October 1983, Melbourne: Australian group Real Life - vocalist David Sterry, keyboardist Richard Zatts, bassist Allan How and drummer Danny Simcic - releases on Curb Records the single “Send Me an Angel”. By December 1983 - #1 in Australia (home) and #1 in the Netherlands. By spring 1984 - #29 Billboard Hot 100 in the US, in the UK - #54. By end of 1985 - over 1.5 million copies. In 1989, after a remix reissue, the track returned to the US chart and reached #26 Billboard - unprecedented for a six-year-old reissue.
The group
Real Life formed in Melbourne in 1981. All four members had previously played in various Sydney post-punk groups - Crash and the Virus, Whirlywirld, The Reels. They were brought together by sound engineer Steve Heathcote, who worked at AAV Studios (the largest Australian studio of the time). Heathcote proposed assembling a project specifically for synth-pop - a new genre for the Australian market.
The name “Real Life” was taken from a Game Theory song - an ironic reference suggesting pop music has nothing to do with “real life”.
Recording
Recording took place at AAV Studios in Melbourne from March to July 1983. Producer - Steve Heathcote. Budget - A$85,000 (around US$70,000 at the 1983 exchange rate).
- Roland Jupiter-8 - main synth, pads and lead
- Yamaha DX7 - electric piano in the verse (E.PIANO 1 preset)
- Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 - bridge lead
- LinnDrum - drum machine
- Live guitar - Richard Zatts, Fender Stratocaster through Roland Jazz Chorus
- Live bass - Allan How, Music Man StingRay
The signature “pulling” synth motif in the chorus is the Jupiter-8 in unison mode (eight voices playing one note), BRASS 3 preset. The same preset Nick Rhodes used on Duran Duran's “Rio” in 1982.
What the track did
“Send Me an Angel” was the first Australian synth-pop hit to achieve international success. Before it, Australia had exported rock bands (Men at Work, INXS), but not synth-pop. Real Life opened a new market for the Australian industry. They were followed by Icehouse (“No Promises”, 1986), Pseudo Echo (“Funky Town”, 1986).
- Australia: #1, 4 weeks (November 1983); 2× platinum
- Netherlands: #1, 3 weeks
- Germany: #3
- New Zealand: #2
- US 1984: #29 Billboard Hot 100; #11 Dance Club Play
- US 1989 (remix reissue): #26 Billboard
- UK: #54 (disappointingly)
- Japan: #19 Oricon International
Total sales by 1990 - over 2 million copies (including the 1989 reissue). The album Heartland (1983) sold 800,000 copies worldwide. For a debut record from an Australian group, a remarkable result.
Video and second life
The video, shot in Melbourne for A$35,000, entered MTV in late 1983 - one of the first Australian clips in heavy rotation. In 1989 the American film The Wizard with Fred Savage used the track in a key scene - this triggered a remix reissue that returned the track to the charts. In 1998, in the finale of Robert Rodriguez's youth film The Faculty - another wave.
By 2024 Spotify shows over 180 million streams of the original. In 2022 - in the Yellowjackets season 2 soundtrack. Related synth-pop breakdowns - “Take On Me” a-ha, “Fade to Grey” Visage.
What remains of the band
Real Life released three more albums (1985, 1988, 1994), but none repeated the success of Heartland. In the 2000s David Sterry worked solo, in 2013 he reassembled the band for an Australian tour. The track “Send Me an Angel” remains their only work recognisable outside Australia - a classical one-hit wonder.