This week was 70s week on American Idol, and Aussie hopeful Michael Johns opened the show with Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” I’ve got to be honest, this performance has me worried. Again the judges seemed fairly positive, but from where I sat it was vocally pretty weak and a little bit pitchy.
I’d hate to think we’ve seen the best of Michael Johns in the preliminary rounds, because this is where the performances really matter. I just hope his fan base is strong enough to get him through. I’m not sure he deserves it based on this performance, but I do believe he’s got a lot more to give us.
If you browse around the music channel today you’ll notice it’s all about one-hit wonders. I’ve got to admit, this list was a lot harder to compile than I first thought!
Firstly, it seems like the New Zealanders are the ones who really have the market cornered on the one-hit wonders. It seemed like just about everything I thought of was released by a Kiwi! I know most Australians seem to claim the New Zealanders as our own anyway, but I resisted the urge to add the musical stylings of Bic Runga, OMC, Mark Williams, and Dave Dobbyn and The Herbs.
Then I started to realise Australia seems to have a lot more two-hit wonders than one-hit wonders. Did you realise The Sharp, Radio Freedom, Rat Cat, and even Scott Cain graced our charts more than once? So you won’t find them here either.
I also restricted myself to one hit wonders I actually liked. No matter how desperate I got, “Strawberry Kisses” by Nicky Webster was not going to make my list! Here’s what did.
Weddings Parties Anything released plenty of singles, and were favourites on the Australian live circuit for more than a decade, but “Fathers Day” was their only song to achieve any sort of commercial success. This beautiful track about a broken home and a father’s love for his son deservedly won Song of the Year at the 1993 ARIAs. Their follow-up single “Monday’s Experts” was another great song, but it limped into the charts at number 45.
Melbourne’s The Ferrets struck gold in 1977 with their debut single “Don’t Fall in Love.” In actual fact, this song was supposed to be the B-side. But when they decided to sing it on Countdown, Australia went wild. It rocketed to number 2 on the charts. It may be older than I am, but this song is still so much fun.
Things of Stone and Wood were another band who burst onto the charts, then disappeared just as suddenly. Lead singer Greg Arnold wrote “Happy Birthday Helen” as a present for his girlfriend. It must have worked, because he ended up marrying her.
You know, it wasn’t until I started to research this list that I discovered The Dynamic Hepnotics are Aussies. “Soul Kind of Feeling” is 1980s funk at its finest.
The Poor rocked onto the charts in 1994 with “More Wine Waiter Please.” I remember buying their album on cassette while shopping with my grandma, and carefully peeling off the explicit lyrics sticker so my family wouldn’t realise how naughty it was. Wine may not be the most rock and roll drink, but this song still stands up.
Max Merritt may be a Kiwi, but his band The Meteors were 100% homegrown. They reached number 2 in Australia and number 5 in New Zealand in 1975 with the beautiful “Slippin’ Away.” The group disbanded the following year, leaving this stunning track as their greatest legacy.
Peter Blakeley was a member of The Rockmelons before he struck out on his own in 1990. “Crying in the Chapel” was massive, reaching number 2 on the Aussie charts. Sadly, nothing else he recorded came close. I can never resist singing along to this one.
Destiny’s Child covered it in 2001, but before they were even born Australia’s own Samatha Sang had a worldwide hit with “Emotion.” The Bee Gees wrote the track, and even sang the back-up vocals for her, so it was always going to do big things. She was offered more Bee Gees songs, but was determined to make it on her own merits. She never did.
Stunning siblings Matt and Becky Thomas made “Cry” a massive hit for The Mavis’s in 1998. I can’t believe it’s been ten years either. I just love this song, and the film clip is just so pretty.
I couldn’t write a list about Australian one hit wonders without including the granddaddy of them all, “Shaddup You Face” by Joe Dolce. This song regularly makes those worst songs of all time lists, but I still love it. It’s silly, it’s fun, and old Joe even makes it easy to sing along.
Later in the day I’ll clue you in on all the other one hit wonder posts in the music channel. But until then, I’d love to know what you think about one hit wonders. Do you love or loathe the songs I’ve listed. And what did I miss?
Last night the top 12 guys kicked off American Idol’s sixties week. Our Aussie hopeful Michael Johns closed the show with his take on The Doors’ classic “Light My Fire.”
I’m not sure it was his strongest performance, but I’m positive he did enough to escape elimination this week. The judges seemed to lap it up though. Perhaps I felt underwhelmed because I’d seen him sing this song in Hollywood? Whatever the case, I look forward to big things from him next week!
Australia’s own Kylie Minogue was named Best International Female Solo Artist at last night’s Brit Awards. She received the trophy from her Doctor Who costar David Tennant.
Sorry to all your cynics out there, but I really love Valentine’s Day. And so in honour of this romantic day I figured I’d bring you some of my favourite Aussie love songs. I hope they make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
“Even When I’m Sleeping” by Leonardo’s Bride is one of those tracks I used to play a lot when my husband and I were doing the long-distance thing. It’s so gorgeous without being overly gooey and sentimental.
“Please Don’t Ask Me” is one of those songs that always makes me cry. I’m sure we’ve all been victims of unrequited love, that most painful love of all! So keep your tissues handy when Farnsy stops talking and starts singing! Continue reading “Love Songs to Brighten your Valentine’s Day”→
The world of DJing is a bit of a boys’ club, so I’m always happy to see an Aussie girl making waves. BeXta has been a big hit in the clubs for years, and she’s just released her hot new single “V.I.P.”
This sexy dance track has been described as “Kylie meets the Potbellyz.” It features Amii Jackson on vocals and production by ex-Pseudo Echo singer Brian Canham.
I know most us never bother with singles anymore, but this one offers real value. There’s six cool mixes, including the pop/electro radio version and some hot club remixes. If you were at the Big Day Out you might recognise the Soundgarden mix, as this was the opening track of her explosive set. And the ReRub mix is perfect for a chilled-out Sunday morning.
BeXta’s getting out there to support the release of “V.I.P.” with some dates all around the country. You can catch the queen of the Australian DJ scene at the following venues:
Ben Lee’s new music video has sparked a whole new love affair with his song “American Television.” With so many great tracks on Ripe it almost got lost, but this clip is all kinds of awesome.
It’s a homage to the TV shows of my youth, with parodies of Doogie Howser M.D., Blossom, ALF, and stacks more. I just love the Michael Jackson-style face melding towards the end. Look out for a cameo appearance by Saved by the Bell’s Kelly Kapowski, Tiffany Amber Thiessen.
In honour of Australia Day I figured I’d put together a collection of some of my favourite patriotic songs. They’re all very different, but they have one thing in common: they were written by proud Australians who weren’t afraid to let the world know they love their country. So grab a beer, put another snag on the barbie and sing along!
I barely recognise Richard Clapton in this clip for “Down in the Lucky Country!” Just ignore the naff special effects and join in with the chorus.
OK, so technically Christina Anu wrote “My Island Home” about Torres Strait rather than Australia generally, but it’s since been adopted as an unofficial anthem. A beautiful song, and a beautiful performance on SBS’s Rockwiz.
Speaking of unofficial anthems, they don’t get much bigger than “I Still Call Australia Home.” I’d really hoped to find a video of the original Peter Allen version, or even Hugh Jackman’s Broadway performance, but Guy Sebastian’s jazzy take will have to do. I saw The Boy from Oz when I was in New York, and I have never felt more proud to be an Australian as I did when this song was performed.
Could an Aussie be the next American Idol? Cutie Michael Johns has made it to Hollywood so anything is possible!
This sexy ex-pat moved to Los Angeles when he was 18 years old, but he hasn’t lost his accent or Aussie charm. He also gets a big tick for choosing an Otis Redding number for his audition.
Thanks to Jeanne at Idol Stalker, you can check out this video and see what all the fuss is about. I’ll be sure to keep you posted about Michael’s progress through the comp!
No expense has been spared in the production of the film clip for Delta Goodrem’s new song, “Believe Again.”
According to The Daily Telegraph it uses more than 100 special effects, which is more than most feature films! It took more than six weeks to create the visual masterpiece with teams in Australia, Los Angeles, and Spain. Wow!
And it’s a good thing too. While the video looks superb, this anthemic song is nowhere near as catchy as Delta’s last single “In This Life.” But as Delta’s Australia’s golden girl, I’m sure it’ll sell well anyway when it’s released today.
