This song is an Aussie classic from approx 1986. The lead singer is singing about migrating from Britain to Australia with his family as a child, and the unfamiliar sounds & smells of country Queensland where they settled.
I lived in late 1960's Queensland when 10, 11 and 12 yrs and I remember the long lush deep emerald grass, the powerfull tropical thunderstorms that turned the clouds greenish grey and the strong smell of brimstone which I have never smelled with storms in any other state. The granite in the ground often brought loud ear splitting brighter than day lightning strikes to the ground in the paddock in front of our house. A tree was hit and split 80 metres from our front door and it was struck again 2 years later which finished it off. Livestock was often struck too. A poor elderly man was struck at the local bowling green and all that was left of him was a shadow of ash and bone and his leather shoes and hat band. The thunder was always magnificent and sounded to me, as a kid, like God dropping and endlessly scraping giant furniture across the clouds. It started with a bomb drop vibe and the glass louvre windows and crockery rattled and then it rolled on and on and on as though it was stampeding into the distance. The static in and around you felt buzzy around the skin and hair. Rain would throw down in bucketfulls but even if you were out of it in a dry house your clothes would still be sticking to skin with sweat in the humidity. So it idefinitely is a Queensland feeling that these storms are alive and vindictive. We weren't even living in the far north sugar cane growing region which is closer to the Indonesian monsoons.
The other songs you've been listening to are patriotic Ballard's. In the 80s every pub had a band playing every night of the week. So dozens of bands honed their skills and became good and made the distinctive ozrock sound. You have heard it in bands like hoodoo gurus, mental as anything. Angels, ACDC, men at work, icehouse ,Goanna, Australian crawl, lots more
They wrote this song whilst watching the sugarcane burning from a verandah in Bundaberg. QLD Ty for showing us our Country, you rock . I really enjoy your channel.
I love this song! Totally identify with it. I live in a humid climate with loads of lightning storms, and I also overlook cane fields. When it came out I felt like it could have been written about my town 😄
@@franbradford1182 Sorry to explode the urban myth, Jimmy didn't write it, nor did any Australian. The song had been a great success in the US, they decided to not release the US version in Australia but get Jimmy to make it kind of an Australian song. One of the early music videos for "Working Class Man" used some of the footage from the US music video showing a foundry as well as some of the burning cane fields footage after that with Jimmy. I guess the record company was cutting costs on video production. It did look rather weird as many could tell the foundry wasn't Australian. They later re-did the video to remove the US footage and just use footage shot in Australia only, I presume because coughing up the money wasn't a problem once it became a mega hit in Australia.
YESSSS !!! You have to have lived in Queensland to get some of this song with the sweat, breathing the humidity and lightning cracking over cane fields. I have loved this since it first came out!
I first saw Gangajang live in the mid 80's when I went to a Midnight Oil concert in Rockhampton (Queensland) and were their supporting band. They were promoting their new album and played this song. They were so good I went out and bought the album the following Monday. I still have that album........
Thanks, Ryan, for this song (released in 1985)... the same year as my fourth child was born. Brings back so many memories. Really appreciate you celebrating Aussie music, comedians etc. (BTW, jang is pronounced with a 'hard' J sound, as in Jack). Congrats on the birth of you and your wife's cute little baby boy ! 🎆 All the best from 'Down Under' 💙
Icehouse Band Icehouse are a rock band from Sydney, formed in 1977 as Flowers. Initially known in Australia for their pub-rock style, the band later achieved mainstream success playing new-wave and synthpop music and attained Top 10 singles chart success locally and in both Europe and the U.S. The mainstay of both Flowers and Icehouse has been Iva Davies supplying additional musicians as required. The name "Icehouse", adopted in 1981, comes from an old, cold flat Davies lived in and the strange building across the road populated by itinerant people. Davies and Icehouse extended the use of synthesizers particularly the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Linn drum machine and Fairlight CMI in Australian popular music. Their best-known singles on the Australian charts included "Great Southern Land", "Hey Little Girl", "Crazy", "Electric Blue" and "My Obsession"; with Top Three albums being Icehouse, Primitive Man and Man of Colours.Wikipedia Also known as: Flowers (1977-1980), Iva Davies & Icehouse Origin: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Genres: Rock, new wave, synth-pop Years active: 1977-present
Great Southern Land IS Australia's national anthem (unofficially) :) Hey Ryan if you want to watch an Aussie movie with awesome music watch "Young Einstein" with Yahoo Serious.
We here in Australia have our own sound and genre. This is famously called Aussie Pub Rock. Generally songs that fit in a chill Drinking environment where you can play pool or throw some darts will be considered Pub Rock. Also to note, And I could be wrong but it originated because of the culture of Bands that were hired to come down to pubs and play. It became a Cultural phenomenon and is still common today, this would later created the genre of Pub Rock.
Yep. The thick humid air & that distinctive smell of the soil & the cane as you drove up north from Townsville to Cairns. Doesn't matter how long you're away, it's one of those childhood memories that stays with you.
You need to listen to Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil, the lead singer (Peter Garret) became an Australian Politician - he has some crazy dance moves😂
I think i was about 19 when this song came out, i haven't heard this song for a long time it brings back some good time memories 👍😁. Ryan you should have a listen to MIDNIGHT OIL the 2 songs i suggest are "Beds Are Burning" & "US Forces" interesting Australian band.
