Why Daryl Braithwaite has changed the words to Howzat

Daryl Braithwaite and members of Sherbet have re-recorded their 1976 hit song ‘Howzat’ for Channel 7’s cricket coverage — but they’ve had to change a few of the lyrics.

Daryl Braithwaite has re-recorded Sherbet’s Howzat with new lyrics. Pic: Rebecca Michael

Daryl Braithwaite has re-recorded Sherbet’s Howzat for Channel 7’s cricket coverage.

The new version of the 1976 No. 1 also features Sherbet’s Garth Porter and Tony Mitchell and will air this Sunday.

“It sounds unbelievable,” Braithwaite said. 

“When someone takes a song that’s been so successful and reworks it a little bit, you never know how it will go. But they’ve done wonders. I’ve re-sung it, Garth and Tony did the harmonies again. I’m sure some people might not like it, but coming from the singer of the song, it’s moving, it’s really magical in parts. It sounds modern, it’s got a children’s choir in it. Epic is a good word for it.”

Daryl Braithwaite will play at the Hay Mate farmer benefit concert. Pic: Rebecca Michael

The 2019 version of Howzat has seen some lyrics changed, including the line “you messed about I caught you out”.

However Braithwaite denied it was to distance the song from the ball tampering scandal — Steve Smith features heavily in the ad.

Some of the new lyrics, written by Porter, include “the roar and the crack of the bat” and “bring it on all summer long.”

“They just wanted the lyrics to associate more with the game of cricket, there was no other reason, so we wrote some new words in keeping with the themes of bats and wickets.”

Braithwaite also explained why TV viewers didn’t see him see singing The Horsesas part of Channel 9’s NRL Grand Final coverage.

Daryl Braithwaite, Clive Shakespeare, Tony Mitchell, Garth Porter and Alan Sandow of Sherbet. Pic: Supplied.

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“We were never supposed to be televised. We were mainly there to get people singing in the stadium. But the schedule got buggered up, so we were singing while the players ran out past us on the ground, less than a meter away. They were looking at us confused thinking ‘What are you doing out here?’ and we were looking at them thinking the same thing!”

As well as shows with Rob Thomas this month, Daryl Braithwaite is part of the Hay Mate concert at Mornington Racecourse on December 15, with John Farnham, Jon Stevens, Vanessa Amorosi and more to raise money for Australian farmers. Tickets go on sale 9am today from Ticketmaster.

Originally published as Why Daryl Braithwaite has changed the words to Howzat