Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

"Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" is an Australian rock song written by Doc Neeson, John Brewster and Rick Brewster, and performed by The Angels. The song was initially recorded as a ballad but subsequently re-released as a rock song. The song is best-known for the expletive-laden audience response to the live version. It has been described by The Guardian as "one of the most famous in Australian rock history".^[3]

History

Neeson said that the song was originally written as an acoustic ballad about grief and loss. The girlfriend of Neeson's friend was killed in a motorcycle collision, and the two friends were discussing life after death. The conversation inspired Neeson to write the lyrics. References to subjects like Santa Fe and Renoir came from Neeson's own experiences.^[4]

Audience response

Live performances of the song inevitably provoke an audience response of "no way, get fucked, fuck off" to the question posed in the song title.^[5] Neeson recalled that he first heard the response at Mount Isa in 1978. Thinking it was a criticism of the band, he asked audience members about it. They responded that the chant had its origins at a disco in Sydney where the DJ would turn down the volume to encourage the audience response.^[3]

Neeson noted that "it’s become the audience’s song, it doesn’t belong to the band anymore".^[4]

The audience response made for an "awkward moment" for Peter Cosgrove at an INTERFET concert in the company of Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Belo.^[6]

References