This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Hunters & Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me"

Pop music from Australia and New Zealand has always boasted a tendency to defy categorization and forge its own unique path regardless of era. That may explain why my familiarity with this wonderfully haunting tune stems not from hearing its original version but instead a relatively recent, highly memorable cover version by Irish singer-songwriter Luka Bloom. While that's unfortunate in some respects, it's also a happy accident that's allowed me now to become intimately acquainted with the original version of "Throw Your Arms Around Me," released quietly in 1985 by Hunters & Collectors.

This is a first-rate guitar pop classic no matter who performs it, a song that projects the kind of emotional resonance and heft reserved for timeless music of permanence. Mark Seymour's lead vocals alone communicate fierce intensity and longing, but the band's nuanced harmonies transform the track into a satisfyingly multi-layered and visceral experience. The chorus perfectly captures a vital melody that feels familiar and exhilaratingly brand new all at the same time, but that's only one aspect of the rejuvenative power of the song - and great music in general.

• Sample or download "Throw Your Arms Around Me" here.
• Compare prices on Hunters & Collectors CDs here.
• Compare prices on Luka Bloom CDs here.
• Top '80s Artists from Australia & New Zealand

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Liberation