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How John Oates and a Topless Beach Played Into Icehouse’s Biggest Hit in 1987
John Oates of Hall & Oates and Iva Davies of Australian band Icehouse struggled to write together until a chance moment on a beach near Sydney sparked "Electric Blue", which became Icehouse's biggest American hit when released in 1987. Oates, then on hiatus from Hall & Oates, had rung Davies at his New York hotel to propose a co-writing session, and after an unproductive start, the pair took a break at the beach that ultimately unlocked the song.
While Davies went windsurfing, Oates noticed a woman on the nude beach and, fixing on her eyes to avoid appearing rude, coined the phrase "Electric Blue" as a song title. The two returned indoors to sketch out the track, with Oates already hearing how his falsetto backing vocals would fit, though it remained unfinished when he left. Davies was uncertain of its quality, but Oates was confident enough to say he would record it with Hall & Oates if Icehouse passed; released in 1987, "Electric Blue" reached No. 7 in the US, surpassing the band's previous hit "Crazy", which had made the Top 15 that same year.
In short
- John Oates helped Icehouse write "Electric Blue" during a 1987 Australia trip.
- A woman's eyes on a nude beach inspired the song's title.
- The track hit No. 7 in the US, Icehouse's biggest American hit.
Explained simply
John Oates, the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist from the American duo Hall & Oates, collaborated with Iva Davies, the lead singer of Australian rock band Icehouse, to write a song called "Electric Blue" which became Icehouse's biggest success in America. Oates was between projects with Hall & Oates when he approached Davies about a writing session, and the two worked together to develop the track in 1987.
After an unproductive start to their songwriting collaboration, Oates and Davies took a break at a beach near Sydney, where Oates found the inspiration to suggest "Electric Blue" as the song's title. They returned indoors and began sketching out the track, with Oates already hearing how his falsetto vocals would fit into the finished piece. Though Davies harboured doubts about the song's potential, Oates was confident enough to say he would record it with Hall & Oates if Icehouse chose not to.
When released, "Electric Blue" reached number seven on the American charts, becoming Icehouse's biggest hit in the United States and surpassing their previous success "Crazy", which had reached the top fifteen that year. The song's commercial success represented a significant achievement for both artists.