The 30 best songs made in and by Melburnians in the past 30 years
Talented Victorian singers and songwriters have taken their chart toppers to the world. National music writer Cameron Adams shares his 30 greatest songs by local musicians over the past 30 years.
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International chart toppers, Australian classics and belting ballads among the 30 greatest songs by Melbourne and Victorian musicians from the last 30 years.
ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL – JET (2003)
Back when dance ruled Jet helped bring back rock. Road-tested at pubs across Australia, this Iggy Pop-meets-Motown beast with squealing vocals and guitar was retro but also timeless.
BLOOM – THE PAPER KITES (2010)
Possibly the best song you’ve never heard, this gorgeous folkie love song has been used at weddings the world over and streamed over 250 million times and went gold in America.
BUSES AND TRAINS – BACHELOR GIRL (1998)
A twist on the usual love song lyric, this was singer Tania Doko belting out a letter to her mother full of life lessons. One of the best pop tunes this country has sent off into the world.
DANCE MONKEY – TONES AND I (2019)
Mornington busker moves to Byron Bay, writes an insanely catchy song about the perils of being a street performer, and watches it become a modern phenomenon. A record-breaking 24 weeks at No. 1 in Australia, 11 weeks at No. 1 in the UK, a billion streams and as many You Tube views.
CHAINS – TINA ARENA (1994)
A global hit for arguably Australia’s finest female voice, Chains should be up there with You’re the Voice and The Horses as alternative Australian anthems.
DEPRESTON – COURTNEY BARNETT (2015)
Indie hero Barnett took this ode to Preston global – it’s the tale of looking beyond the inner city to secure a bigger house with a bigger backyard noting “if you’ve got a spare half a million you could knock it down and start rebuilding.”
DON’T CALL ME BABY – MADISON AVENUE (1999)
Created in Frankston, Don’t Call Me Baby went on to bump Britney Spears off the UK No. 1 position and helped put Australian dance music in the global map. It also still sounds amazing, 21 years on.
BURN FOR YOU – JOHN FARNHAM (1990)
Farnsey is an incredible interpreter of songs, but he wrote the lyrics to this one, an ultra-personal ode to wife Jillian and how much he missed her doing his night job.
FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY – CROWDED HOUSE (1991)
The most famous Melbourne song? Kiwi Neil Finn was in a band with two Melburnians and took the title from Melbourne’s erratic weather, It was written at Murchison Street, St Kilda East — Finn-o-philes believe “the sun shines on the black clouds hanging over the domain” could refer to the Kings Domain at the Botanical Gardens.
FRONTIER PSYCHIATRIST – THE AVALANCHES (2000)
A masterclass into how to fashion a song out of samples (everything from Divine in Polyester to old golf manuals the band found in Melbourne second hand record stores) this preloved creation from their classic album Since I Left You was highly inventive.
HOLY GRAIL – HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS (1993)
It’s a hell of a story – somehow a song that uses Napoleon’s march to Russia as a metaphor for the band trying to crack the US market has become an anthem for AFL football. Hasn’t hurt the band’s bank accounts any, and they have even sung it on the MCG multiple times.
THE HORSES – DARYL BRAITHWAITE (1990)
Dazzler’s cover of the Ricki-Lee Jones album track was a No. 1 at the time, but has had about 15 second winds since, establishing itself as a song that unites generations.
HOW TO MAKE GRAVY – PAUL KELLY (1996)
America has All I Want For Christmas is You, we have How to Make Gravy – Paul Kelly’s take on Australian Christmas that has became an annual staple and introduced him to a whole new generation all waiting for Gravy Day.
JANUARY 26 – A.B. ORIGINAL AND DAN SULTAN (2016)
Rappers Briggs and Trial document the problem indigenous Australians have with Australia Day, with the unmistakeable voice of Dan Sultan guiding the chorus.
MOUTH – MERRIL BAINBRIDGE (1994)
Simple but effective, this quirky tune spent six weeks at No. 1 in Australia and then No. 4 in the US chart. It was such a massive hit following it up became difficult.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT – KYLIE MINOGUE (2002)
She’d conquered the world, again, with Can’t Get You Out of My Head. Then Kylie followed it with this flawless, euphoric pop gem that radiates pure joy.
