalis Records
Producer:Mike Chapman
Prev Title:Heart Telegraph
Prev Year:1986
Next Title:Hey Little Boy
Next Year:1988

"Back to the Wall" is a song by Australian rock group Divinyls. Released in February 1988 as the lead single from their third studio album Temperamental, the song made the top forty on the Australian singles chart.

Background

By October 1986, Divinyls had been reduced to the duo of Christina Amphlett and Mark McEntee. Their third studio album Temperamental was in the recording stages and their label Chrysalis Records informed them that it would be make-or-break record, largely depending on whether it received attention internationally such as in the US.

Legacy

The song was played in the 1988 horror film and is on the soundtrack to the film.

In 2018, the song was covered by Tropical Fuck Storm and appeared as the b-side to their single "You Let My Tyres Down". The cover garnered praise and has been called "a spine-tingling take on an underrated Divinyls classic [...] [T]he vocal delivery of Fiona Kitschin and Erica Dunn, at once fierce and vulnerable, lends a prescient edge to Chrissy Amphlett’s lyrics: "We are living in desperate times / These are desperate times, my dear"." Kitschin herself called it "a really timely song [...] written and sung by a woman, so it made sense to be performed by the women in the band."[2] [3]

Track listing

Australian 7" single
  1. "Back to the Wall" - 4:38
  2. "Fighting" - 3:45
Australian 12" single
  1. "Back to the Wall" - 4:38
  2. "Fighting" - 3:45
  3. "Out of Time" - 5:46

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Music Report No 706 – 8 February 1988 > Singles: New Releases . 19 June 2020 . . Imgur.com.
  2. Web site: February 2018 . Tropical Fuck Storm Announce Debut Album, 'A Laughing Death in Meatspace' .
  3. Web site: Farnell . Guido . Live Review: Tropical Fuck Storm, Sugar Fed Leopards, School Damage | theMusic.com.au | Australian music news, gig guide, music reviews . themusic.com.au.
  4. Web site: Australian ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart – Week Ending 22nd May, 1988 . 19 June 2020 . . Imgur.com. N.B. ARIA licensed the Australian Music Report chart between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.