On the Inside (song)
Encyclopedia
"On the Inside" is the theme song for the Australian soap opera Prisoner
(known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in some territories). It was written by Allan Caswell
and performed by Lynne Hamilton
.
Caswell recalls that his 'publisher was having lunch with a guy from Grundy's
one Friday and asked what they had coming up. They already had music for Prisoner, but the final decision was being made on the Monday and if we could get something to them by then they'd listen to it. ""I didn't get a chance to work on it until the Sunday afternoon. It was like buying a lottery ticket _ either I write something and it might get accepted or I don't write something and not give myself a chance." Caswell recorded the song on a portable cassette player 'and gave it to his publisher who delivered it without listening to it. "Within five days, I was in the studio with Lynne Hamilton. She got half way through the song and burst into tears. Anyone who believed in it like that was going to do a good version of it."'
The song was a hit in Australia in 1979 when the television show was launched, and reached number three in the UK singles charts in 1989 when the show attracted millions of viewers in its late night slot in ITV
regions.
In 2009, writer Allan Caswell alleged that Alabama
's song "Christmas in Dixie" was 'ripped off' from "On the Inside", but conceded that legal action was unlikely as both he and Alabama were signed to Sony.
The song was rerecorded and released by singer Ella Hooper
to coincide with Foxtel
's Australian re-run of the series, which started in March 2011. Reggae
singer Donna Marie has also recorded a version, with minor alterations to some lines.
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
(known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in some territories). It was written by Allan Caswell
Allan Caswell
Allan Caswell is an Australian songwriter and performer, author, record producer, freelance journalist and teacher. He has had over 900 songs published and over 500 recordings of his songs worldwide in a career lasting over 30 years....
and performed by Lynne Hamilton
Lynne Hamilton
Lynne Hamilton is a singer and Evangelist minister.-Early life and career:Hamilton was born in Lancashire, England, the eldest of four children. Her career as a singer began as a teenager when she joined a backing group The Desperadoes. They appeared on the same bill as acts such as The Who,...
.
Caswell recalls that his 'publisher was having lunch with a guy from Grundy's
Reg Grundy Organisation
The Reg Grundy Organisation was an Australian television production company founded in 1959 by businessman Reg Grundy . It has since branched out into Europe and the USA. The company first produced game shows, before branching into soap operas in 1973...
one Friday and asked what they had coming up. They already had music for Prisoner, but the final decision was being made on the Monday and if we could get something to them by then they'd listen to it. ""I didn't get a chance to work on it until the Sunday afternoon. It was like buying a lottery ticket _ either I write something and it might get accepted or I don't write something and not give myself a chance." Caswell recorded the song on a portable cassette player 'and gave it to his publisher who delivered it without listening to it. "Within five days, I was in the studio with Lynne Hamilton. She got half way through the song and burst into tears. Anyone who believed in it like that was going to do a good version of it."'
The song was a hit in Australia in 1979 when the television show was launched, and reached number three in the UK singles charts in 1989 when the show attracted millions of viewers in its late night slot in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
regions.
In 2009, writer Allan Caswell alleged that Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
's song "Christmas in Dixie" was 'ripped off' from "On the Inside", but conceded that legal action was unlikely as both he and Alabama were signed to Sony.
The song was rerecorded and released by singer Ella Hooper
Ella Hooper
Ella Keighery Hooper is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter. Hooper is the lead singer of Killing Heidi, which she has fronted, with her older brother Jesse Hooper, since its formation in 1996...
to coincide with Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
's Australian re-run of the series, which started in March 2011. Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer Donna Marie has also recorded a version, with minor alterations to some lines.