Summary
"Australia" is a song by the British rock band the Kinks, appearing on their 1969 album, Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). It was written by the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies.
| "Australia" | |
|---|---|
 Australian single label | |
| Song by the Kinks | |
| from the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) | |
| Released | 10 October 1969 |
| Recorded | May–June 1969 |
| Studio | Pye, London |
| Length | 6:46 |
| Label | Pye |
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies |
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies |
| Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) track listing | |
12 tracks
| |
Lyrics and Music edit
In the song, the character Derek (who is featured in the story line of Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)) attempts to convince his father, Arthur, of the great opportunities available in Australia, where there's "no drug addiction" and you can "surf like they do in the U.S.A." Derek's advertisement is compared to John Smith, who campaigned for America in a similar manner, by author Thomas Kitts.[1]
The song also features a jam sequence lasting for approximately half the song, which is atypical for the Kinks. This sequence also features a Wobble Board, an Australian instrument. In the Australian single edit, this section is removed by editing an earlier section of the song into another section during a drum beat, which is then followed by a fade-out.
Release edit
"Australia" was released in most countries only on Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), where it was the closing track on side one. In Australia, an abbreviated version of the song was released as a single, with another Arthur track, "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina", on the B-side. The single was commercially unsuccessful.
References edit
- ^ Kitts, Thomas M. (25 May 2014). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else.
External links edit
- The Official Ray Davies Web Site
- The Official Ray Davies Forum - "The Old Grey Board"
- The Official Ray Davies Forum on YouTube