Music To Our Ears

Myf Warhurst charts the hits of H&G’s life.

1948 Bing Crosby

THE ANNIVERSARY SONG A song for lovers everywhere, by one of the best baritones in the business.

1949 Dinah Shore BUTTONS AND BOWS

A jaunty little love ditty from the soundtrack to The Paleface, which also nabbed an Academy Award for best original song.

1950 Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters QUICKSILVER

From one of the most successful pairings in recording history, this song is full of the Andrews Sisters’ trademark harmonies.

1951 Nat King Cole TOO YOUNG

An anthem for all young, star-crossed lovers. The real beginning of the teen revolution, all wrapped neatly in Nat King Cole’s honeyed voice.

1952 Vera Lynn AUF WIEDERSEH’N SWEETHEART

This heartbreaker contained an extra level of postwar pathos, with the backing vocals sung by soldiers and airmen of Her Majesty’s forces.

1953 Jo Stafford YOU BELONG TO ME

Initially an American woman’s plea to a sweetheart serving overseas in World War II, this became a universal song about lovers separated by distance.

1954 Frank Weir THE HAPPY WANDERER

An original composition (though often mistaken for a German folk song) made famous by Weir and his soprano saxophone.

1955 Bill Haley & His Comets ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

Rock ‘n’ roll arrived, baby. And once this song hit, the world changed forever.

1956 Johnnie Ray JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN

A song from the perspective of two prisoners walking in the prison courtyard, wondering what the girls are doing. Sung by a fella many consider to be the father of rock’n’roll.

1957 Perry Como ROUND AND ROUND

A slow-build song from the popular American singer and TV personality. Brimming with optimism and key changes.

1958 Perry Como CATCH A FALLING STAR

The melody was based on Brahms’ ‘Academic Festival Overture’, but the hit was all Perry. Sung by parents to kids at bedtime everywhere.

1959 The Platters SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES

An absolute beauty, delivered by one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock’n’roll era.

1960 Elvis Presley IT’S NOW OR NEVER

Bursting with passion, Elvis makes a case to women everywhere to take everything to the next level. And at the time, who could refuse?

1961 Eddie Hodges I’M GONNA KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR

Originally released by the Isley Brothers, this number was a huge hit for the teen actor. *Notable mention: Chubby Checker’s ‘Let’s Twist Again’. In a time of songs that inspired dance crazes, this was one of the best.

1962 Roy Orbison WORKING FOR THE MAN

Working hard to play later is the core of this popular foot-tapper. Add Orbison’s golden voice and you’ve got a hit!

1963 The Chantays PIPELINE

Inspired by the new surfing craze emerging at the time, this surf instrumental was the pick of the bunch. *Notable mention: The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ – girl-group power and one of my favourite songs of all time.

1964 The Beatles I SAW HER STANDING THERE

The Beatles invasion had begun and it was unstoppable. Cue teenage girls screaming.

1965 The Beatles HELP!

From the soundtrack of the Fab Four’s own film of the same name. *Notable mention: The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’. No list would be complete without this classic, containing one of the most recognisable riffs in contemporary music history.

1966 Nancy Sinatra THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN’

This glorious stomper was written by Lee Hazlewood and turned into an empowered anthem for women everywhere. *Notable mention: The Easybeats’ ‘Friday On My Mind’, a true classic from Australia’s first global rock’n’roll superstars.

1967 Engelbert Humperdinck THE LAST WALTZ

A fine slice of British easy listening, from the king of smooth himself. *Notable mention: ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin. At a time when the world was waking up to civil rights, this became a powerful statement.

1968 The Beatles HEY JUDE

The song Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during his parents’ divorce. And with it, the band soothed the world. *Notable mention: Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’. The sweetest, catchiest ‘Doo doo doo...’ song ever. Doubly famous for being on the soundtrack of The Graduate.

