Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission Covers Cold Chisel’s ‘Home and Broken Hearted’

Mick Thomas has chosen a lesser-known Cold Chisel song to cover form the new ‘Back In The Day’ EP. ‘Home and Broken Hearted’ was originally from the first Cold Chisel album in 1978.

Mick says, “Brooke wanted a Christmas song she could sing and I thought this is one people constantly overlook and one I was eager to have a crack at. And what a song it is. The first Cold Chisel album is one that had a major effect on me and one I think still stands up after all this time. So many good songs.

“We toyed with the idea of changing the protagonist’s gender, or even name (‘dear Jimmy it’s over, goodbye’) but there’s something timeless about the way the words cascade and people know it as it is, so we thought better of it. I guess the mandolin could never really replace Don Walker’s frantic piano in the chorus but you can’t say I haven’t given it my best shot.

‘Home and Broken Hearted’ was track three side one of the self-titled debut for Cold Chisel, released 24 April, 1978.

Fun fact: The lady on the cover of the album is Daryl Braithwaite’s now ex-wife Micki.

The first Cold Chisel album failed to cut through as a commercial success because the single from the album ‘Khe Sahn’ as banned by radio at the time because of the lyrics “And their legs were often open but their minds were always closed”. Good lawdy, that was classed as risqué in 1978.

The ban meant the commercial pop stations at the time, 2SM Sydney, 3XY Melbourne and 4BC Brisbane, were not allowed to play the song. The lack of airplay meant limited exposure and the album failed to sell then … but the song has since gone on to become a Cold Chisel classic and a must play at every Cold Chisel or Jimmy Barnes solo show.

Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission’s ‘Back In the Day’ will be released on 11 November 2022.

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