Love this song 💖 I first heard it one sweltering summer afternoon and thought 'Wow how appropriate' lol "Out on the patio we sit, and the humidity we breathe, we'd watch the lightning crack over canefields, laugh and think this is Aus-tral-ia" 😆 (Full lyrics below) I think I hear the sounds of then And people talking The scenes recalled, by minute movement And songs they fall, from the backing tape That certain texture, that certain beat To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets In brick veneer on financed beds In a room, of silent hardiflex That certain texture, that certain smell Brings forth the heavy days Brings forth the the night time swell Out on the patio we'd sit And the humidity we'd breathe We watch the lightning crack over canefields Laugh and think, this is Australia The block is awkward - it faces west With long diagonals, and sloping too And in the distance, through the heat haze In convoys of silence the cattle graze That certain texture, that certain smell Brings forth the night time sweat Out on the patio we'd sit And the humidity we'd breathe We watch the lightning crack over canefields Laugh and think that this is Australia To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets In brick veneer on financed beds In a room of silent hardiflex That certain texture, that certain beat Brings forth the heavy days Brings forth the night time heat Out on the patio we'd sit And the humidity we'd breathe We watch the lightning crack over canefields Laugh and think, this is Australia
Damn, great to hear this song again, and thanks for all the hilarious reactions to Aussie stuff (and 'Aussie' stuff!). If you happen to be taking suggestions for classic Aussie songs to react to, then may I recommend John Farnham's 'You're the Voice' (classic Australian rallying cry), or Cold Chisel's 'Flame Trees' (about a bloke having mixed feelings about returning to his hometown), 'Bow River' (about a bloke who's desperate to be back in his hometown) and 'Khe San' (about a Vietnam War veteran, and really controversial when it was released). Really, anything by Cold Chisel! Crowded House's 'Hole in the River' (sad but gives you shivers); pretty much anything by Midnight Oil, but especially 'Beds Are Burning' (Aboriginal rights protest song); Paul Kelly''s 'Leaps and Bounds' (homesickness for Melbourne while in Sydney) and 'From Little Things Big Things Grow' (Aboriginal rights protest song and a history lesson all in one). Also Bernard Fanning's 'Wish You Well' (most cheerful breakup song ever); Hunter's and Collectors' 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' (which was covered by Pearl Jam!), Powderfinger's 'These Days' (another chills down the spine song for me), 'Dancing in the Storm' by Boom Crash Opera (incredibly energising), and 'Solid Rock' by Goanna (another great Aboriginal rights protest song). There are tons more; I could go on forever (and it probably seems like I have already! :oD ). As far as I know none of these songs really made it to the US, but apologies if you've already heard of them. If you haven't they're all worth a listen, with an audience or without.
AWWE Sweet Ryan 💕 you bring Joy, to us All. I Honestly Think, Any Australian, would Accept you as there Go Too/Front Man. I do, & I believe many Aussies would also! You have the Personality, we connect with. 💯👍👍
wow, didn't this bring back memories!! thx Ryan for playing this. Loved your reaction to the music, the theme and the way it was played. Loved the Pub Rock sound.
These guys are still performing I was at a concert in Perth in 2017 and they did this song twice the second time they had a didgeridoo included and it was fantastic. I was treated to a VIP TICKET BY MY HUSBAND AND GOT TO MEET THEM ALL AND GET SELFIES WITH THEM it was a fantastic night out 🎉
At The Astor theatre ? I was there & VIP so backstage with Cal, Buzz etc. After we lost bass player & founding member of the Gang, Chris Bailey of course. RIP Bails, a true gentleman in every sense on the word.
Thanks Ryan, just love this song, living in North Queensland sure know the humidity and the acres of Canefields. It’s pretty spectacular when u get to see them burning. Check out Graeme Conners, Cyclone Season, Let the Canefields Burn. Great singer from Mackay QLD.
Such an iconic Aussie 80s sound, you need to do some more great Aussie music. From back then up to now. An absolute must is ACDC to see our Aussie Rock. We have so many iconic songs and music artists.
Some great suggestions here and what a reminder of the incredible talent Australia has. Ryan my suggestion would be the band Goanna and their song Solid Rock. Great music but more importantly profound lyrics that give Aussies goosebumps. A very powerful and moving song. and to make it even more special it includes music from our First Nations people and their unique instruments. Really worth a listen.
@@starlightshimmery I had a powder blue ghetto blaster. My parents say they still have it! I want it back. It was the best way to make tapes for your friends!
Grace, yep, Tim Minchen's 'Prejudice' song! Great minds think alike... you just beat me to it :) Cannot wait to see Ryan's facial expressions as it dawns on him... as with all of us :/ 🤣🙃
You should check out a song by Archie Roach - Took The Children Away from 1990. He was an indigenous Australian and part of the Stolen Generations, a long and shameful period in Australian history. He sadly passed away a few months ago.
Queensland specifically. Cane fields, humidity, heavy rain at night as the electrical storms roll in. As a kid I used to spend my summers in Rockhampton with my grandparents. Dodging cyclone season to get home. Must be similar in the US Gulf Coast states.
Next, you need to check out the song True Blue by John Williamson. Find the lyric version on his TH-cam Channel. The photos in the clip were submitted by Australians, as a picture of what Australia represented to them personally. When you get to the old bush man with his dog having a beer with a sign that says Office, that's my old mate Wazza who owns Platypus Bushcamp in the rainforest of Eungella, Finch Hatton Gorge, not far from Mackay in Queensland. The video you need to watch for this one is: John Williamson - True Blue (Lyric Video) which is on the John Williamson TV TH-cam channel.
Hahaha to be in the outback takes a long, very long, no bloody long drive to get there... hahahaha... Thanks for making me bring me back to me childhood with this song... Ya made head move around to it also~ Ü
If you wanna watch an Aussie Icon. Best voice on the planet listen to any live version of John Farnham. The Voice of Australia. (Pronounced Farnem) he is the GOAT. ❤️🇦🇺
This song was written when the band were in Bundaberg, my home town. It really is fantastic to listen to as your driving around the same areas that they are singing about.
