"Darling It Hurts" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released in September 1986 as the second single from their first double album, ''

Gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Etymology The word is from Old English ''godsibb'', from ''god (word), god'' and ''sibb'', the term for the ...

''. The song, written by Kelly with lead guitarist Steve Connolly, reached No. 25 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

Singles Chart in October. It was issued in 1987 on

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

in the United States, where it reached No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Chart. Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. According to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Mike Gagne, "Kelly's pain can be felt as he describes an ex-girlfriend of his who has turned to prostitution."

Background

After recording his solo album, ''

Post Post, POST, or posting may refer to: Postal services * Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal s ...

'' in early 1985, Kelly established a full-time band in Sydney. It included Michael Armiger (bass guitar, rhythm guitar), Michael Barclay (drums, later in

Weddings, Parties, Anything Weddings Parties Anything. was an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1999. Their name came from The Clash song "Revolution Rock". Musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Austral ...

) and Steve Connolly (lead guitar). Bass guitarist Jon Schofield and the

keyboard player A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

Peter Bull soon joined.Spencer et al, (2007), Kelly, Paul and the Coloured Girls entry. Retrieved 21 March 2010. Through a joke based on

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

's song " Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls.McFarlane, , retrieved 14 March 2010. Armiger left and the Coloured Girls line-up stabilised in late 1985 as Barclay, Bull, Connolly and Schofield. By May 1986, the band entered Trafalgar Studios and released their debut 24-track double LP, ''

'' in September. It included remakes of four songs from ''Post''. ''Gossip'' peaked at No. 15 on the Australian

Albums Chart. Singles from the album were " Before Too Long" which peaked at No. 15 on the related Singles Chart and "Darling It Hurts" which reached No. 25. The song was written by Kelly with lead guitarist, Steve Connolly. A trimmed version of ''Gossip'', featuring 15 tracks on a single LP, was released in the United States by

in July 1987.

's Mike DeGagne noted that " tbursts at the seams with blustery, distinguished tunes captivating both the somberness and the intrigue thrown forward from this fine Australian storyteller". "Darling It Hurts" was described as "more intricate" where "Kelly's pain can be felt as he describes an ex-girlfriend of his who has turned to prostitution". The album was co-produced by Kelly with Alan Thorne (

Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981 by Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, harmonica). Th ...

, The Stems) who, according to music journalist

Robert Forster Robert Wallace Foster Jr. (July 13, 1941 – October 11, 2019), known professionally as Robert Forster, was an American actor. He made his screen debut as Private L.G. Williams in John Huston's '' Reflections in a Golden Eye'' (1967), followed ...

(former

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...

singer-songwriter), helped the band create "a sound that will not only influence future roots-rock bands but, through its directness, sparkle and dedication to the song, will also come to be seen as particularly Australian. Ultimately, it means the records these people made together are timeless". Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name for international releases to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. They made a US tour, initially supporting

Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...

and then headlining, travelling across the US by bus. "Darling It Hurts" peaked at No. 19 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Mainstream Rock chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" fo ...

in 1987. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' rock critic

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''. Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls' second album, '' Under the Sun'', was released in late 1987 in Australia and New Zealand; and early 1988 in North America and Europe (under the name Paul Kelly and the Messengers). On the Kent Music Report Albums Chart it reached No. 19 with the lead single "

To Her Door "To Her Door" is a song by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released as a single ahead of their second album, '' Under the Sun'' (released in North America and Europe as by Paul Kelly and the Messengers). The single was released in September ...

", written by Kelly, peaking at No. 14 on the related singles chart.

Music and lyrics

"Darling It Hurts" is about a man who realises that his former lover is a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

. The chorus, "Darling it hurts to see you down Darlinghurst tonight", refers to Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross – at the time – a

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

. The reference to "that man with the glad hands" relates to patrons slowing as they drive-by looking for a sex worker. Whilst "man with the glad bags" refers to dealers who sell drugs in zip-lock glad bags. Kelly indicated the title is based on artist Toby Zoates' infamous

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

which he saw in Darlinghurst when living in Sydney. The video, directed by Claudia Castle, is shot in black-and-white showing the band performing in front of a dancing couple. Castle directed several of the band's videos, including the 1988 ARIA Music Award winning video for "

". The song was covered by

Magic Dirt Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative und ...

on the 2002 compilation album, ''The Women at the Well: The Songs of Paul Kelly''.

Track listing

Australian release

# "Darling It Hurts" ( Paul Kelly, Steve Connolly) – 3:18 # "Preaching to the Converted" (Kelly) – 4:31

US release

# "Darling It Hurts" (Kelly, Connolly) – 3:18 # "Down on My Speedway" (Kelly) – 3:22

Personnel

Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls * Paul Kelly – acoustic guitar, lead vocals * Steve Connolly – lead guitar, backing vocals * Michael Barclay – drums, backing vocals * Peter Bull – keyboards, backing vocals * John Schofield – bass guitar, vocals Additional musicians * Chris Coyne – saxophone * Wayne Freer – trombone Recording details * Producer – Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly * Engineer – Alan Thorne

Charts

References

;General * Note: Archived nlinecopy has limited functionality. * * ;Specific {{Authority control 1986 singles Paul Kelly (Australian musician) songs Songs written by Paul Kelly (Australian musician) Mushroom Records singles 1986 songs Songs about Australia