For many couples in a certain age bracket, “Lost in Love” and “All Out of Love” provided the soundtrack for their first date … or their first kiss … or their first, you know, hookup. Yep, Air Supply‘s back-to-back No. 13 and No. 2 hits of 1980 were the start of many things.

Even for Air Supply.

For the Australian soft-rock act, “Lost in Love” and “All Out of Love” marked the beginning of superstardom after the group’s career had been pronounced dead.

On the occasion of three New Jersey Air Supply shows (in Englewood, Atlantic City and New Brunswick), I revisited a conversation with Air Supply singer Russell Hitchcock from 2007, in which he spoke of his group’s unlikely comeback — a true illustration of the chaos theory.

Recalled the Melbourne native, now 67: “We’d had great success in Australia in 1976, when we first released our recordings there. I think in January of ’77, we got to play with Rod Stewart in Australia for four or five shows. After the second or third show, we were invited to open for him in North America later that year.

“So we said to our record company in Australia, which was CBS, that we’re gonna do this tour. They said, ‘You shouldn’t do it. It’s too soon.’ We released our first recording in October of ’76; this was January of ’77; and the tour started in September. But we were very adamant that we were going to do that. Nobody had really appreciated the magnitude of touring with Rod. It was a big deal then. I mean, it still is. Anyway, we had a big blowout with them over that decision.”

Air Supply indeed toured with Stewart. When the group — which included singer-songwriter Graham Russell — returned to Australia, an unpleasant surprise awaited.

“We were dead in the water,” said Hitchcock. “Couldn’t get arrested. For the next year and a half, we couldn’t play anywhere. We couldn’t get booked. I was living with my parents. Graham actually went to Adelaide in South Australia. He wrote a bunch of songs. ‘Lost in Love’ and ‘All Out of Love’ were included in those songs.
“So he called me and said, ‘I’ve got a bunch of stuff that I think is really cool. Why don’t you come over?’ I flew to Adelaide. The band, we got ourselves there. He played me ‘Lost in Love’ and ‘All Out of Love.’ I said to him, ‘These are big hits. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re both going to be monsters.’ “

Hitchcock’s instincts were correct.

“Of course,” he said, ” ‘Lost in Love’ launched our career internationally, and ‘All Out of Love’ is just a fantastic song. We usually close the show with it. It gets the best response of any song that we play.

“It was definitely a song that was marked for history. It gives me goosebumps to be able to be involved in the song. I love to play it every night.”

AIR SUPPLY
Friday: 8 p.m. at Bergen County Performing Arts Center, 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood. $39 to $99. 201-816-8160 or bergenpac.org.
Saturday:
8 p.m. at Resorts Atlantic City, 1133 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. $75. 800-772-9000 or resortsaccom.
Sunday: 8 p.m. at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. $35 to $95.
732-246-7469 or statetheatrenj.org.

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