Ryan, have you caught up with iconic Aussie Rock band “Cold Chisel”. Lead singer is Jimmy Barnes who is loved by just about every Aussie, however he takes a back seat to Ian Moss in this song. It’s about wasting your time working in a factory in the city but longing to be in Bow River which is in northern Western Australia th-cam.com/video/TdVRNDnTKTU/w-d-xo.html
G'day Ryan. This song came out in 85 when I was in my last year of high school (secondary school). This is a classic song and I love it. I grew up in North Queensland in a town called Tully, which is famous for its high rainfall. I think the average annual rainfall is about 4.6 metres, which is a little over 15 feet. I grew up watching storms coming over cane fields (sugar cane) and my first job out of school was as an apprentice electrician in the local sugar mill. When I was young the local farms would burn the cane fields before harvesting. They don't do this anymore because it reduces the sugar content of the cane. The reason it was burned in the old days was that the cane was cut by hand, and burning killed all the rats and snakes in the field. However, this is a spectacular sight and I would highly recommend you search for a sugar cane fire video. It's not unique to Australia, but majestic anyhow.
Hey Ryan, Check out Midnight Oil,Power and Passion, Beds are Burning songs. Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes. AC/DC, they got together in Adelaide, in the 70's. They are iconic Australian Bands. Cheers Adam
Happy Arvo! This is so iconic! It’s my youth. Getting up early on Sunday morning to watch the Top 100 on “Rage” on “Aunty”. I highly recommend watching John Farnham, “You’re The Voice” LIVE. John Farnham IS “The Voice”. He’s just undergone major surgery on his mouth. I wish him all the best.
This takes me back, I was 18 when this came out. Great song, thanks for reacting Ryan 😊 Please check out "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse, another Australian band & awesome song, I think you'll like it 💕
Bed are Burning you should listen to. Check out the lead singer dance style. This bloke went on a to a minister in federal Government. Now got the band back together and touring again.
I really love your reactions to Aussie content, Ryan, and it's great to hear how perfectly you understood the tone of this song too - I feel like you have a bit of the Aussie spirit in you, maybe. :) Aussie pub rock is a rabbit hole you should really go down - I swear Aussie rock of the past has the most unique and iconic sound due to our country's situation somewhat isolated from the rest of the world (makes us fiercely proud of what we have, and willing to stick together and help each other out), there's never been anything quite like it. It also really encompasses the general Aussie spirit - free of unnecessary frills while being honest and down-to-earth. I find it can be a refuge from the complexity and BS of the modern world. Anyway, please listen to more when you get the chance! Maybe some Midnight Oil (a huge activist group of the 80s - 'Beds are Burning' and 'Forgotten Years' are two great choices (the second one is one of my absolute favourites - with a message anyone can take to heart), INXS ('Never Tear Us Apart', 'Suicide Blonde'), John Farnham (who has fantastic live performances - he's a national treasure), Jimmy Barnes/Cold Chisel (many good choices from them). In fact, Farnham and Barnes did a great song with guitarist Jimmy Diesel called 'When Something Is Wrong With My Baby' that's REALLY worth checking out! Other people have mentioned some great options too! Oh! I remembered you asked for links. Here are three: John Farnham - You're the Voice (live): th-cam.com/video/6m2m_9Uijso/w-d-xo.html Midnight Oil - Forgotten Years: th-cam.com/video/X9eap_cKLP4/w-d-xo.html When Something Is Wrong With My Baby - Farnham, Barnes (you can also find a live - 2nd video in the search - which is also good): th-cam.com/video/ihsfx1LuoKc/w-d-xo.html Never Tear Us Apart - INXS: th-cam.com/video/_VU9DjQpvMQ/w-d-xo.html
Hi Ryan, for a really Iconic Aussie song, try "I was only 19" by the band Red Gum. th-cam.com/video/mGDhzVi1bqU/w-d-xo.html It is a song written about the ANZAC soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war. Chills every Aussie and New Zealander, every time we hear it. I'd love to get your reaction
It wasn't about ANZAC soldiers, it was about Australian soldiers. There were New Zealanders in Vietnam & we worked very closely with them & were supported by them (161 New Zealand artillery battery), but they were not involve in this incident. This is based on a 6RAR incident. 2RAR & 4RAR were the ANZAC battalions, in Vietnam. I know, I was there. Do your homework. Dennis.
One of my fave lyrics ... "The block is awkward - it faces west, With long diagonals, sloping too." Apparently they actually built on it - probably with "silent hardiflex" or "brick veneer" 😍
As someone who lived in a house that faces west, I can confirm that is the worst config for an Aussie house. Hot as hell in Summer & freezing in winter. This song is basically if you turned an Aussie Summer into a song. Our summer is over Xmas, & the long school holidays are slow & 'heavy' like the song says.
@@scattysafari7742depends where you live mate. In Western Australia facing east or north is the worst. Especially in summer. We're just onto our 3rd consecutive day of 45C 😂.
It is my understand that to get that guitar sound they got Reg Mombassa (real name Christopher O’Doherty, - born in New Zealand) who was the lead guitarist for the Australian band Mental As Anything.
There's nuthin like sitting on a patio (verandah) watching lighting strike over the sugar cane fields and listening to the cars driving over the cattle grates... With a XXXX or now a Great Northern...
Yep..Out on the patio we sit.. And the humidity we breathe...we Watch the lightning crack over canefíelds, and laugh and think this is Australia. ♥️♥️ I grew up on canefíelds in tropical north Queensland. ♥️♥️
Ryan the lead singer is Mark Callaghan and he fronted a great Punk/Pop band in the late 1970's named The Riptides. Check out songs Sunset Strip, Tomorrows Tears and Only Time.
That takes me back. Summer of ‘93. Cruising down the road on the south coast of NSW in an old EJ Holden station wagon with that skinny blonde in the passenger seat I was gunna ‘get to know’ for the first time. She was rockin’ out to this while the lightning flashed out at sea. I can still smell the sea air, feel the breeze on my face and remember the anticipation of what we were gonna do in the back. 😅
80s music in Australia and the UK was outstanding. I agree. Check out Great Southern Land by Icehouse. Oh, you don’t need to go to the outback. Anywhere outside of a city is still great driving with windows down and music full tilt.
