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While my visit occurred shortly after 2009's Australia Day, I'm sure this song was song many a time. This, alongside "Walzing Matilda" and "Advance Australia Fair" are considered to be the Australian national songs. While not the official anthem, this is a perfect song to capture the sheer sense of pride and history Australians have. A perfect song to represent their day.
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The weird thing about living in a westernized foreign country at length is that you don't realize what music is unique to that part of the world and what is general pop music (i.e. American) until you return. This one was a little clearer for me as I only heard it in one location. During my week long spring break in New Zealand, this was our tour bus's wake up song. And it was such a perfect way to cement this song in our heads with great memories.
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My Australian roommate would play this song nearly every day. It was like her wake up song or something. At any rate, I grew to associate this song with Sydney itself, even if it wasn't actually about that city.
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While in Australia, I was privileged to participate in an unofficial staging of this then-recent musical. I chose this song for my audition piece, and so I listened to it nearly every day for weeks and then for the rest of my stay because it's a fun song. Plus, there's a shout out to Australia in it!
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As part of my assimilation into Australian culture, I caught up on the brilliant series Summer Heights High. Chris Lilley portrayed three great characters at this Australian high school, and while the Mr. G storyline wasn't my favorite, it definitely was the funniest and it produced this misguided ode to a student who recently died at the school.
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Before Cee-Lo Green told us all what we could do, Lily Allen had the "F- You" torch. This British singer was pretty big in Australia before she became noticed in the U.S. and I was hooked on her sweet melody instantly.
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Okay, this came after 2009, but had it not been for Australia, I may have never been exposed to Tim Minchin's beautiful and comedic music. Apart from the gorgeous "White Wine in the Sun," this one is probably my favorite of his. Yes, he's a completely smug jerk the whole time, but it's just so lively! And the full orchestra really sells it. I'm just impressed with his wordplay every time I hear it.
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What amazing timing! The original version of this song was released shortly before my trip and it gained enough popularity for me to notice it the day before I flew across the world. This Australian comedy band decided to construct a medley of every pop song that uses the "4 chord" structure. It sent me on a journey to seek out every such song and I've never looked back. They'd update the song every year for a while, so I'm including their 2011 version, which is better paced and has more recognizable songs for an American audience. But the original introduced me to the next three Australian hits on my mix.
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First up is "Amazing." A simple yet powerful love song. It has the 4 chord structure. And I like it because of that.
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This one I find myself turning to more often however. I think it's the video and Amiel's snarky attitude towards love that really sells it for me. Reminds me of, like, every relationship ever.
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And then came "High." This is honestly one of my favorite songs. Probably in the top 10. I just think it is astoundingly beautiful, and, the fact that I listened to it all the time in Australia, it is forever linked with that amazing continent. (And I strongly prefer the album version, which is hard to find on YouTube.)
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Another piece of music that I truly adore. It's not Australian, but thanks to the "Where the Hell Is Matt?" video, it inspired me to do as many great things as I could during my travels. It is the definitive traveling to a different country song, for me. Enjoy this beautiful world.
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And finally, I told you that Australians have a lot of national pride, and no where is that more clear than in their travel commercials. The airline Qantas became my second home due to all the traveling I did, so I became familiar with their ad campaign. This song has been recorded and updated consistently, but I went with this choral version, as it was my version. I still call Australia home...
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