The Brisbane Lions may be facing the music against Sydney on Saturday 5 April, but off the field they’re making music that could be The Best Thing for the Club in the last three years.
The song’s energy and lyrics suit the Lions’ ambition and passion so strongly, that the Club partnered with Brisbane production agency Radium TV to create a series of membership and match-day TV commercials featuring The Best Thing soundtrack that are currently screening on Ten, Seven and Fox Sports in Queensland and Victoria.
The advertisement features prominent Brisbane landmarks acting as projection screens for the Lions’ big goals, marks and tackles from Season 2007 to the rattling tune of The Best Thing. It also depicts Brisbane families sporting their favourite maroon, blue and gold colours at home in front of the game on TV, in the backyard, out in the neighbourhood and some ‘camera-keen’ Lions members sweeping into the Gabba.
The commercial’s basic message is: my town, my colours, my team – the Brisbane Lions, and that this season could be ‘the best thing’ that’s happened for the Lions on the AFL ladder since 2004.
All the Lions’ radio advertising also incorporates The Best Thing soundtrack, posing the question that attending the weekend’s Lions clash could be ‘the best thing’ you do all week.
The Club’s Stakeholder Relations Manager stumbled across the tune while driving to the Gold Coast last November and listening to some old compilation tapes from the nineties on the car stereo. The Best Thing song resonated strongly with the manager not just because of its up-tempo style, but because of the lyrics.
The words applied to the sheer anticipation and excitement of Lions match-days and seeing the Lions colours proudly weaving through the crowd, and how a big Lions win on the weekend was often the emotional highlight for the whole working week.
Quite coincidentally, Boom Crash Opera released a Greatest Hits album in 2007 containing all the publishing details on the CD jacket. The album was purchased by the same Stakeholder Relations Manager who (sensing destiny) left it on Chief Executive Michael Bowers’ desk with track eight marked with a post-it note for listening to on his way home.
The rest as they say is history… The Lions purchased the publishing rights or copyright to the lyrics for two years and Richard Pleasance recorded a cover version that was applied to the commercials and will be played over the Gabba’s sound system on match-days starting with Collingwood on Friday night.
To mark the beginning of The Best Thing campaign, the song’s composer and guitarist Richard Pleasance and Boom Crash Opera’s front man Dale Ryder will perform the song live at the Chairman’s Circle function at the Gabba before the Magpies clash. Their performance will be beamed onto the scoreboard for members, supporters and rock fans to enjoy later in the evening.
Click here to view a multimedia file of the 2008 Brisbane Lions TVC.
Enjoy! It could be ‘the best thing’…
THE BEST THING LYRICSThe gravitation pull gets stronger
The weightless feeling here is bliss
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me
These are the colours that I've always wanted to see
And although I've never said it before
I love you, I need you, I need it, I love you
The telescopes our friends they watch us
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me
These are the colours that I've always wanted to see
And although I've never said it before
I love you, I need you, I need it, I love you
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me (this is the best thing)
These are the colours that I've always wanted to see
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me
These are the colours that I've always wanted to see
And although I've never said it before
I love you, I need you, I need it, I love you
Richard Pleasance began his music career as a member of Boom Crash Opera. The band enjoyed national success: their first album achieved gold sales and their second double platinum.
Since then, Richard has released two solo albums and produced, recorded, written for and played with a diverse range of artists including Archie Roach, Paul Kelly, Augie March, Jimmy Little, Deborah Conway, Kate Ceberano and Suzanne Vega.
Richard is currently working on the TV series Kenny's Toilet Tour for Channel 10. Most recently, he composed the music for the telemovie Emerald Falls and for the TV series City Homicide. He is also continuing his distinguished work as a record producer and in 2007, he produced the Top 5 gold album for Kate Ceberano Nine Lime Avenue.
2006 Kenny, composer
2007 City Homicide (series), composer
2006 Antarctic Art (documentary), composer
2003 Life on the Lawn (series),composer
1998 Last of the Gate Keepers (documentary), composer
SHORT FILMS
2006 What’s the Matter?, composer
2005 Syllable to Sound, composer
2006 Myer - Myer is My Store, composer
2004 Bonds - Hoody, composer
2004-2003 Telstra - Countrywide, composer
2003 Murray Irrigation Authority - Envirowise, composer
2007 Kate Ceberano, Nine Lime Avenue, producer and engineer
2005 Sophie Ko, Self-titled, producer and engineer
2003 Kate Ceberano, The Girl Can Help It, producer and engineer
2001 Jimmy Little, Resonate, producer and co-writer (3 tracks)
1991 Deborah Conway, String of Pearls, producer
Dale is perhaps best known as the energetic front man for Boom Crash Opera, a job that started when Dale met guitarists Richard Pleasance and Peter Farnan in 1986.
The members decided to create something different and something ultimately very successful in the malaise of the mid 80s rock scene.
Seven albums, numerous Top 20 singles (two of which featured on major international film releases), ten years and many record sales later, saw the band become one of Australia’s most lauded acts.
Dale’s performances are always challenging and exciting, injecting a unique style and class into the rock genre.
Dale also performed lead acting roles in The Rocky Horror Show in Adelaide and Hong Kong amongst other stage productions.