We were certainly spoilt with every genre of music that exists. Australian bands ramped out everything from rock to ballads. Everyone's taste was catered for. Sure we went through the 50's with rock and roll. Then 60's the surfer's sounds and more faster with Stevie Wright and the Easy Beats. Johnny O'Keefe what a legend, Daddy Cool who could forget the smooth sound to Eagle Rock a song still close to many and The Master's Apprentice's all rocked on, who could forget ! Then the '70's highlighted the disco era. Axiom, Split Enz, Normie Rowe and Split Enz. Not forgetting Johnny Farnham climbing up the ladder. Still in the background was Aussie bands testing out the pub crowds with their hopeful hit's. Most making their bands part of the Australian Music scene entertainment heaven and the rest is history ! Australia made it's mark on the world. The world was hearing us from "Down Under" and loving it !!!!!
Hey Ryan, Ozzies love their music. Here are some suggestions. Paul Kelly, how to make gravy (Australian Xmas song) The Go Betweens, streets of your town The Radiators, Comin Home Cat Empire hello Australian Crawl, reckless The Whitlams, I make hamburgers I hope this will get a collection together for you. Cheers Adam
Im a new sub from Melbourne. Really enjoying your reactions. Im like you but I love southern states of USA rather than Australia. This was one good song for Australia. Maybe check out The Tenants You Sh** Me to Tears song 😂 oh and Great Southern Land by Icehouse
flicked through the comments and didn't see anyone mention Midnight Oil. WTF. Such an iconic Aussie band, not to mention Peter Garrett also became a member of parliament for a couple terms. They are a must watch Ryan.
80s Aussie classic songs you have to hear. Soul Kinda Feeling by Dynamic Heptonics. Electric Blue by Icehouse. Live it up by Mental as Anything. TH-cam will send you down the right path if you look these up.
Hey Ryan, I’ve subscribed, I like your easy-going manner and love the fact that you rewound that first pause to get the full effect of the lead in to the chorus. I can suggest so much and would love to see your reaction, but for now try power and the passion by Midnight Oil. The drums are incredible as is the energy.
This song is an Aussie classic from approx 1986. The lead singer is singing about migrating from Britain to Australia with his family as a child, and the unfamiliar sounds & smells of country Queensland where they settled.
Cattle and Cane by the Go Betweens was written by Grant McLennan from his childhood in North Queensland after moving from England too
I just go (in my mind) to Bundaberg. This is what it is like in the summer.
Great song. A classic pop song from the 80s. Love Queensland!
@@sherrylovegood I used to live there, too. 🙂
I lived in late 1960's Queensland when 10, 11 and 12 yrs and I remember the long lush deep emerald grass, the powerfull tropical thunderstorms that turned the clouds greenish grey and the strong smell of brimstone which I have never smelled with storms in any other state. The granite in the ground often brought loud ear splitting brighter than day lightning strikes to the ground in the paddock in front of our house. A tree was hit and split 80 metres from our front door and it was struck again 2 years later which finished it off. Livestock was often struck too. A poor elderly man was struck at the local bowling green and all that was left of him was a shadow of ash and bone and his leather shoes and hat band. The thunder was always magnificent and sounded to me, as a kid, like God dropping and endlessly scraping giant furniture across the clouds.
It started with a bomb drop vibe and the glass louvre windows and crockery rattled and then it rolled on and on and on as though it was stampeding into the distance. The static in and around you felt buzzy around the skin and hair. Rain would throw down in bucketfulls but even if you were out of it in a dry house your clothes would still be sticking to skin with sweat in the humidity. So it idefinitely is a Queensland feeling that these storms are alive and vindictive. We weren't even living in the far north sugar cane growing region which is closer to the Indonesian monsoons.
Great Southern Land by Icehouse is another song about Australia from that era you might like. Released in '82, good pop hook and evocative lyrics.
Oh yeah!
And "Solid Rock", by Goanna.
YES
The other songs you've been listening to are patriotic Ballard's. In the 80s every pub had a band playing every night of the week. So dozens of bands honed their skills and became good and made the distinctive ozrock sound. You have heard it in bands like hoodoo gurus, mental as anything. Angels, ACDC, men at work, icehouse ,Goanna, Australian crawl, lots more
And midnight of course
@@garrymercer757 how could you forget
Please do not forget Cold Chisel. The best of the lot!
And Dragon!
Crowded house - or were they 90's more than 80's?
They wrote this song whilst watching the sugarcane burning from a verandah in Bundaberg. QLD Ty for showing us our Country, you rock . I really enjoy your channel.
Yes. I live in Bundaberg and its very appropriate
I love this song! Totally identify with it. I live in a humid climate with loads of lightning storms, and I also overlook cane fields. When it came out I felt like it could have been written about my town 😄
which is why, we understand how Jimmy Barnes, wrote
'Working Class Man'
What is Pure Australiana
🇦🇺💯
Yamba
@@franbradford1182 Sorry to explode the urban myth, Jimmy didn't write it, nor did any Australian. The song had been a great success in the US, they decided to not release the US version in Australia but get Jimmy to make it kind of an Australian song. One of the early music videos for "Working Class Man" used some of the footage from the US music video showing a foundry as well as some of the burning cane fields footage after that with Jimmy. I guess the record company was cutting costs on video production. It did look rather weird as many could tell the foundry wasn't Australian. They later re-did the video to remove the US footage and just use footage shot in Australia only, I presume because coughing up the money wasn't a problem once it became a mega hit in Australia.
@@DeepThought42 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounds_of_Then
This was and still is an Aussie anthem song. You cannot get more Australian than this
Check out "Icehouse, Great Southern Land" too.
and solid rock by goanna also treaty by yothu yindi. All three are a must
All four i should say
Oh wow, that takes me back!
anything by icehouse is good
A must listen for sure, love yhat song
We don't have awesome bands like this anymore. Ice House, Mondo Rock, Mental as Anything,,Cold Chisel, Inxs...Love 80's Aussie music
Hunters and Collectors. They all came up through the pub circuit. They’re all fantastic!
@@sherrylovegood Yes! Was just listening to many of their songs last week for the first time in ages!
And the Angels, another great pub rock band
@@sherrylovegood Hunters and collectors had some great songs, what about the sunnyboys!
Don’t forget The Radiators!! 🤟🏻
YESSSS !!! You have to have lived in Queensland to get some of this song with the sweat, breathing the humidity and lightning cracking over cane fields. I have loved this since it first came out!
I first saw Gangajang live in the mid 80's when I went to a Midnight Oil concert in Rockhampton (Queensland) and were their supporting band. They were promoting their new album and played this song. They were so good I went out and bought the album the following Monday. I still have that album........
Thanks, Ryan, for this song (released in 1985)... the same year as my fourth child was born. Brings back so many memories. Really appreciate you celebrating Aussie music, comedians etc. (BTW, jang is pronounced with a 'hard' J sound, as in Jack).
Congrats on the birth of you and your wife's cute little baby boy ! 🎆 All the best from 'Down Under' 💙
Love this song. It really describes how we feel about living here
Icehouse
Band
Icehouse are a rock band from Sydney, formed in 1977 as Flowers. Initially known in Australia for their pub-rock style, the band later achieved mainstream success playing new-wave and synthpop music and attained
Top 10 singles chart success locally and in both Europe and the U.S. The mainstay of both Flowers and Icehouse has been Iva Davies supplying additional musicians as required. The name "Icehouse", adopted in 1981, comes from an old, cold flat Davies lived in and the strange building across the road populated by itinerant people. Davies and Icehouse extended the use of synthesizers particularly the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Linn drum machine and Fairlight CMI in Australian popular music.
Their best-known singles on the Australian charts included "Great Southern Land", "Hey Little Girl", "Crazy", "Electric Blue" and "My Obsession"; with Top Three albums being Icehouse, Primitive Man and Man of Colours.Wikipedia
Also known as:
Flowers (1977-1980), Iva Davies & Icehouse
Origin: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres: Rock, new wave, synth-pop
Years active: 1977-present
Great Southern Land IS Australia's national anthem (unofficially) :) Hey Ryan if you want to watch an Aussie movie with awesome music watch "Young Einstein" with Yahoo Serious.
Yes we all have access to Wikipedia you nong
@@MaverickAus yes second Great Southern Land
Well said, the only thing I would add is one of the greatest songs, no promises
Brings back so many awesome memories another Aussie song about Australia you really should do is Solid Rock by Goanna great reaction thanks ❤
Solid Rock, yes. :)
We here in Australia have our own sound and genre. This is famously called Aussie Pub Rock. Generally songs that fit in a chill Drinking environment where you can play pool or throw some darts will be considered Pub Rock. Also to note, And I could be wrong but it originated because of the culture of Bands that were hired to come down to pubs and play. It became a Cultural phenomenon and is still common today, this would later created the genre of Pub Rock.
My all time fav!! Been gone from FNQ for over 40 years and it still gets me in the feels every time.😁
FNQ for the win!!
Yep. The thick humid air & that distinctive smell of the soil & the cane as you drove up north from Townsville to Cairns. Doesn't matter how long you're away, it's one of those childhood memories that stays with you.
@@lgh2052 yes! So spot on. Something you NEVER forget. It's like coming home.
You need to listen to Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil, the lead singer (Peter Garret) became an Australian Politician - he has some crazy dance moves😂
I just mentioned that unthread before I read this!
A very bad politician 😂.
He should have stuck to music, or not.
I think i was about 19 when this song came out, i haven't heard this song for a long time it brings back some good time memories 👍😁. Ryan you should have a listen to MIDNIGHT OIL the 2 songs i suggest are "Beds Are Burning" & "US Forces" interesting Australian band.
Love this song 💖 I first heard it one sweltering summer afternoon and thought 'Wow how appropriate' lol "Out on the patio we sit, and the humidity we breathe, we'd watch the lightning crack over canefields, laugh and think this is Aus-tral-ia" 😆 (Full lyrics below)
I think I hear the sounds of then
And people talking
The scenes recalled, by minute movement
And songs they fall, from the backing tape
That certain texture, that certain beat
To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets
In brick veneer on financed beds
In a room, of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain smell
Brings forth the heavy days
Brings forth the the night time swell
Out on the patio we'd sit
And the humidity we'd breathe
We watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia
The block is awkward - it faces west
With long diagonals, and sloping too
And in the distance, through the heat haze
In convoys of silence the cattle graze
That certain texture, that certain smell
Brings forth the night time sweat
Out on the patio we'd sit
And the humidity we'd breathe
We watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think that this is Australia
To lie in sweat, on familiar sheets
In brick veneer on financed beds
In a room of silent hardiflex
That certain texture, that certain beat
Brings forth the heavy days
Brings forth the night time heat
Out on the patio we'd sit
And the humidity we'd breathe
We watch the lightning crack over canefields
Laugh and think, this is Australia
The Aus music scene in the 80s was incredible, so much brilliant live music.
Ah love them, this is such a favourite and brings back a lot of 80s memories. I saw them play a lunchtime gig back in the uni days!
I saw them at the Newcastle, NSW earthquake relief concert back in 1990. So many great Aussie bands played that show.
Damn, great to hear this song again, and thanks for all the hilarious reactions to Aussie stuff (and 'Aussie' stuff!). If you happen to be taking suggestions for classic Aussie songs to react to, then may I recommend John Farnham's 'You're the Voice' (classic Australian rallying cry), or Cold Chisel's 'Flame Trees' (about a bloke having mixed feelings about returning to his hometown), 'Bow River' (about a bloke who's desperate to be back in his hometown) and 'Khe San' (about a Vietnam War veteran, and really controversial when it was released). Really, anything by Cold Chisel! Crowded House's 'Hole in the River' (sad but gives you shivers); pretty much anything by Midnight Oil, but especially 'Beds Are Burning' (Aboriginal rights protest song); Paul Kelly''s 'Leaps and Bounds' (homesickness for Melbourne while in Sydney) and 'From Little Things Big Things Grow' (Aboriginal rights protest song and a history lesson all in one). Also Bernard Fanning's 'Wish You Well' (most cheerful breakup song ever); Hunter's and Collectors' 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' (which was covered by Pearl Jam!), Powderfinger's 'These Days' (another chills down the spine song for me), 'Dancing in the Storm' by Boom Crash Opera (incredibly energising), and 'Solid Rock' by Goanna (another great Aboriginal rights protest song). There are tons more; I could go on forever (and it probably seems like I have already! :oD ). As far as I know none of these songs really made it to the US, but apologies if you've already heard of them. If you haven't they're all worth a listen, with an audience or without.
