R.I.P. Chrissy Amphlett

We have lost one of the great voices of rock n' roll. Chrissy Amphlett, lead singer of the Australian band Divinyls has died at the all-too-young age of 53 from a three year battle with breast cancer, and multiple sclerosis.

The band's first release in 1983, "Desperate," featuring Amphlett on the cover in her iconic schoolgirl uniform and fishnet hose, ripped into the rock world. Her reedy, gravelly growl was immediately identifiable and gave the band an edge and a quality that demanded attention. Listen to "Elsie," the chilling, epic final track from "Desperate" in which Amphlett roars and rumbles (at the 3:26 mark).

She never had an education
She uses life as her vocation
Standing on ledges, clinging to the edges
The world's a hard place to land on

She has this one way conversation
Trying to avoid a confrontation
Memories of the kind that she'd rather leave behind
The worlds' a hard place to land on

Life can be lonely
Life can be very sad
Life can be something you wish you'd never had

She never had any affection
So she relates well to rejection
No stories wait discovery
Dreams have passed recovery
Never had a chance from the beginning

She just sleeps all day
In her squalid little slum
And takes little white pills
To make her body feel all numb
And it's dark and dirty
And there's nothing left to eat
And in her heart there's a feeling of defeat
Smells of bugs and fornication
And a bottle of cheat scent
Should she stick around
If this is all that life meant

Life can be lonely
Life can be very sad
Life can be something you wish you'd never had

Open the door Wally, open the door Wally


Her New York Times obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/arts/music/christina-amphlett-divinyls-singer-dies-at-53.html?_r=0