1969 The Beatles OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

This was Paul McCartney’s attempt to share a growing interest in Jamaican music. Never released as a single in the UK, it went straight to number one in Australia. John Lennon allegedly hated it. *Notable mention: Russell Morris’ ‘The Real Thing’. Written by Johnny Young and produced by Molly Meldrum, this was Australia’s version of the musical acid trip.

1970 The Beatles LET IT BE Paul McCartney’s song about divine intervention, of sorts.

1971 Daddy Cool EAGLE ROCK Using a saying that was a metaphor for sex, this song is solely responsible for the fine Australian tradition of dancing with your pants around your ankles whenever you hear it.

1972 Donny Osmond PUPPY LOVE A teen-star revival of a Paul Anka hit from 12 years before. *Notable mention: Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’.

1973 Tony Orlando and Dawn TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE This jaunty song references a tradition of women wearing yellow ribbons around their necks when their husbands were away at war, then tying them around trees on their return (if they were still keen).

1974 Alvin Stardust MY COO CA CHOO Bring on the glam rock by Peter Shelley’s alter ego. Times were certainly a-changin’.

1975 Sweet FOX ON THE RUN A song about groupies by these magnificently attired British glam rockers. *Notable mention: David Bowie’s ‘Fame’, because no list is complete without Bowie and this squelchy number is one of his best.

1976 Abba FERNANDO A song almost EVERY Australian loved. It was on Abba’s Arrival album, which was in pretty much every single Australian home in the 1970s. The band’s white jumpsuits are forever etched into my retinas. *Notable mention: Bryan Ferry’s ‘Let’s Stick Together’ – the soundtrack for ’70s key parties!

1977 Julie Covington DON’T CRY FOR ME ARGENTINA From the musical Evita, this song touched a nerve around the world with Eva Perón asking her country not to mourn her. Cue mourning regardless. *Notable mention: Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’. This hypnotic little number is now touted as one of the most influential records ever made, with production by Giorgio Moroder heralding the beginnings of electronic music.

1978 John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT Ah, the memories of Olivia Newton-John wearing those shiny, skintight pants and singing this with Travolta at the end of Grease makes it one of the best duets of ALL TIME. *Notable mention: Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Don’t Stop’ – anything off their Rumours album is okay with me.

1979 Racey LAY YOUR LOVE ON ME Hand-clapping British pop at its best, with dance moves to match. *Notable mention: Blondie’s ‘Heart Of Glass’. Everyone I know wanted to be Debbie Harry; we could only pretend through this song.

1980 Split Enz I GOT YOU This release marked the beginning of the New Zealand art-pop invasion by Split Enz, which then gave us Crowded House. Thank you to the Finn brothers. *Notable mention: Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough’, a dancefloor filler for the ages.

1981 The Swingers COUNTING THE BEAT More catchy sounds from another lot of talented New Zealanders. Sadly, this was their only hit. *Notable mention: Men At Work’s ‘Down Under’ – no Australian soundtrack is complete without this classic.

1982 Survivor EYE OF THE TIGER The ultimate pump-up song that arose from the soundtrack of Rocky III and now soundtracks practically every sporting event. *Notable mention: Culture Club’s ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’. Boy George and crew played with gender norms and inspired a generation.

1983 Austen Tayshus AUSTRALIANA This spoken-word piece, written by Billy Birmingham, was full of Australian puns. According to some sources, it’s still the nation’s bestselling single ever. *Notable mention: ‘Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie, a fabulous song with a clip filmed in Australia. It shone a light on indigenous issues long before we examined them ourselves.

1985 USA For Africa WE ARE THE WORLD A celeb-fest of the highest order. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, this song sold 20 million copies and raised money for famine relief in Africa. *Notable mention: ‘What You Need’ by INXS; it was just the something we all needed.

1986 Bananarama VENUS These three ladies turned their cover of the ’60s Shocking Blue song into an ’80s anthem. *Notable mention: John Farnham’s ‘You’re The Voice’ – a rousing Australian anthem and huge comeback single from a man who also made blonde mullets and Driza-Bone jackets a thing.