Great playlist for an Aussie road trip
AWWE Sweet Ryan 💕
you bring Joy, to us All.
I Honestly Think, Any Australian, would Accept you as there Go Too/Front Man.
I do, & I believe many Aussies would also!
You have the Personality, we connect with. 💯👍👍
This was great! Glad you loved a fabulous song from my youth. You should try Great Southern Land by Icehouse :-)
I'll check that out!! thanks
This is one of my top 5 favourite songs.
OMG, saw this band, in Bendigo, with! Inxs, OMG what a awesome night for O night at the uni! Yes I was there!!
wow, didn't this bring back memories!! thx Ryan for playing this. Loved your reaction to the music, the theme and the way it was played. Loved the Pub Rock sound.
These guys are still performing
I was at a concert in Perth in 2017 and they did this song twice the second time they had a didgeridoo included and it was fantastic. I was treated to a VIP TICKET BY MY HUSBAND AND GOT TO MEET THEM ALL AND GET SELFIES WITH THEM it was a fantastic night out 🎉
At The Astor theatre ?
I was there & VIP so backstage with Cal, Buzz etc. After we lost bass player & founding member of the Gang, Chris Bailey of course. RIP Bails, a true gentleman in every sense on the word.
Thanks Ryan, just love this song, living in North Queensland sure know the humidity and the acres of Canefields. It’s pretty spectacular when u get to see them burning. Check out Graeme Conners, Cyclone Season, Let the Canefields Burn. Great singer from Mackay QLD.
Saw these guys live twice in the late 80's...they were FANTASTIC & really capture the true Australia vibe!!
Such an iconic Aussie 80s sound, you need to do some more great Aussie music. From back then up to now. An absolute must is ACDC to see our Aussie Rock. We have so many iconic songs and music artists.
A couple of suggestions - Cold Chisel's "Khe Sanh" and "Flame Trees"
And Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock"
Look for original 70's versions.
Thank You for your Reaction!
An Awesome song!
Do wish, you also enjoyed, as much as We Aussies! 💯😃
Some great suggestions here and what a reminder of the incredible talent Australia has. Ryan my suggestion would be the band Goanna and their song Solid Rock. Great music but more importantly profound lyrics that give Aussies goosebumps. A very powerful and moving song. and to make it even more special it includes music from our First Nations people and their unique instruments. Really worth a listen.
Check out the song "solid rock" by the 80's band "Goanna". Its a classic Australian song from that era.Very powerful lyrics. You'll love it
Ahh RAGE my teenage years of music thanks you even if my grades and teachers don't because it was on from like 11pm to 5am
Me too 😂
I loved their theme nights...like a whole night of The Cure etc
I remember taping the whole theme nights of Bowie The Cure and Crowded House and doing all my assignments to the tapes on repeat 😆
Rage was life! People pay out on 80’s music, but we had it good then. It was my youth!
@@starlightshimmery I had a powder blue ghetto blaster. My parents say they still have it! I want it back. It was the best way to make tapes for your friends!
It's so much fun watching you rock out to Aussie classics! Have you heard Men At Work yet?
This one looks like it was the most fun you’ve had since you started watching videos about Australia - keep it up Ryan! 😊
Australia has a fantastic music scene starting in the 60s and great In the 70s and 80s. Very independent and most artists and bands are great live.
I grew up listening to the Aussie 70s, 80s rock my parents played it all the time i use to fall asleep to many classics
Love this song. Just like being on the patio in summer 🌺🇦🇺
Yeah get in ya Jeep
Wow! What a treat Ryan. Absolute favourite song! ❤
Now look up Tim Minchin PLEASE! A song called 'Prejudice'. You will be amazed.
Back in the days when we’d check what time our favourite songs would be on and learn to use the timer on the recorder 😂
Grace, yep, Tim Minchen's 'Prejudice' song! Great minds think alike... you just beat me to it :)
Cannot wait to see Ryan's facial expressions as it dawns on him... as with all of us :/ 🤣🙃
Yes!
I love me some Tim.
Anything by Tim.
You should check out a song by Archie Roach - Took The Children Away from 1990. He was an indigenous Australian and part of the Stolen Generations, a long and shameful period in Australian history. He sadly passed away a few months ago.
Loved the reaction mate, nearly an honorary Aussie mate, lol, cheers 🇦🇺🇦🇺👍👍
Queensland specifically. Cane fields, humidity, heavy rain at night as the electrical storms roll in. As a kid I used to spend my summers in Rockhampton with my grandparents. Dodging cyclone season to get home. Must be similar in the US Gulf Coast states.
Next, you need to check out the song True Blue by John Williamson. Find the lyric version on his TH-cam Channel. The photos in the clip were submitted by Australians, as a picture of what Australia represented to them personally. When you get to the old bush man with his dog having a beer with a sign that says Office, that's my old mate Wazza who owns Platypus Bushcamp in the rainforest of Eungella, Finch Hatton Gorge, not far from Mackay in Queensland.
The video you need to watch for this one is:
John Williamson - True Blue (Lyric Video)
which is on the John Williamson TV TH-cam channel.
One of the songs that can almost bring me to tears.
I bawled when He played it as Steve’s funeral…
Another of Australia's bush poet legends.
Thats a fuckin terrible song.
@@tileux Yeah, not a favourite of mine, because it always makes me think of my Dad's death.
