How do you whittle down decades of great Australian music to one favorite song? From legends like AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, Midnight Oil, The Divinyls, and The Triffids, to 90s rockers like You Am I, Silverchair, and Spiderbait to indie darlings like the Avalanches, Tame Impala, The Twerps, Eddy Current Supression Ring and Courtney Barnett and more, it is almost impossible to pick a favourite. Well, the iconic alternative Australian radio station triple j are trying to do just that. To mark their 50th Anniversary, triple j are hosting a Hottest 100 Australian song countdown on Saturday, July 26th 10am AEST, or 8pm July 25th here in NYC.
I was first introduced to triple j, when I was 12, by one of the older boys I had a crush on in my year 5 and 6 class. I fell in love with the radio station, while my crush on the boy remained unrequited. Listening to triple j felt like you had been let in on a secret. That you were suddenly let into the grown up’s club. A radio station that supported and played local Australian bands and alternative music that spoke to the youth. Triple j’s Hottest 100 countdowns were what we looked forward to during summer. The format began in 1989, when triple j was called 2JJJ, and was known then as the Hot 100. They even counted votes by having people physically send them into the station!
For a teenger growing up in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, triple j shaped my musical tastes and introduced me to hundreds of artists I still love today. And there was nothing like voting for your favourite songs of the year in the Hottest 100, heading to a party, a barbie going, drinks flowing, and rocking out with all your mates. I loved the endless discussion and debates about the music people loved. Triple j was the soundtrack to the lives of so many Aussies, and continues to have an impact today.
One of our members summed it up perfectly: “ I loved summer drives and beach hangs listening to the car radio, hearing new artists. Hottest 100 house parties are some of my favorite memories, all crowded around the speaker during the top 10, running through sprinklers and cheersing the winner!” Another said it was a “rite of passage from teenager to adulthood.” Kate McAuley shared that triple j was the soundtrack to her 90s life.
As for favorite songs, some found it hard to narrow it down, others had a clear winner. Kate chose “Flame Trees” by Cold Chisel, “I heard Kate Ceberano perform it live in Bondi when I was back in Sydney during COVID and I realized how much it had seeped into my soul. It’s a beautiful snapshot of a heartfelt experience. The writer in me loves the storytelling.”
Kaylie Stansfield said that to her, ”the 1980s is the decade when the Australian music industry found its way. Songs like Spring Rain by The Go-Betweens, Send Me an Angel by Real Life, and I Hear Motion by the Models are right up there. And almost every song from The Swing album by INXS.”
BJ Jackson settled on Hunters and Collectors “Throw Your Arms Around Me“. Others picked classics like Powderfinger’s “My Happiness” and the powerful dance anthem “Treaty” by Youthi Yinidi, “it is so unique with a great beat and a strong cultural message for recognition and respect.”
As for this writer, well picking my number one Australian song was hard, but the one I kept coming back to the most was My Pal by GOD. I was introduced to this song by none other than Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese! Albo, who at the time was Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, was DJing at the Corner Hotel in 2016 to raise money for Retclink, and played this song as part of his set list. The circular iconic guitar riff, the growl of singer Joel Silbersher, lyrics that spoke of being an outcast. A grunge song for the ages – before grunge emerged. My Pal got under my skin that night and never let go. And the audacity of a young band of teenagers to call themselves GOD. They had the number three alternative song in Australia in 1988 and they couldn’t even have a beer at their own gigs!
Triple j ‘s annual Hottest 100 countdowns continue to bring us together, wherever we are in the world. The shared, communal experience of listening to your favourite song with friends, the joy and ecstasy you feel screaming a chorus at the top of your lungs, the way a song can move you. That is what triple j’s Hottest 100 countdowns celebrate, bringing people together. So wherever you are this Saturday, I hope you enjoy the huge celebration of local Australian music and play the radio loud.
Here is a playlist of AWNY favourites for the countdown for everyone to enjoy!
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 