Classic Songs: ‘The Captain’ by Kasey Chambers.

In Mt Gambier, South Australia, in 1976, Kasey Chambers was born to Bill and Diane Chambers. But she didn’t call Mt Gambier home for long (only three weeks), growing up instead in an unique environment on the Nullarbor Plain with her older brother (Nash) and parents for seven to eight months of the year, where they hunted foxes and rabbits for pelt and lived off the land, only relocating to a small fishing village during the hottest months. Interestingly, most nights were spent around a campfire where Kasey’s parents passed on their love of country music with the likes of Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and other country greats.

This nomadic way of life lasted for some nine years before the Chambers in 1986 returned to Southend, South Australia, to give their two children a more formal eduction and upbringing. It also meant that Bill and Diane could pick up their interrupted careers as country musicians.

Soon after rekindling their life as musicians, touring became a family affair with first Kasey and then Nash joining the act. Initially promoted under Bill’s name, they released two albums, before changing their name to Dead Ringer Band in 1992 with Kasey’s distinctive vocal country twang the focal point.

By 1998, the award winning Australian family country music band eventually broke up with the news of Bill and Diane Chambers separation and subsequent divorce. With this news came change. Kasey decided to travel overseas to seek new experiences and to kick start a journey of self discovery. When she came back she was ready to start her solo career.         

Kasey Chambers was in her early 20s when she wrote songs like the title track, Cry Like A Baby, This Flower and These Pines for her debut album The Captain in 1999. It came as you can imagine at a painful time for the singer songwriter who witnessed both the demise of the Chambers family group, Dead Ringer Band and the subsequent divorce of her parents. Without it the Kasey Chambers story might have been a whole lot different.  At the core of Kasey’s solo endeavour is a wealth of Americana-styled influences. But while her sound is very old Nashville her stories are wholly Australian. Yet it’s fair to say many of her songs are universal in appeal.

Talking about her debut album back in 1999, Kasey Chambers said, “I’d like to convert some people with this record. I think it has the potential to prove that country music has a lot more depth and soul…” 

In Australian music history, The Captain became one of the most lauded debuts from an Australian musician across any genre, proving that she was right and the appeal she hoped the album would have. (It also changed Australia’s country music scene forever.) Old and new fans alike can experience the warmth, heartache and sincerity of Chambers storytelling, set against a wildly ambitious blend of country rock, bluegrass, honky-tonk and gospel-tinged country music. 

Now 47, with 12 albums, three children, and an ARIA Hall of Fame induction behind her, it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when Kasey Chambers wasn’t a household name or an Australian music icon. Sure, she made a name for herself in country circles with her family prior to 1999 but she would have to wait for her debut album especially its title track to demonstrate that Kasey Chambers was a fully formed bonafide talent. 

The Captain in many respects is the song Chambers is most associated with. (Though a case could also be made for her Australian charts #1 hit single Not Pretty Enough from 2001’s Barricades & Brickwalls.) It was first released in 2000 as the third and final single from her 1999 debut. It went on to win Chambers an ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist. 

There are many in the industry who regard The Captain as one of the greatest Australian songs ever written. It’s country-pop cross over appeal definitely helped its case. In America, it made it onto The Sopranos giving Chambers a huge foot in the door. Subsequently her debut album reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Country Albums charts. 

Lyrically, The Captain upon its release was misinterpreted by many as a song about making yourself subservient to or dependent on a man. Chambers found herself in a situation where some women were coming up to her and saying ‘That’s so sexist’. In truth Chambers said she wrote it “…for someone who’s really special to me. It’s kind of through the eyes of myself in about 10 years’ time, when I want to settle down and take it easy and just be no one for a day.” 

Moreover it’s a song about self-discovery and empowerment, far from the accusations of its alleged sexist undertones. The song tells the story of a woman (probably Chambers) setting off on a journey to find her own voice and independence.  “Well I have handed all my efforts in/ Searched here for my second wind/ Is there somewhere here to let me in I asked/ So I slammed the doors they slammed at me/ I found the place I’m meant to be/ I figured out my destiny at last.”