1987 Kylie Minogue THE LOCO-MOTION Our own Kylie did a version of this Gerry Goffin and Carole King song, made famous by Little Eva. It was such a big hit, Kylie went from Neighbours to Countdown in seconds. *Notable mention: George Michael’s ‘I Want Your Sex’. Radical and funky – who knew the two could be combined?

1988 Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE Every single teenage girl swooned at the scene this song soundtracked in the film

DirtyDancing, and it will be forever tied to the saying “Nobody puts Baby in the corner”. If you don’t know why, watch the film. *Notable mention: Robert Palmer’s ‘Simply Irresistible’. This song epitomised the 1980s, with Palmer looking like a Wall Street trader in his shoulder-padded power suit, backed up by interchangeable, hard-bodied models.

1984 Stevie Wonder I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU A glorious keyboard-driven love song, with one of the best key changes ever recorded. Also Wonder’s best-selling single to date. *Notable mention: ‘Like a Virgin’ by Madonna at her controversial best. Religion and sex intertwined and made every parent hate it; all teenage girls loved it.

1989 Madonna LIKE A PRAYER Madonna at the height of the controversy she so loved to court. And we loved her for it.

1990 Sinéad O’Connor NOTHING COMPARES 2U This cover of the Prince song is one of the most powerful, affecting songs you’ll ever hear. Unforgettable.

1991 Bryan Adams (EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU The master of the power ballad came through with a worldwide hit. *Notable mention: Daryl Braithwaite’s ‘The Horses’. No-one could have predicted that the former singer from Sherbet had such a huge hit in him. And it’s still paying off.

1992 Billy Ray Cyrus ACHY BREAKY HEART Chock-full of linedancing and country prancin’, this is the song NO-ONE would admit to buying, although clearly EVERYONE did. *Notable mention: ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana. Grunge changed everything and this was the catalyst.

1993 Meat Loaf I’D DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE (BUT I WON’T DO THAT) We wondered for decades what ‘that’ could be, but after >

Meat Loaf’s performance at the 2015 AFL Grand Final, we now think it’s best not to ask. *Notable mention: Lenny Kravitz’s ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’.

One of the most unmistakable riffs of all time, matched with a stomping beat, added up to an instant classic.

1994 Wet Wet Wet LOVE IS ALL AROUND Made famous by the soundtrack of FourWeddings AndAFuneral, this cover of The Troggs song was just as wet as the band responsible. *Notable mention: Warren G and Nate Dogg’s ‘Regulate’. When gangsta funk went mainstream. This was the sound of something naughty that your grandmother wouldn’t object to.

1995 Coolio (featuring LV) GANGSTA’S PARADISE This number-one hit proved that rap, hip-hop and R’n’B were now truly here to stay.

1996 Los Del Rio MACARENA Thanks, Los Del Rio, for making something EVERYONE can dance to at weddings. Still. *Notable mention: ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis. The Britpop invasion had reached our shores with this rousing tune and there was no stopping it.

1997 Elton John CANDLE IN THE WIND This beauty was sadly reimagined for the funeral of Elton’s friend, Princess Diana. It will forever remind us of her.

1998 Ricky Martin THE CUP OF LIFE What happens when a hottie from boy band Menudo grows up? You get the best-looking singer for a sporting event ever, at the FIFA World Cup.

1999 Lou Bega MAMBO NO. 5 We really loved a dance song in the ’90s. Enough already.

2000 Anastacia I’M OUTTA LOVE Anastacia’s belter of a voice matched the impassioned plea for empowerment in this song. Single ladies (me) in Oakley sunglasses loved this song. *Notable mention: Britney Spears’ ‘Oops!...I Did It Again’ , a masterful pop song performed by a former Mickey Mouse Club member whose fame would go global.

2001 LeAnn Rimes CAN’T FIGHT THE MOONLIGHT From the soundtrack to Coyote Ugly, this was a crossover hit for country-pop artist Rimes. *Notable mention: ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ by Kylie Minogue. Adorned with hotpants, Australia’s pop queen found her throne with this song and has never left it.

