AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST HITS

They are 35 songs that changed Australian music, from pioneering rock to banging dance writes Cameron Adams. But which would you pick as the best Australian songs of all time? Here’s our list.

It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll) – AC/DC (1975)

Songs about being in a rock band can suck. Not this one, from the pen of Ronald Scott. Taken from their second album, this was from a man who’d already tried to make it with other bands. AC/DC looked like his ticket but they were still far from fame.

Flame Trees – Cold Chisel (1984)

Sure there were big pop hits after this, but you wouldn’t have Chandelier without Breathe Me. This was early, broken Sia — Breathe Me is both hard to listen to but cathartic. Plus, that voice.

Sure Khe Sanh is a stone-cold classic but it’s perhaps overplayed. Flame Trees is a song not only with a few more miles on the clock but about to call it a day. It’s a Steve Prestwich tune, with Don Walker writing lyrics about his youth in Grafton (where the flame trees are a native) and Jimmy Barnes delivering them with one of his most evocative vocals. And it really comes to life as a communal anthem live.

Treaty – Yothu Yindi (1991)

Inspired by the lack of progress on a treaty between Indigenous Australians and the government, it was a dance remix from Melbourne’s Filthy Lucre dance crew that saw Yothu Yindi become the first Aboriginal act to score a mainstream hit in Australia.

You’re The Voice – John Farnham (1986)

It’s not known as the other national anthem for nothing. Yes, you’ve heard it a million times. Yes, he’s got other songs just as good (Age Of Reason, Playing to Win) but You’re The Voice was a moment in time that changed our culture. He was broke and washed up, he knew this was a powerful song he could nail. And it’s that voice, and that message, that has made this song relatively immortal in the world of modern music.

Chains – Tina Arena (1994)

Fact: Chains should be held in the same sky-high regard as You’re The Voice, Khe Sanh and The Horses. Firstly, it is a vocal masterclass. The pure power and precision in Arena’s delivery is something to behold. And it’s because she’s telling her own truth.

How do you choose one Paul Kelly song? This is everything Paul Kelly does better than just about anyone in just over three minutes — a story that carries you along like a great book, a rollicking tune and when it ends you feel better than when it began.

Friday On My Mind – The Easybeats (1966)

Took The Children Away – Archie Roach (1990)

Write what you know, they say. So Roach’s very first single tells his story of being part of the Stolen Generation: “Snatched from our mother’s breast, said this was for the best.”

It doesn’t have a chorus, has a dark edge and a trancelike feel, yet this may well be the perfect pop song. Kylie heard the demo of this song and could picture what she could do with it – which is turn it into a quintessentially Kylie song.

Truly, Madly, Deeply was the big romantic ballad, but there’s something about To The Moon and Back that captures the pop that Savage Garden bottled. It’s a miniepic, with nods to Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel, full of wonder and longing and Darren Hayes’ built-forthe-masses vocals.

Breathe Me – Sia (2004) My People – The Presets (2008) A cultural shift. In the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s it was all about pub rock. But this was the generation who grew up embracing club music and DJs. The Presets had the right song at the right time — an anthem of unity that was an absolute banger. Overkill – Men at Work (1983) Nothing against the overplayed Who Can It Be Now or Down Under, but have you heard Overkill? Colin Hay was trying to follow up a huge debut album and was writing about ghosts, anxiety, insomnia and depression back in the early ’80s, wrapping it in the most beautiful melody and vocals and a ripper guitar solo. To Her Door – Paul Kelly (1987) Friday On My Mind is 55 this year and still sounds fresh and energetic. It would not only launch Australia as a viable rock export, but also the career of Harry Vanda and George Young as writers and producers. The Loved One – The Loved Ones (1966) The Melbourne band was inspired by the Rolling Stones and the Animals. Their jazz background, trademark organ and quirky feel made this song stand out. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head – Kylie Minogue (2001) Beds Are Burning – Midnight Oil (1987) Midnight Oil put Australia’s treatment of our Indigenous citizens and land rights inside their biggest global hit. If you’re going to mix rock and politics, why not do it with a classic song? To The Moon and Back – Savage Garden (1996)