The Long and Winding Way to the Top: Fifty (or so) Songs That Made Australia

by Andrew P. Street

'Andrew tells us things about the songs that we might not know and things about the songs that no one should ever know. He does it with intelligence and humour, not to mention an acid wit.' - Jimmy Barnes

Which band is Australia's premier act for drunk men to hug to? Which dance floor smash owes its existence to an elderly Canadian stand-up team? How does housing affordability threaten Australian rock? Which surprising artist is technically Australia's arguably-more-successful Beatles? Which of our alternative national anthems were written by Americans? What ultra-Australian song cut 'Vegemite' from its lyrics for being too on the nose? And most importantly, what's with all the bagpipes?

Andrew P Street-writer, critic and obsessive Australian music weirdo-tries to answer these and many, many, many other questions you never thought to waste time asking in this history of Australia in 50 songs (or so). Deeply cheeky, unashamedly nostalgic and endlessly enthusiastic, this is a dive into our national playlist from the birth of rock'n'roll to the reign of Australian hip hop and just about everything in between.

'Andrew P Street book is a pithy, funny and accurate look at 50 famous Australian songs and quite frankly any lover of Aussie music would be sorely amiss if he did not take a good squiz at this book with Street's interesting and often irreverent stories of how each of these songs came to be.' - Steve Kilbey, The Church

'Andrew P Street is a ridiculously infectious writer. His tone can be sharp and impertinent and he can be quirky but in the end he is authentic, original and writes his astute observations with beautiful clarity.' - Lindy Morrison, the Go-Betweens

'Humour, candour and big heartedness in music writing? Blow me down. You've always been a good 'un Street. Walk on.' - Tim Rogers, You Am I

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Australia

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2017

Reviews

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The Long and Winding Way to the Top by Andrew P Street in ebook format borrowed from the library and it contains Fifty (or so) Songs That Made Australia.

Presented chronologically from oldest (at Number 1) to most recent, it contains entertaining details and history on each song. As I was reading, I was constantly googling songs to remind me of the tune or the music video and desperately wanted a playlist associated with the book for easier reference.

Each section was well-researched and the footnotes were funny, but I wish they'd been included in the text as the frequent page flicking in ebook format was distracting^.

The list contains songs that 'made' Australia and were important within the music scene or within Australian culture at the time so it's definitely not a list of the 'most popular' or 'most well-known' songs.

I’ll admit not knowing many of the songs listed, while rushing off to listen to old favourites with renewed zeal and appreciation for their back-stories. Every reader is bound to have an opinion on the songs and their fair share of omissions, but overall this was a nostalgic and informative look at Australian music from 1958 - 2016.

^ See what I mean?

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable book! Obviously, the topic is almost completely subjective and you could argue about inclusions and non-inclusions all day long, but Andrew's style is very readable and enjoyable and the history behind the songs is fascinating.

Before reading I wrote a list of songs I thought would be included, managing to pick around 20 of them. That was fun in itself! 😄

[Andrew McMillen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attempting to narrow the history of Australian popular music to just 50 songs that impacted the nation is a hugely challenging task, as author Andrew P. Street acknowledges in the introduction (and notes that his first list contained 476 tracks). Despite the difficulties of such decisions, however, Street has written a thoroughly entertaining and educational guide to the last 60-odd years of entertainment, starting in 1958 ('The Wild One' by Johnny O'Keefe and The Dee Jays) and ending in 2016 ('January 26' by A.B. Original featuring Dan Sultan). His writing style is arch and authoritative, and given the subjective nature of listening to music, Street is thankfully unafraid to call it as he sees it. For instance, he writes that a prog-jazz-fusion band named Ayers Rock "produced the absolute worst garbage I have ever heard in all of my life".

'The Long and Winding Way To The Top' manages to be both breezy and serious in its delivery. The chapters run to several pages each, and Street summarises not only the circumstances surrounding the creation of each song, but what else was happening in Australian popular and political culture at the time. Street is no stranger to political commentary, having filed daily columns for Fairfax Media for several years, as well as having published books about the nation's two most recent Prime Ministers. This book benefits enormously from his familiarity with that world, and in a sense, he's the perfect writer to combine his consuming interests in both music and politics.

