original music

Music Editor Simon Leadley Assg

Additional Music Mixing Simon Leadley Assg

Music Supervisor Christine Woodruff

Original Music by Dirty Three under licence from PolyGram Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

Additional original music performed by Crow courtesy BMG Australia Limited

"She's Exhausting" written by Crow under licence from PolyGram Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

"Mia Fora Thimame" written by Georgios Papastefanou/Jean Spanos performed by Arleta courtesy General Publishing Company S.A. - Lyra also performed by Crow, courtesy BMG Australia Limited

"I Remember A Time When Once You Used To Love Me" music written by Jean Spanos/Georgios Papastefanou performed by Dirty Three

"Devil In The Hole" written by Dirty Three Bug Music Limited/PolyGram Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd performed by Dirty Three

"Toaster" written by Dirty Three Bug Music Limited/PolyGram Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd performed by Dirty Three

"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" written by Merle Travis/Tex Williams Unichappell Music Inc/Elvis Presley Music performed by Tex Williams and His Western Caravan courtesy EMI Music Australia Pty Ltd

"Mano a Mano" written by Carlos Gardel/Jose Razzano/Esteban Flores Peer International Corp used by permission Southern Music Publishing Co (Aus'asia) Pty Ltd performed by Carlos Gardel

"The River Looks Lonely Tonight" "The Loneliest Girl In The World" "What Did I Do" "King Of The Cowboys" written and performed by John Ellis

Lyrics in the film:

Two songs run over the tail credits. The first, Mia Fora Thimame (spelling as per credits) runs over the end action, then spills over into the credits. It’s followed by John Ellis performing a mournful ditty, which runs to the end.

It’s beyond this site’s paygrade to transcribe or translate the Greek lyrics for the first song that runs over the end credits. One version was found here: When that song ends, John Ellis’s song What Did I Do takes over, with about 2’03” to go on the domestic DVD release:

What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, oo, oo, oo, oo What did I do, what did I do? Oh yes, she was my darling, Oh yes, she was my own Oh yes, I had a kingdom But I tumbled from my throne What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, oo, oo, oo, oo What did I do, what did I do? Oh yes, she used to love me And I know I loved her too But since the day she left me I can cry, that’s what I do What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, what did I do? What did I do, oo, oo, oo, oo What did I do, what did I do? Oh no, I won’t forget her No matter what I do … (song begins to fade out) I can’t regret I met her ...

CD:

A CD of the soundtrack was released: CD Festival/Best Boy D 32054 1999

Manufactured by – Festival Records Pty. Ltd. Recorded at – Sing Sing Studios, Richmond, (Dirty Three tracks 3,6,11, 15 and 17) Recorded at – Megaphon Studios (Crow’s tracks) Bass – Jim Woff (tracks: 5, 9, 14) Drums – Richard Andrew (tracks: 5, 9, 14) Engineer – Adam Rhodes (tracks: 3, 6, 11, 15, 17) Mixed By – Matt Voigt (tracks: 3, 6, 11, 15, 17) Photography by (cover photo) – Brad Harris Piano – Michael Christie (3) (tracks: 5, 9, 14) Producer, Engineer, Mixed By – Daniel Denholm (tracks: 5, 9, 14) Vocals, Guitar, Kazoo – Peter Fenton (2) (tracks: 5, 9, 14)

Remember a Time When You Once Used To Love Me (6’13”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) Smoke Smoke Smoke (That Cigarette) (2’56”) (M. Travis, T. Williams) Lights Are Yellow & the Nights Are Slow (5’29”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) The River Looks Lonely Tonight (3’38”) (J. Ellis) You're So Beautiful To Know (3’14”) (P. Fenton) Somewhere Else, Some Place Good (4’19”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) Flamenco Festival (1’54”) (J. Cesare) Toaster (3’09”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) Once Across a Story Bridge (2’27”) (P. Fenton) What Did I Do (3’10”) (J. Ellis) Summers Lost Heart (2’55”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) Mano O Mano (3’05”) (E. Flores, J. Razzano, C. Gardel) Devil in the Hole (4’16”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) The Junk Crammed Up Behind My Eyes (2’15”) (P. Fenton) Xmas Song (1’36”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) King of the Cowboys (4’35”) (J. Ellis) A Strange Holiday (5’23”) (J. White, M. Turner, W. Ellis) Mia Fora Thimame (4’48”) (J. Spanos, G. Papastefanou)

Composers:

Dirty Three is an instrumental band, featuring on violin and bass guitar, on electric and bass guitars and on drums.

In addition to their own work, the band attracted some attention for becoming a favourite for Nick Dave as a backing group. The group has a relatively detailed wiki listing here, and at time of writing they had a Facebook page here.

There was an interview with Warren Ellis, who moved to Paris, at here on 4th January 2016, saved to the WM here.

There was a piece by comedian David O’Neill recalling some Ellis early days at Fairfax here, saved to WM here.

(Below: the Dirty Three, first in later bearded days and then in earlier days. From left in bearded days, Warren Ellis, Jim White and Mick Turner) Peter Fenton:

As well as starring in the show, Peter Fenton and Crow contributed a significant number of tracks to the film.

Fenton had left Crow by the time that filming began, but for anyone interested in the band, it has a relatively detailed wiki here.

There was an update on Fenton at Fairfax on 24th September 2004 when he turned up to play the Annandale pub on Parramatta Road. Here, and saved to WM here, and inter alia including this:

…If you haven't figured it out yet, Fenton, once the tall, angular but ever-so-stylishly dressed lead singer of Crow - a band for whom the Bad Seeds had offered a few pointers - is not in Kansas any more. Or Bondi, for that matter. This is the man for whom a glass of a good red wine has always been the stage drink of choice; whose acting debut was in the film Praise, playing a Brisbane alcoholic with what would be described today as "erectile dysfunction"; whose first TV role was as an inner-city bar owner in ABC's Love is a Four Letter Word; and whose new album has him in a suit and tie on the front and a cityscape shot of brick, wires and poles on the back. But six months ago, Fenton, his wife and daughter moved from Bondi to Sydney's outskirts, the hamlet of Glenorie. The front yard has a couple of old statues, the side has a vegetable patch - rather tasty spinach and snow peas - and the backyard goes on and on. "I wanted a sense of space," Fenton says. "I wanted somewhere where I could make noise, not be inhibited by the idea of making music, being a musician. "I wasn't having any psychological drama that I had to flee urbania, but I've lived in smallish places and I was starting to feel that in my stomach, that, 'Shush, we don't want to upset anybody.' So we thought there's no shame in giving up your inner-city accoutrements and living out with the real people." Fenton hasn't given up all the elements of the old life for Blunnies and plaid. Today he's wearing a pair of dark tailored pants, office shoes and a long-sleeved pattern shirt. However, he says there's a photo from his youth where he's wearing a classic checked shirt with studded buttons: "And I might get a country and western record out of it. And all that trucker's speed."

(See this site’s photo gallery for images of Fenton in the film).

Music in the film:

The film contains an eclectic range of tracks, some from the composers, some sourced. The lead Gordon (Peter Fenton) helps in this process by frequently brooding over music tracks, and there is much visual emphasis on record players, needles and listening: