About
email: dan at australiabysong dot com dot au
web: schaumann.com.au
twitter (personal): @danschaumann
twitter (australia by song): @AustraliaBySong
youtube: youtube.com/danschaumann
Hello! My name is Dan, I’m an Aussie currently living in Canada and I’m really passionate about Australian music.
Many years ago I was in my car listening to a CD by the Waifs, when their song A Brief History came on. Not long into the track, my ears pricked up as Josh sang the line, “We hit the coast near Townsville, on the other side.” Having lived in Townsville for most of my life and having just made the move south to Brisbane, I felt rather proud knowing that my hometown had been immortalised in music thanks to Josh Cunningham’s songwriting.
Which led me to ask the question – how many other songs out there mention the fine city of Townsville?
I knew of Redgum’s classic song I Was Only 19, where “Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay.” Also, being a big fan of John Williamson, I could think of a few of his songs where he’d mentioned Townsville in his lyrics. And then there was Lee Kernaghan’s theme song for the North Queensland rugby league team, Come On The Cowboys. That was all that came to mind, though I was sure there were bound to be more…
So from that day on I made myself a mission to research and compile a list of songs that make reference to any Australian town or location. The result is this website!
Being a great lover of Aussie music, I have happily spent countless hours surfing the web, browsing through books, and wading through my own personal CD collection to come up with songs suitable for inclusion on this list. The list is by no means complete so please feel free to submit any other tunes you know of that could also be included; alternatively you’re welcome to contact me by email with any feedback, suggestions or enquiries.
I have kept the information on the website fairly minimal for the time being, however if I ever have the time and the budget, I would one day love to add much more comprehensive detail to the listings – such as songwriting credits, album information, or even turning the list into a searchable database. I’ve recently started adding links to sources where songs can be heard or purchased, thanks to the fantastic feedback I’ve received about the website from people like you!
If you do feel this concept is worthwhile and you would like to show your support, I encourage you to purchase music from the artists listed within these pages. My hope is that visitors to this website walk away wanting to find out more about the songs listed here that lyrically immortalise the towns they share a connection with.
I’m an independent singer/songwriter & blogger myself, and would also like to invite you to visit my personal webpage at schaumann.com.au or look me up on Spotify where you can hear some of my own tracks. Thanks for your support!
Australian music rocks š
Dan Schaumann
Australia By Song
Credits
All lyrical content on this website remains copyright of the respective songwriters. I have included lyric samples where appropriate in the hope that it creates an interest in the listed songs, however I will gladly comply with any copyright issues if they may arise.
I have enlisted the help of many sources in compiling the information for this website, and I would like to mention them here:
Websites:
Bigfooty Forum: Songs About Aussie Places
Gary Shearston: Folk Songs And Ballads Of Australia
G’day Pubs: Songs At The Bar
Jplay: For what they play on Triple J
Wikipedia article: List Of Songs About Sydney
Wikipedia article: List Of Songs About Melbourne
Books:
Bushwackers Band. The Bushwackers Australian Song Book (1978). Anne O’Donovan Pty Ltd, VIC
Cook, Patrick. The All-Time Favourite Australian Songbook (1984). Angus & Robertson, NSW
Edwards, Ron. Great Australian Folk Songs (1976). Ure Smith Press, NSW
Kelly, Paul. Lyrics (1993). Angus & Robertson, NSW
Smith, Graeme. Singing Australian (2005). Pluto Press, VIC
Williamson, John. True Blue (1995). Angus & Robertson, NSW
Special thanks to:
David Atkins, Mark Parssey, Sandy Robertson, John Stevens, Lisa Butler, Kirsten Day, Nick Weare, Valerie Henshaw, Andrew Dobbs, Brett Potter, Karl M, Stephen Atkinson, Johnny Brennan, Bernard Davis, Loki Carbis, Todd Brooker, Sandra Nixon, Valerie Henshaw, Jeff Scott, Reece Gratton, Ruth Leveson, Maurice Bursztynski, Kimberley, Jill and Liam Matthews for some great email suggestions
Artwork by Miss Megs