Footnotes abound, as Street frequently laments songs and artists that he was forced to cull from the list. Above all, the author takes on the tone of an educator, and it works well. I learned a lot from his chapter concerning Powderfinger (and its song 'These Days'), for instance, where he notes that the band made "music for straight men to hug to", which strikes me as entirely true. As well, his chapter on The Drones ('Shark Fin Blues') examines the role of national myths about stoic and self-sufficient Aussie manhood, wherein "suffering from a mental illness like, for example, depression has not only been considered unmanly but also suspiciously un-Australian".

This book's accessibility will satisfy both casual and hardcore music fans, and the nation's literary and musical cultures are both richer for Andrew P. Street having turned his mind to that difficult task of culling 476 songs down to the 50 that made Australia.

[Kylie Purdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Andrew P Street's The Short and Excruciatingly Embarrassing Reign of Captain Abbott. He's writing is insightful, but funny and well paced.
I grabbed this book after hearing Street on Richard Fidler's Conversations podcast. I figured even if I didn't like the book, I could put together a kick ass playlist of Australian music. However the book too is brilliant - a finely and masterfully crafted jigsaw of Australian music you could say!
The chapters are short and punchy. You learn something, but don't feel like you are being lectured to. I'd highly recommend it for anyone with even a passing interest in Australian music.

[Lou | bookswithlou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minus one star because I can’t stand the horses (only kind of joking).

I really enjoyed this. While reading is my biggest hobby music (being a fan, I have zero musical talent) is one of my others and as an Aussie I love Australian music so getting to read about just some of the songs ‘that made Australia’ was thoroughly enjoyable for me.

(I really can’t stand the horses though and hate that this book put it in my head but also so many songs I now need to listen to where’s the Spotify playlist seriously?)

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Street does not disappoint with this historical look at 50 songs that shaped Australia's music and (in some cases) wider culture. It's well-researched, funny and fun - and it all fits together like an artfully constructed jigsaw puzzle! Definitely worth it if you're a fan of Oz culture or music, or just of Street's sense of humour.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an enjoyable read and the perfect gift for lovers of OzRock. It’s a rollicking romp through fifty (or so) years of popular Australian music and is insightful, informative, and above all else, hilarious. Andrew P. Street's cheeky irreverence cannot hide the fact that this is a thoroughly researched journey through the songs that have helped forge the character of modern Australia.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 30 or so chapters in one day, as I couldn't put it down. Really interesting book for the songs and what it tells us about Australian music and history.

Very good selection of songs. Would have loved the author to cover Spicks and Specks, Howzat, Most people I know think that I'm crazy (which gets a mention), From the Inside, Slipping Away, Flame Trees.

Highly recommended.

[Bill Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite finished actually. Reached a point where the song and/or the band/singer/composer/writer were completely unfamiliar whereupon interest waned somewhat. Typical baby-boomer right? There may be later generations that find the first third of the book boring ancient history. Philistines!

[Michael Brasier · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great dip and out book. I enjoyed the humour and reflections on the different bands and artists. For those who enjoy music in general and especially those from down under. did myself a favour and thoroughly enjoyed the experience

[Leonie Huysing · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book.....listened to a lot of the songs on YouTube while reading about them. The inclusion of a CD in the book....or links to the songs in the digital copy would be awesome.

[Dom Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great history of Aussie music. The Spotify playlist rocks - get it…
Better than anything I’ve written

[LibraryKath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, was fantastic. Look, there is no way you can make a list of merely 50 (or so) songs that are great Australian music. But Andrew P Street has given it a red hot try, and written an entertaining, informative and historic book in doing so. Even the shit songs are worth reading about, because Andrew has written a history of Australian music that gives so much context to, well, everything in the Australian music industry, that it's worth putting up with Cold Chisel and bloody Darryl Braithwaite!

Definitely seek out the Spotify playlist that he has created as a companion to the book, and listen to it (you can skip over Barnes and Braithwaite, I did!) as you read.

[Greg Dabelstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. ...although I didn’t agree with all the choices...but it was cleverly done.