# What music screams "Australia" to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780 "2008-03-18T14:48:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/1 "2008-03-18T14:48:28Z")
I’m trying to dig up some music to accompany footage from our trip to Australia. But I’m having problems coming up with iconic Australian music ideas. The two inclusions I’ve used so far are “Land Down Under” (of course), “Waltzing Matilda” (of course), and some didgeridoo music that I’ve dug up from somewhere. Obviously I’ve got AC/DC, INXS, etc. to choose from; but those don’t really scream out “Australia” so much as “music from bands who happen to be from Australia.” Any other suggestions? Artist or song titles? I’m just looking for mood music, basically. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/2 "2008-03-18T14:50:18Z")
Men at Work: “Land Down Under” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/3 "2008-03-18T14:50:51Z")
Instrumental stuff with drums and didges. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/4 "2008-03-18T14:56:33Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Men at Work: “Land Down Under” [/QUOTE] Yeah, seconded. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/5 "2008-03-18T14:57:07Z")
[QUOTE=happywaffle] Obviously I’ve got AC/DC, INXS, etc. to choose from; but those don’t really scream out “Australia” so much as “music from bands who happen to be from Australia.” [/QUOTE] I’d agree with you on those two bands but Midnight Oil seems like the quintessential Australian band to me. Especially their big breakthough album, Diesel & Dust. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/6 "2008-03-18T15:02:18Z")
[Boy From Oz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_from_Oz) ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/7 "2008-03-18T15:05:47Z")
[Great Southern Land](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mkidP2OUCk) by Icehouse. [Sounds of Then (This Is Australia)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML9h3I5Uktw) by Ganggajang. [True Blue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX8dne6epZY) by John Williamson. [Raining On The Rock](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCMhW92GYUc) by John Williamson. [Treaty](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PVKDzZ2jIc&feature=related) by Yothu Yindi [Khe Sanh](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmyEv4n8ERI) by Cold Chisel. Everything by [Paul Kelly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3f2x12ShPg). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/8 "2008-03-18T15:21:43Z")
Second only to “Waltzing Matilda,” I don’t think you can get any more Australian than [Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPu-C5vvzU4) by Rolf Harris. Now that I think about it, since the song is from 1957 it ought to have been on my list of [MP3s older than you](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=458637)… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/9 "2008-03-18T15:28:35Z")
[How Bizarre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Bizarre_%28song%29) by OMC. This band is actually from New Zealand and NOT Australia, which I only learned just now when I looked them up. But that song was HUGE in the year 1997, which was the first year where I had my own stereo and so listened to music constantly in my room. I can still remember almost every single pop song that was on the charts in 1997. And “How Bizarre” was always, to me, “that Australian song,” because the singing in it just sounded so Australian. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/10 "2008-03-18T15:30:53Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] And “How Bizarre” was always, to me, “that Australian song,” because the singing in it just sounded so Australian. [/QUOTE] More precisely, like an Australian **Fred Schneider** , with an Australian **Paula Abdul** on backup vocals. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/11 "2008-03-18T15:33:12Z")
The Waifs ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/12 "2008-03-18T15:35:54Z")
Is it just me, or does Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever” sound kind of Australian? (Yes, I know she’s from Colombia.) ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/13 "2008-03-18T15:37:02Z")
Midnight Oil. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/14 "2008-03-18T15:38:48Z")
The Wiggles. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/15 "2008-03-18T15:40:49Z")
[QUOTE=Malthus] The Wiggles. 😃 [/QUOTE] A joke, yes, but their accents really do stick out more than just about any other Australian singers I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/16 "2008-03-18T15:51:47Z")
I’ve seen _Priscilla_ far too many times, because the music that makes me think “Australia” now is ABBA… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/17 "2008-03-18T15:55:00Z")
The soundtracks from the early _Mad Max_ movies. “Soldiers of the Queen,” a Victorian-era patriotic song prominently featured in the (excellent) movie _Breaker Morant_. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/18 "2008-03-18T16:07:30Z")
“Treaty” by Yothu Yindi. ---
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/19 "2008-03-18T16:18:04Z")
I think [Xavier Rudd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Rudd) might be what you’re after - he’s an Australian folk-rock singer who uses Aboriginal instruments in his music, and he sings about a lot of uniquely Australian themes. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780/20 "2008-03-18T16:25:25Z")
If you’re willing to use songs _about_ Australia by non-Australian bands, I heartily recommend “Australia” by The Kinks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-music-screams-australia-to-you/441780.md?page=2)