2002 Eminem WITHOUT ME This bouncy tune showed that Eminem did have a sense of humour, albeit one that would knock his critics. *Notable mention: Nelly’s ‘Hot In Herre’. If you haven’t danced to this one in a sweaty club, you haven’t lived.

2003 Guy Sebastian ANGELS BROUGHT ME HERE Following his Australian Idol win, Guy hit us with this showstopper and has been unstoppable ever since. *Notable mention: ‘Hey Ya!’ by OutKast. Combining a retro aesthetic with hip-hop, this has to be one of the greatest songs of ALL TIME.

2004 Shannon Noll WHAT ABOUT ME Some say Noll should have won Australian Idol in 2003, but he was pipped at the post by Guy Sebastian. This cover of the Moving Pictures song knocked the charts out of the park and put Nollsy back in the winner’s circle. *Notable mention: Jet’s ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’. Who knew a bunch of rock ‘n’ roll-loving boys from Dingley, Victoria, would become our biggest musical export in years?

2005 Anthony Callea THE PRAYER And the Australian Idol invasion continued… *Notable mention: Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digger’. Sampling Ray Charles on this track was pure genius. We lapped it up.

2006 Sandi Thom I WISH I WAS A PUNK ROCKER A surprisingly sparse ode to simpler times from this Scottish singer touched a nerve with young and old alike. *Notable mention: Justin Timberlake’s ‘SexyBack’ – and he really did bring it back.

2007 Fergie BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY Going from The Black Eyed Peas to solo and straight to number one, Fergie released a call to action for anyone who’s ever wanted to change their life. *Notable mention: Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’. In one song, she made up a whole new way of saying “Um...ber...rella...eh...eh...eh”.

2008 Flo-Rida (featuring T-Pain) LOW A mainstream embodiment of Southern hip-hop style turned dancefloor banger.

2009 The Black Eyed Peas I GOTTA FEELING Destined to be a number one and become the soundtrack for every sporting event, alcohol ad, party, etc. It does what it says on the packet: “Tonight’s gonna be a good night...” *Notable mention: Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’. The accompanying dance routine was attempted on dancefloors everywhere, with varying results.

2010 Eminem (featuring Rihanna) LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE A powerful song about abusive relationships.

2011 LMFAO PARTY ROCK ANTHEM Bubblegum party-song-bynumbers that worked a treat for a duo who clearly had their irony meters switched to high. *Notable mention: ‘Somebody

That I Used To Know’ by Gotye (featuring Kimbra). No one knew Australia’s Wally De Backer when this song first came out. But the clip and the sentiment about bad break-ups touched a chord.

2012 Carly Rae Jepsen CALL ME MAYBE Still one of the catchiest songs of recent times, from an impeccable pop artist.

2013 Katy Perry ROAR A song that never quits, which matched Katy’s ascent to the top of the pop pile. Responsible for some of the worst karaoke versions of all time. *Notable mention: ‘Get Lucky’ by Daft Punk (featuring Pharrell Williams). With the disco-funk guitar of Nile Rodgers, there was no doubt this was THE dancefloor filler of 2013.

2014 Pharrell Williams HAPPY Two words: Pure. Joy. *Notable mention: Sia’s ‘Chandelier’. Finally, the world embraced the singular songwriting talent and incredible voice of Australia’s Sia, even though she never showed us her face.

2015 Mark Ronson (featuring Bruno Mars) UPTOWN FUNK This song was a game-changer, its combination of retro and future sounds proving perfect for the times.

2016 The Chainsmokers (featuring Halsey) CLOSER An emotional ditty that saw this EDM (electronic dance music) duo break into the Australian mainstream. The perfect embodiment of 2016 pop. *Notable mention: Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’. Here she is, our queen Bey, changing the game again.

2017 Ed Sheeran SHAPE OF YOU A sexy song from one of the least sexy fellas in music. Good for him.