You've reminded me how lucky we are to be Aussies !!! Love ya work buddy !!!
Hahaha to be in the outback takes a long, very long, no bloody long drive to get there... hahahaha... Thanks for making me bring me back to me childhood with this song... Ya made head move around to it also~ Ü
If you wanna watch an Aussie Icon. Best voice on the planet listen to any live version of John Farnham. The Voice of Australia. (Pronounced Farnem) he is the GOAT. ❤️🇦🇺
This song was written when the band were in Bundaberg, my home town. It really is fantastic to listen to as your driving around the same areas that they are singing about.
Yass Ryan 👍 another banger
Cheers again
Making me all greatfull for our beautiful country
Love hearing this song you know it's nearly summer
THis is an iconic Aussie song. Love it.
Love the whole conversation here. Loving your channel.
Cal Callahan the lead singer was in a band called the Riptides before he formed Gangajang which they coined from the sound of their guitar strings
Ryan, have you caught up with iconic Aussie Rock band “Cold Chisel”. Lead singer is Jimmy Barnes who is loved by just about every Aussie, however he takes a back seat to Ian Moss in this song. It’s about wasting your time working in a factory in the city but longing to be in Bow River which is in northern Western Australia th-cam.com/video/TdVRNDnTKTU/w-d-xo.html
G'day Ryan. This song came out in 85 when I was in my last year of high school (secondary school). This is a classic song and I love it. I grew up in North Queensland in a town called Tully, which is famous for its high rainfall. I think the average annual rainfall is about 4.6 metres, which is a little over 15 feet. I grew up watching storms coming over cane fields (sugar cane) and my first job out of school was as an apprentice electrician in the local sugar mill. When I was young the local farms would burn the cane fields before harvesting. They don't do this anymore because it reduces the sugar content of the cane. The reason it was burned in the old days was that the cane was cut by hand, and burning killed all the rats and snakes in the field. However, this is a spectacular sight and I would highly recommend you search for a sugar cane fire video. It's not unique to Australia, but majestic anyhow.
The Australian band Icehouse did a song called Great Southern Land; a slightly slower Aussie song.
Seen these guys many times on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Reminds me of my youth
Hey Ryan,
Check out Midnight Oil,Power and Passion, Beds are Burning songs. Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes. AC/DC, they got together in Adelaide, in the 70's. They are iconic Australian Bands.
Cheers Adam
Happy Arvo! This is so iconic! It’s my youth. Getting up early on Sunday morning to watch the Top 100 on “Rage” on “Aunty”.
I highly recommend watching John Farnham, “You’re The Voice” LIVE. John Farnham IS “The Voice”. He’s just undergone major surgery on his mouth. I wish him all the best.
This takes me back, I was 18 when this came out. Great song, thanks for reacting Ryan 😊 Please check out "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse, another Australian band & awesome song, I think you'll like it 💕
This is not Ice House, it’s Gangajang different band mate!
Kev, Lisa was asking Ryan to check out icehouse
In 1984, GANGgajang was formed in Sydney, the name is onomatopoeiac for the sound of a guitar playing a loud chord.
This song is the essense of Australia made manifest in musical form. You are listening to Australia when you are listening to this song.
The song fits in perfectly with the sensations of tropical Australia
Bed are Burning you should listen to. Check out the lead singer dance style. This bloke went on a to a minister in federal Government. Now got the band back together and touring again.
I really love your reactions to Aussie content, Ryan, and it's great to hear how perfectly you understood the tone of this song too - I feel like you have a bit of the Aussie spirit in you, maybe. :)
Aussie pub rock is a rabbit hole you should really go down - I swear Aussie rock of the past has the most unique and iconic sound due to our country's situation somewhat isolated from the rest of the world (makes us fiercely proud of what we have, and willing to stick together and help each other out), there's never been anything quite like it. It also really encompasses the general Aussie spirit - free of unnecessary frills while being honest and down-to-earth. I find it can be a refuge from the complexity and BS of the modern world.
Anyway, please listen to more when you get the chance! Maybe some Midnight Oil (a huge activist group of the 80s - 'Beds are Burning' and 'Forgotten Years' are two great choices (the second one is one of my absolute favourites - with a message anyone can take to heart), INXS ('Never Tear Us Apart', 'Suicide Blonde'), John Farnham (who has fantastic live performances - he's a national treasure), Jimmy Barnes/Cold Chisel (many good choices from them). In fact, Farnham and Barnes did a great song with guitarist Jimmy Diesel called 'When Something Is Wrong With My Baby' that's REALLY worth checking out! Other people have mentioned some great options too!
Oh! I remembered you asked for links. Here are three:
John Farnham - You're the Voice (live): th-cam.com/video/6m2m_9Uijso/w-d-xo.html
Midnight Oil - Forgotten Years: th-cam.com/video/X9eap_cKLP4/w-d-xo.html
When Something Is Wrong With My Baby - Farnham, Barnes (you can also find a live - 2nd video in the search - which is also good): th-cam.com/video/ihsfx1LuoKc/w-d-xo.html
Never Tear Us Apart - INXS: th-cam.com/video/_VU9DjQpvMQ/w-d-xo.html
Look up Khe Sanh by Cold Chisel. Classic Aussie rock song about an Australian Vietnam Vet returning to civilization...
Hi Ryan, for a really Iconic Aussie song, try "I was only 19" by the band Red Gum. th-cam.com/video/mGDhzVi1bqU/w-d-xo.html
It is a song written about the ANZAC soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war. Chills every Aussie and New Zealander, every time we hear it. I'd love to get your reaction
I second this choice
It wasn't about ANZAC soldiers, it was about Australian soldiers. There were New Zealanders in Vietnam & we worked very closely with them & were supported by them (161 New Zealand artillery battery), but they were not involve in this incident. This is based on a 6RAR incident. 2RAR & 4RAR were the ANZAC battalions, in Vietnam. I know, I was there. Do your homework. Dennis.
@@dennismoore1134 Thanks for the info Dennis, was a bit before my time sorry.
