The super staid Advance Australia Fair has always struggled to connect with the larrikin and energetic nation it is meant to represent. It was a contested choice from the start: when the song was originally adopted as Australia’s national anthem in 1974, the decision was reversed only two years later (with, that’s right, God Save the Queen reinstated). The nation has reluctantly stuck with it since 1984.
The song causes no small embarrassment each time the Wallabies face off with the All Blacks, as 15 grown men respond to the fierce and awesome Haka by muddling their way through the song’s high notes. So it’s no surprise that giving it official national anthem status failed to silence a discussion of possible alternatives.
The latest offering comes in YouTube video form from Melbourne producer Terry Mann. Titled National Anthem of STRAYA, it’s a cheeky piss-take jam-packed with local references (beaches, crocs, kangaroos, koalas, fireworks, barbecues, rainforest, Uluru, the Harbour Bridge, cricket, Cathy Freeman, mining magnates and racial diversity). Set to the tune of Hey Ya by Outkast, the video is destined to bring a tear to the eye of any Australian abroad.
And if that doesn’t satisfy your patriotic leanings, there’s always Waltzing Matilda, which came in second past the post in an official poll by the Australian Electoral Office in 1977, but plenty of other songs could do the job – so much so that Guardian Australia has an entire series dedicated to them.
It would be easy to populate a shortlist with 80s pub rock by AC/DC and Midnight Oil, but why not think a little outside the box? How about Greg! The Stop Sign!! by TISM to honour Australia’s superb ability to piss-take in the face of death and danger, or Under the Milky Way by the Church in loving dedication to those balmy nights spent al fresco, the sound of waves or a river gurgling nearby.
Or best yet, why not knock those All Blacks dead with a bit of Kylie Minogue? The warriors will be so busy humming Can’t Get You Out of My Head they’ll soon forget which end of the field they’re supposed to be running towards.
Don’t want to dump Advance Australia Fair altogether? Comedian Adam Hill did an admirable job of giving her a facelift by setting the lyrics to the Jimmy Barnes classic Working Class Man. But what about you, which song would you select as Australia’s alternative national anthem? Tell us below.
