Heartbreaking Inspiration: Aussie Song’s Tragic Backstory

Kav Temperly, the lead vocalist of Eskimo Joe, shared that one of their popular tunes was birthed from the heart-rending demise of renowned Australian actor Heath Ledger.

On Monday, the musician, aged 46, led fans on a nostalgic journey by sitting in his home studio garage and sharing the story behind composing “Foreign Land”.

In 2009, the popular tune climbed up to the 13th spot on the ARIA charts, and the next year, it was honored with the titles Most Played Australian Work and Rock Song of the Year at the APRA awards.

In a video posted on TikTok, Temperly mentioned that he found inspiration for his work after buying the CD “The Sounds of Turkey” at a local record store.

He mentioned that he stumbled upon a short snippet right smack in the midst of one of those lengthy, ten-minute instrumental solos.

I placed it on my computer, created a small loop, attached a microphone to my drums, and gave my best shot at imitating Led Zeppelin.

Initially, I had an exciting small concept, but our plans changed as we needed to travel to New York for an outstanding gala performance at the Lincoln Memorial Centre. This was significant because we were set to perform in front of numerous high-ranking officials, and during the event on the red carpet, a formally dressed individual approached me to share the news: “I’m just informing you that Heath Ledger has passed away.

The news of the Hollywood star’s death left the entire band grief stricken. 

Temperly remarked that we were quite surprised since he was a remarkably gifted individual, hailing from Perth, our hometown in Western Australia.

As it transpired, he passed away on a street not far from where I walked that day in New York. It deeply impacted us, just like everyone else who attended the memorial service.

Upon their return to Perth, Temperly found himself preoccupied with thoughts of Ledger in the recording studio, causing him to reconsider the original song they had planned.

Initially, we intended to create a substantial rock’n’roll album. However, when I started playing my small tune featuring a Turkish drumbeat and loop, they responded by saying it was an intriguing concept but didn’t quite qualify as a full-fledged song.

I recently began singing a melancholic A minor, C, F chord progression atop this sample, and surprisingly, it fit perfectly well.

The concept that Heath Ledger had been circulating among us stirred within us. So, I stepped up to the microphone as Joel encouraged me, saying, “Take a shot at it, feel free to sing whatever pops into your mind.

That’s what popped into my mind: ‘I sense the scent of an Australian. Can you comprehend me if you’re able?’,” he crooned.

He passed away due to a tragic overdose of prescribed drugs on the 22nd of January, 2008, in the SoHo area of New York City.

Specifically, he died from a combination of painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs, and sleeping pills.

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2025-05-15 08:37