Smoko

Album: Get This In Ya!! (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A "smoko" is an Australian term for a smoke break, although you don't have to smoke to take one. The song tells a disjointed story: In the first verse, lead singer Eamon Sandwith encounters a guy on a milk crate who demands to be left alone because he's on smoko. In the next verse, he calls Centrelink (the agency that doles out government benefits in Australia) to yell at them because his money hasn't arrived. What's clear is that anyone on smoko wants to be left alone.
  • This low-fi rocker was the breakout hit for The Chats, a trio of teenagers from Queensland who had never been outside of Australia. The low-budget video for the song quickly garnered millions of views when Dave Grohl circulated it. When Josh Homme saw it, he talked up the band and had The Chats open for his group Queens Of The Stone Age when they came to Australia.
  • The band is known for their devil-may-care attitude, their love of beer, and lead singer Eamon Sandwith's mullet. Guitarist Josh Price (Pricey) claims he has never read an entire book; drummer Matt Boggis says he was kicked out of school for stealing a golf cart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Bible Lyrics

Bible LyricsMusic Quiz

Rockers, rappers and pop stars have been known to quote the Bible in their songs. See if you match the artist to the biblical lyric.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.