ONE CROWDED HOUR – AUGIE MARCH (2006)
Frontman Glenn Richards was inspired by early Bob Dylan and Australian wartime photographer Neil Davis, and came up with his band’s triumph – and watched it top Triple J’s Hottest 100.
INTO MY ARMS – NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS (1997)
One of the best opening lines of all time: “I don’t believe in an interventionist God but I know, darling, that you do.” Cave sang this masterpiece, written after a break-up, at his mate Michael Hutchence’s funeral.
PRISONER OF SOCIETY – THE LIVING END (1997)
Straight outta Wheelers Hill, The Living End smashed their way into the mainstream with this roaring anthem that was written when they were nobodies but wound up uniting thousands together at live shows.
RED – DANIEL MERRIWEATHER (2009)
He grew up in the Dandenong Ranges, but Merriweather got noticed overseas by producer Mark Ronson. His debut album (which featured Adele) featured this gorgeous ballad which showcases his spine-tingling voice. It went to No. 5 in the UK but didn’t crack the local Top 50.
RIPTIDE – VANCE JOY (2013)
Recorded in one afternoon in Collingwood for around $7000, Riptide has now sold six million units worldwide and launched not only Vance Joy’s career but made the ukulele cool again.
SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW – GOTYE AND KIMBRA (2011)
Created on the Mornington Peninsula, Gotye (aka Wally deBacker) would see his instant classic duet reach No. 1 in 25 countries including the UK, US and Australia, selling over 13 million copies with the iconic video joining the billion-view club on You Tube.
SHINE – VANESSA AMOROSI (2000)
How do you follow global hit Absolutely Everybody? This power ballad (with powerhouse vocals) that was originally titled ‘Die’ until Amorosi was told that was a bit too bleak.
ROCK IT – LITTLE RED (2010)
This Melbourne band would reach No. 2 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 with this wildly infectious tune – the band split two years later.
THE SPECIAL TWO – MISSY HIGGINS (2005)
Missy Higgins broke the sister code and dated a boy her older sister also liked; The Special Two is her very public apology and also a stunningly beautiful song.
SWEET DISPOSITION – THE TEMPER TRAP (2009)
First aired in dingy clubs in Carlton, this song, that riff and that voice would take The Temper Trap to festivals all around the world. A modern classic, made in Melbourne.
TALK IS CHEAP – CHET FAKER (2014)
Nick Murphy went to school in Melbourne with James Keogh – one would become Vance Joy, the other Chet Faker. Talk is Cheap’s mix of electronics and wistful soul topped Triple J’s Hottest 100 and landed in the ARIA Top 10.
THIS GIRL – COOKING ON 3 BURNERS V KUNGS (2015)
A French DJ’s remix of a song by Melbourne funk kings Cooking on 3 Burners and local soul icon Kylie Auldist – Kungs didn’t need to do much, it was all there. A No. 2 hit in the UK, a European summer smash and Top 30 in the US and still heard on ads to this day.
TOOK THE CHILDREN AWAY – ARCHIE ROACH (1990)
A victim of the stolen generation, Roach wrote his history here. It’s a harrowing listen – pinballed around foster homes, denying his heritage – but one Australia needed to hear.
WEIR – KILLING HEIDI (1999)
Ella and Jesse Hooper grew up in Violet Town and were topping the charts while still teenagers. Weir took them from Triple J to the mainstream, thanks to catchy melodies and youthful energy.
WIN THE ULTIMATE VINYL MUSIC PACK
To celebrate the Herald Sun’s 30th anniversary and top 30 Victorian song list, we have teamed up with JB Hi-Fi to offer Victorians the chance to win the Ultimate Vinyl Music Prize Pack! The pack includes an Audio Technica Fully Manual Turntable plus Ten New Vinyl Albums.
A second prize winner will also receive Ten Vinyl Albums and a third prize winner an AC/DC pack.
Head to heraldsun.com.au/competitions to enter.
Competition closes 21 October 2020. Terms and conditions apply.
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