Real Life are an Australian new wave and synth-pop band that achieved international chart success with their 1983 singles "Send Me an Angel" and "Catch Me I'm Falling", both of which were taken from their debut studio album, Heartland (1983). The band originally consisted of David Sterry (lead vocals and guitar), Richard Zatorski (keyboards and violin), Allan Johnson (bass guitar), and Danny Simcic (drums). Steve Williams (keyboards) replaced Zatorski in 1986, and was replaced by George Pappas in 1995 after a long hiatus of band activity.
History
1980–1984: Heartland
In late 1980, Richard Zatorski placed an ad in a Melbourne newspaper as a keyboard player looking for a guitarist with whom to write songs, and David Sterry responded. The two formed a writing partnership and began work on the material that would eventually become the first songs by Real Life. First using the name The Wires, Sterry and Zatorski started doing gigs accompanied by a primitive drum machine they named Gloria. In 1981, the pair decided to recruit more musicians, and through another newspaper ad, they found bassist Allan Johnson and drummer Danny Simcic. The group changed their name to avoid confusion with the English band Wire, and became known as A Private Life, which soon gained a loyal following, opening for bands such as INXS, Mi-Sex, The Church, Midnight Oil, and others. A band from Sydney called Private Lives threatened legal action over their name, which prompted them to change it once again, this time to Real Life.
After hearing an early version of "Send Me an Angel", the group's manager, Glenn Wheatley, was so impressed that he formed his own label, Wheatley Records, to release it as a single in early 1983. "Send Me an Angel" became a top 10 hit in Australia, and featured it in a scene wherein riders on BMX bikes performed various freestyle stunts as the song played.
1989–2000: Lifetime and Happy
In 1989, Real Life released a new version of "Send Me an Angel", titled "Send Me an Angel '89", which fared slightly better than the original in the United States.
2003–present day: Imperfection
In 2003, the band signed to the American independent label A Different Drum, and released their fifth studio album, Imperfection.
!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"|NZ<br>
!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"|SWI<br>
!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"|USA<br>
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! scope="row"|Heartland
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- Released: November 1983
- Label: Wheatley <small>(WRLP 1003)</small>
- Formats: Vinyl, CD, cassette
| style="text-align:center;"| 30
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
| style="text-align:center;"| 38
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| style="text-align:center;"| 58
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! scope="row"|Flame
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- Released: October 1985
- Label: Wheatley <small>(SFL1 0128)</small>
- Formats: Vinyl, CD, cassette
| style="text-align:center;"| 42
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! scope="row"|Lifetime
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- Released: October 1990
- Label: Curb, <small>(D2-77271)</small>
- Formats: Vinyl, CD, cassette
| style="text-align:center;"| 95
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! scope="row"|Happy
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- Released: October 1997
- Label: Momentum <small>(MOM1001)</small>
- Formats: CD
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! scope="row"|Imperfection
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- Released: 2004
- Label: A Different Drum <small>(ADDCD1193)</small>
- Formats: 2×CD
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! scope="row"|Send Me an Angel – '80s Synth Essentials
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- Released: 2009
- Label: Cleopatra <small>(CLP3524)</small>
- Formats: CD, digital download
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! scope="row"|Sirens
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- Released: January 2020
- Label: Real Life Music
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
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Compilations
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album details
! colspan="1"| Peak chart position
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!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"|AUS<br />
!width="40"|<small>AUT</small><br>
!width="40"|<small>CAN</small><br>
!width="40"|<small>GER</small><br>
!width="40"|<small>US Dance</small><br>
!width="40"|<small>US<br>Alternative</small><br>
!Album
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|rowspan="3"| 1983
| "Send Me an Angel"
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| 18
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 19
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 29
| style="text-align:center;"| 54
| style="text-align:center;"| –
|rowspan="4"| Heartland
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| "Openhearted"
| style="text-align:center;"| 72
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| "Catch Me I'm Falling"
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| 12
| style="text-align:center;"| 40
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| 1984
|"Always" (Germany only)
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| style="text-align:center;"| 54
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|rowspan="2"| 1985
| "Face to Face"
| style="text-align:center;"| 32
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| 52
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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|rowspan="2"| Flame
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| "One Blind Love"/"Love's Not Easy"
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|rowspan="1"| 1986
| "Babies"
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|rowspan="1"| Down Comes the Hammer
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|rowspan="2"| 1989
| "Send Me an Angel '89"
| style="text-align:center;"| 51
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| 22
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| 26
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| –
| Best of Real Life
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| "Let's Fall in Love" (US and Canada only)
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| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| –
| style="text-align:center;"| 21
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| Let's Fall In Love
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|rowspan="2"| 1990
| "God Tonight"
| style="text-align:center;"| 83
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| 9
| style="text-align:center;"| 15
|rowspan="2"| Lifetime
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| "Kiss the Ground"
| style="text-align:center;"| 161
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| style="text-align:center;"| 27
| style="text-align:center;"| –
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| 1996
| "Deep Sleep"
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|rowspan="2"| Happy
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|rowspan="2"| 1997
|"Meltdown"
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|"Like a Ghost"
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| non-album single
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| 2004
| "Oblivion"
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| Imperfection
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| 2005
| "Send Me an Angel" <small>(Starcity with Real Life)</small>
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| non-album single
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| 2015
| "Way to Nowhere"/"Small World"
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| non-album single
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Awards and nominations
Countdown Music Awards
Countdown was an Australian pop music TV series on national broadcaster ABC-TV from 1974 to 1987 and it presented music awards from 1979 to 1987, known as the Countdown Music Awards.
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1983
| Heartland
| Best Debut Album
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|-
| "Send Me an Angel"
| Best Debut Single
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| themselves
| Most Promising New Talent
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|-