When the War Is Over
Encyclopedia
"When the War Is Over" is a power ballad originally performed by Australia
n band Cold Chisel
on their 1982 album Circus Animals
. The song was written by drum
mer Steve Prestwich
and issued as the third single from the album, peaking at #25 on the national singles chart.
that had preceded it, "When the War is Over" has a distinctly odd structure. The chorus is repeated at the beginning and end of the song, with the verses in the middle. It also deviates from traditional songwriting by featuring the instrumental break and guitar
solo between the first and second verse, instead of the more usual arrangement between the second and third. Guitarist Ian Moss
sings lead vocal on the first two verses, with the band's regular lead vocalist Jimmy Barnes
singing the third, which rises to a crescendo before returning to the quiet, melodic refrain from the beginning of the song, underlined by more soloing from Moss. Despite this unusual arrangement, "When the War is Over" has become one of Cold Chisel's most popular songs and the one that has been covered by more artists than any other. At least five other versions of the song have been recorded, one of which attained #1 on the Australian music chart.
contestant Cosima De Vito
released a version of the song as a double A-side with the track "One Night Without You
" in August 2004. She had previously performed the song on the Australian Made episode of the program.
De Vito's version presented an acoustic-guitar and string driven theme as opposed to the strong guitar and drums of the original. This was a more adult contemporary take on the song and resulted in very limited airplay on mainstream radio stations. Despite this, it managed become the first independently recorded and released single to debut at #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also the best selling independent Australian single for 2004. The release stayed in the Top 5 for over a month and was certified platinum for shipments of over 70,000 units.
, featuring Prestwich on drums and John Farnham
on vocals. Farnham recorded the track a second time as a bonus for the re-release of his 1988 album Age of Reason
.
British
hard rock
band Uriah Heep
recorded a version of the song for their seventeenth studio album
Raging Silence
.
Something for Kate
covered "When the War is Over" on the 2007 tribute album Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel
.
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew
covered the song on their 2008 album Behind the Lines
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n band Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
on their 1982 album Circus Animals
Circus Animals
Circus Animals was a studio album released by Australian band Cold Chisel in 1982. It was recorded and mixed at Paradise Studios and EMI Studio 301, Sydney . It reached number one on the Australian charts, remaining in the charts for 40 weeks...
. The song was written by drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
mer Steve Prestwich
Steve Prestwich
-External links:* *...
and issued as the third single from the album, peaking at #25 on the national singles chart.
Cold Chisel version
Like many of the songs from "Circus Animals" that were deliberately written to be as different in style as possible from those on the pop-laced EastEast (album)
East was the third studio album by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel, released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 and spent 63 weeks on the national chart. It was the biggest-selling Australian album release of the year...
that had preceded it, "When the War is Over" has a distinctly odd structure. The chorus is repeated at the beginning and end of the song, with the verses in the middle. It also deviates from traditional songwriting by featuring the instrumental break and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
solo between the first and second verse, instead of the more usual arrangement between the second and third. Guitarist Ian Moss
Ian Moss
Ian Moss is an Australian rock musician, best known as the guitarist and occasional singer of Cold Chisel. In that group's initial ten year career, Moss recorded eight albums, three of which were No. 1 national hits. His solo career began with a No. 1 album and single and five ARIA Awards...
sings lead vocal on the first two verses, with the band's regular lead vocalist Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
singing the third, which rises to a crescendo before returning to the quiet, melodic refrain from the beginning of the song, underlined by more soloing from Moss. Despite this unusual arrangement, "When the War is Over" has become one of Cold Chisel's most popular songs and the one that has been covered by more artists than any other. At least five other versions of the song have been recorded, one of which attained #1 on the Australian music chart.
Cosima De Vito's version
Former Australian IdolAustralian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
contestant Cosima De Vito
Cosima De Vito
Cosima De Vito , also known simply as Cosima, is an Australian singer-songwriter. She rose to fame as a contestant of the original Australian Idol series in 2003...
released a version of the song as a double A-side with the track "One Night Without You
One Night Without You
"One Night Without You" is a pop song written by Diane Warren. Cosima recorded the song for her debut album Cosima and a double A-side to the Cold Chisel song "When the War Is Over"....
" in August 2004. She had previously performed the song on the Australian Made episode of the program.
De Vito's version presented an acoustic-guitar and string driven theme as opposed to the strong guitar and drums of the original. This was a more adult contemporary take on the song and resulted in very limited airplay on mainstream radio stations. Despite this, it managed become the first independently recorded and released single to debut at #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was also the best selling independent Australian single for 2004. The release stayed in the Top 5 for over a month and was certified platinum for shipments of over 70,000 units.
Track listing
Cosima CD single- "When the War Is Over"
- "One Night Without You"
- "When the War Is Over" (acoustic version)
- "One Night Without You" (extended mix)
Other versions
"When the War is Over" appears on No Reins, the 1986 album by Little River BandLittle River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
, featuring Prestwich on drums and John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
on vocals. Farnham recorded the track a second time as a bonus for the re-release of his 1988 album Age of Reason
Age of reason
Age of reason may refer to:* 17th-century philosophy, as a successor of the Renaissance and a predecessor to the Age of Enlightenment* Age of Enlightenment in its long form of 1600-1800* The Age of Reason, a book by Thomas Paine...
.
British
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
recorded a version of the song for their seventeenth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
Raging Silence
Raging Silence
Raging Silence is the 17th album by British progressive rock group Uriah Heep. It marked the studio debut of Canadian vocalist Bernie Shaw.It was the first Uriah Heep studio album to have a contemporary release on CD....
.
Something for Kate
Something for Kate
Something for Kate are a rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Members include songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Paul Dempsey, drummer Clint Hyndman and bassist Stephanie Ashworth...
covered "When the War is Over" on the 2007 tribute album Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel
Standing on the Outside (album)
Standing on the Outside: The Songs of Cold Chisel is a tribute album dedicated to the songs of Australian band Cold Chisel. The album features 18 songs recorded by Australian and New Zealand artists The Living End, Dallas Crane, Pete Murray, Ben Lee, Thirsty Merc, Evermore, Paul Kelly, Troy...
.
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew is an Australian folk group formed in Adelaide in 2005. The band's name is taken from a line in Henry Lawson's poem "Knocking Around". Since it was founded a number of Australian musicians have been involved...
covered the song on their 2008 album Behind the Lines
Behind the Lines (John Schumann album)
Behind the Lines is the second album by John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew.It consists almost entirely of cover songs and musical renditions of poems...
.
Charts
| Chart (1982) 1 | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 25 |
| Chart (2004) ² | Peak position |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
- 1 Cold Chisel.
- ² Cosima.