As Christmas is coming you need to listen to an Australian Christmas song.Paul Kelly's "How to make gravy". An Aussie classic
& Tim Minchin White Wine In The Sun.
I LOVE this song. Makes me feel homesick
As. Pom, it’s first time hearing this and it’s great.
Definitely 80’s.
One of my fave lyrics ... "The block is awkward - it faces west, With long diagonals, sloping too." Apparently they actually built on it - probably with "silent hardiflex" or "brick veneer" 😍
And a tin roof in Queensland - nothing like rain on a corrugated roof!
As someone who lived in a house that faces west, I can confirm that is the worst config for an Aussie house. Hot as hell in Summer & freezing in winter. This song is basically if you turned an Aussie Summer into a song. Our summer is over Xmas, & the long school holidays are slow & 'heavy' like the song says.
@@scattysafari7742depends where you live mate. In Western Australia facing east or north is the worst. Especially in summer. We're just onto our 3rd consecutive day of 45C 😂.
It is my understand that to get that guitar sound they got Reg Mombassa (real name Christopher O’Doherty, - born in New Zealand) who was the lead guitarist for the Australian band Mental As Anything.
There's nuthin like sitting on a patio (verandah) watching lighting strike over the sugar cane fields and listening to the cars driving over the cattle grates... With a XXXX or now a Great Northern...
Great southern land by ice house is a brilliant song, try that one, love your video, take care, love and kindness always ❤️
its even better listening to this on the verandah watching a thunderstorm roll in :)
Looove this song! All time favourite. Great pick for a reaction Ryan. Aahh the memories 😊
Yep..Out on the patio we sit.. And the humidity we breathe...we Watch the lightning crack over canefíelds, and laugh and think this is Australia. ♥️♥️ I grew up on canefíelds in tropical north Queensland. ♥️♥️
Ryan the lead singer is Mark Callaghan and he fronted a great Punk/Pop band in the late 1970's named The Riptides. Check out songs Sunset Strip, Tomorrows Tears and Only Time.
That takes me back. Summer of ‘93. Cruising down the road on the south coast of NSW in an old EJ Holden station wagon with that skinny blonde in the passenger seat I was gunna ‘get to know’ for the first time. She was rockin’ out to this while the lightning flashed out at sea. I can still smell the sea air, feel the breeze on my face and remember the anticipation of what we were gonna do in the back. 😅
A great song indeed. Another classic which I encourage you to check out is 'Great Southern Land' by Icehouse.
I'm really glad you enjoyed a song from one of our great Aussie bands..👍🌻
I saw this band several times..♥️
80s music in Australia and the UK was outstanding. I agree. Check out Great Southern Land by Icehouse.
Oh, you don’t need to go to the outback. Anywhere outside of a city is still great driving with windows down and music full tilt.
We were certainly spoilt with every genre of music that exists. Australian bands ramped out everything from rock to ballads. Everyone's taste was catered for. Sure we went through the 50's with rock and roll. Then 60's the surfer's sounds and more faster with Stevie Wright and the Easy Beats. Johnny O'Keefe what a legend, Daddy Cool who could forget the smooth sound to Eagle Rock a song still close to many and The Master's Apprentice's all rocked on, who could forget ! Then the '70's highlighted the disco era. Axiom, Split Enz, Normie Rowe and Split Enz. Not forgetting Johnny Farnham climbing up the ladder. Still in the background was Aussie bands testing out the pub crowds with their hopeful hit's. Most making their bands part of the Australian Music scene entertainment heaven and the rest is history ! Australia made it's mark on the world. The world was hearing us from "Down Under" and loving it !!!!!
GANGajang!
You got it Very Close, I must say Ryan!!
Have Confidence, pronounce quickly!!
You will do Awesome! 💯👍
You must have already listened to 'land down under' right? And 'i was only 19'?
So Agree!
I Was Only 19 is such a sad but amazing song.
Hey Ryan, Ozzies love their music.
Here are some suggestions.
Paul Kelly, how to make gravy (Australian Xmas song)
The Go Betweens, streets of your town
The Radiators, Comin Home
Cat Empire hello
Australian Crawl, reckless
The Whitlams, I make hamburgers
I hope this will get a collection together for you.
Cheers Adam
hey ryan we used to use a golf driver to launch the cane toads off the verandah in the cane field , splat!
I taught a class of year 5/6 (so 11/12-year-olds) and they LOOOOVED singing this. Great memories.
Rock Arena... ooh yes.
hmm Jeep with no doors....we had a vehicle here called a minimoke. Hot summer weekend surfboard on the "roof" and head for the beach, life was great.
Im a new sub from Melbourne. Really enjoying your reactions. Im like you but I love southern states of USA rather than Australia. This was one good song for Australia. Maybe check out The Tenants You Sh** Me to Tears song 😂 oh and Great Southern Land by Icehouse
flicked through the comments and didn't see anyone mention Midnight Oil. WTF. Such an iconic Aussie band, not to mention Peter Garrett also became a member of parliament for a couple terms. They are a must watch Ryan.
I love this song. Listen to great Southern land by Icehouse and Southern sky by Paul Norton
80s Aussie classic songs you have to hear. Soul Kinda Feeling by Dynamic Heptonics. Electric Blue by Icehouse. Live it up by Mental as Anything. TH-cam will send you down the right path if you look these up.
Hey Ryan, I’ve subscribed, I like your easy-going manner and love the fact that you rewound that first pause to get the full effect of the lead in to the chorus. I can suggest so much and would love to see your reaction, but for now try power and the passion by Midnight Oil. The drums are incredible as is the energy.
You gotta give True Blue by John Williamson and Down Under by Men at Work a listen!
This song is about my favourite time of the year, in my favourite part of the world. Thank you.
If you want a classic Australian guitar solo, you need to listen to Cold Chisel, Bow River. The live version, not the studio version.
Live is the best!
There’s two live versions - don’t do the official version, do the ringside version which we always ask reactors to do!!