Ten essential sounds that have helped define Australian history and culture have been added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA).
The list honours one of the first women to have a hit song in the Australian charts Pilita Corrales, the highest selling First Nations album by Gurrumul and one of the country's most anthemic and classic protest songs about First Nations land rights in Goanna's track Solid Rock.
Other inductees include Margret RoadKnight’s empowering Girls In Our Town; Powderfinger’s hit These Days; I’ve Been Everywhere by Lucky Starr; and Binny Lum’s extensive collection of celebrity interviews.
Speaking about the announcement, J Yunupingu, on behalf of Gurrumul’s family, said, "The album Gurrumul represents identity of all Yolngu people of North East Arnhem. Dr G has sung in five different Yolngu languages and the publication of these songs is a treasure and a gift for all Australians and people all over the world."
Gurrumul’s manager and producer Skinnyfish Music’s Mark T Grose and Michael Hohnen added, "We are honoured to have this landmark album added to the Sounds of Australia. As a label we are proud to be able to contribute to the artistic estate of this country, and present Dr G Yunupingu’s voice and musicianship - a treasure in its own right - to the greater population. Dr G Yunupingu was a beautiful, gentle and significant force, whose important language, powerful voice and spirit embody a deeper culture of this country."
Goanna’s Shane Howard was "deeply moved" when he received the news and said, "It means a lot to know that Solid Rock, which set out to shine a light on the historical injustice suffered by Aboriginal Australians, is now to be formally set in stone as a part of Australian history."
Powderfinger also shared, "It's a great honour for us to have our music included amongst some of the finest ever made in this country in the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia. These Days almost wrote itself and was based on a very simple motif that circles around the same four chords and lyrics that lament time and the pressure it places in our daily lives. The repetition was intentional and reinforces its simple message. Given that it was never a single, it is surprising that it has become one of our most enduring and loved songs."
Sounds of Australia was launched in 2007 "to honour the Australian sounds that changed history, or defined our evolving cultural identity". They are recognised for their cultural, historical and/or aesthetic achievements.
The 2018 Sounds of Australia are, in chronological order:
1905 Caro Mio Ben - Ada Crossley: A prominent turn-of-the century opera singer.
1926 Freshie/After the Dawn - Sydney Simpson and his Wentworth Café Orchestra: After the Dawn is the first entirely Australian recording, composed, performed, recorded and pressed by Australians.
1955-1967 Binny Lum Collection - Binny Lum and interviewees: The Melbourne broadcaster’s collection of interviews includes exclusives with The Beatles, Barbra Streisand and countless Australian and global stars.
1959 Come Closer to Me - Pilita Corrales: A Filipino woman singing in Spanish was one of the first female singers to make the Australian charts with a locally produced record!
1962 I’ve Been Everywhere - Lucky Starr: More than 131 versions of this tongue-twister exist, confirming its universal appeal and ongoing popularity.
1976 Girls in Our Town - Margret RoadKnight: An empowering song about the trials and tribulations of teenage girls during the 1970s era of women’s liberation.
1982 Solid Rock – Goanna: A protest message that resonated with the Australian public.
1992-2008 Songlines: Songs of the East Australian Humpback Whales - Mark Franklin: Featuring Migaloo, the famous albino
humpback whale.
1999 These Days –Powderfinger: One of the alternative band’s most popular tracks.
2008 Gurrumul – Gurrumul: The best-selling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music album in Australian history.
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