How the Aussie Band Moving Pictures Nearly Overlooked Their Biggest Hit

Australian acts made more inroads in America in the 80s than they had managed in any previous. You probably can reel off some of the most popular of those bands, such as Men At Work, INXS, and Midnight Oil, all of whom became ubiquitous in their own way.

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But the country also provided a couple of one-hit wonders in that stretch as well. Chief among them was Moving Pictures, whose ballad “What About Me” cracked the Top 40 back in 1982 in the US.

Buying into the Ballad

Like many bands in the 80s, Moving Pictures built up their local audience by going with uptempo, rocking material that played well in concert. And then they made it on an international level with a slow song.

Before all that took place, the band formed in the late 70s out of Sydney. With a couple of horn players at their disposal, they were able to deliver a pub rock sound. They signed to an Aussie label and recorded their first album Days Of Innocence, which was released in 1981.

They chose for their first single “Bustin Loose”, a song that made some headway on the Australian charts. When they went back to the well with their second single, they selected a song that they’d very nearly overlooked the first time around.

Say “What”

Alex Smith, the lead singer of Moving Pictures, wrote the bulk of the songs on Days Of Innocence. But “What About Me” came from guitarist Garry Frost in conjunction with Frances Swan, his wife at the time. Frost gained inspiration for the track when he saw a boy at a local sandwich shop ignored by everyone around him.

When Moving Pictures were recording Days Of Innocence, Frost and Smith took some time in between taking care of the tracks earmarked for the album to mess around on the piano with “What About Me”. Charles Fisher, who was producing the LP, heard them and insisted that they develop the idea further.

“What About Me” not only became a runaway success in the band’s home country, but it scored all over the world. It reached the No. 29 spot in 1982 in America. And then it just missed the Top 40 again seven years later, as it took advantage of a trend in which older 80s ballads were re-released to radio.

Behind the Lyrics of “What About Me”

“What About Me” takes a subtle look at inequality, making it a bit deeper than the average power ballad. Smith sings of two people at a corner shop, the little boy waiting to be noticed and the working girl whose “dreams walk in and out, they never stop.”

In the final verse, the narrator switches to the first person to file his own complaint. “I guess I’m lucky, I smile a lot,” he explains. “But sometimes I wish for more than I’ve got.” The lyrics in the chorus point the finger at an unnamed “you” who only looks out for themselves. “But you just take more than you give,” the narrator laments.

Alex Smith’s acrobatic vocals made sure that everyone knew the seriousness of the situation being described. Moving Pictures couldn’t duplicate the success of “What About Me” in America. Nonetheless, their biggest hit made its mark as a winning piece of emotional balladry with an empathetic streak.

Photo by Fairfax Media via Getty Images