The results from Triple J’s Hottest 100 Australian Songs of all time were an interesting and, as usual, divisive mirror, reflecting the heart of Australian music culture, or at least of those who voted.
To make it into the Hottest Australian Songs is an impressive mantle, no doubt, and I could hear from the compilation that a cross-section of generations voted.
Aussies clearly love storytelling songs and being taken on a journey by the lyrics to reveal the main characters and plot, and we seem, on the whole, to be romantics. We also love rock ’n roll.
There were more males or male bands represented in the mix, but this is consistent with the industry’s gender ratios.
Some of these Aussie bangers transported me back to a day in my life, a year, a car trip, an emotion, or a relationship within the first four drumbeats of the first bar.
There were one or two that I knew of but had never really listened to the lyrics, like “One Crowded Hour” by Augie March (big fan now), and “The Special Two” by Missy Higgins.
It’s not uncommon for listeners to be left incredulous when the radio station drops its countdown of the previous year’s hits for the Hottest 100 on the fourth weekend of January each year.
For example, Chappell Roan came in first this year with her song, “Good Luck, Babe!”… Doja Cat “Paint The Town Red” 2023, or Flume “Say Nothing” 2022.
Let’s not forget The Wiggles in 2021, or Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” in 2017… ahem… but that’s democracy. It’s one of the largest music polls in the world, with 3.2 million voters this year.
It’s always tricky to try to please everyone, which is why you should never attempt it. You just need to be “the voice” and vote!
