1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Let Me tell You a Story now one time Cosy 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: and leases the story behind the song. This morning we 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: were talking about the great Australian songs off the back 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: of g Flip winning Song of the Year at the 5 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: Arias last night, and this one came up more. 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 2: Than a few times, got a few votes in. 7 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: The Great Southern Land by ice House was released on 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: in August nineteen eighty two as the lead single from 9 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: their second studio album, Primitive Man. It peaked at number 10 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: five on the Australian Singles Chart. At the nineteen eighty 11 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: two Countdown Music Awards, the song was nominated for Best 12 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: Australian Single. When it came out, The Guardian wrote, many 13 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: great Australian songs couldn't sound more different to the circumstances 14 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: in which they were dreamed up, and none more so 15 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: than ice House's nineteen eighty two classic Great Southern Land. 16 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,919 Speaker 1: While the song evokes the vast emptiness of the nation's countryside, 17 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: it was written and recorded in Iva Daviess living room 18 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: and the inner Sydney suburb of Leichhart, right under the 19 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: airport flight path. 20 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: Isn't that funny? So different? Something matter? 21 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: And they'd a plane going over. Apparently Iver frequently had 22 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: to stop the tape as the roar of the engines 23 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: made the houses foundations rattle. 24 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: So called it great Southern Airlines, adn't he? Yeah, he's 25 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 2: ever talking about his original inspiration for the song. It's 26 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 2: much easier to see. 27 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 3: In hindsight sort of where it came from, because we 28 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 3: went on that first international tour. It was the first 29 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 3: time I'd been away from Australia for any length of time. 30 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 3: And I remember the flying from Sydney to Perth. I 31 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 3: remember sort of being interested to look out the window 32 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 3: until the point where we got to what looked like desert, 33 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 3: not much in particular, and I fell asleep over the desert, 34 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 3: not much in particular, and I didn't wake up for 35 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 3: two hours, and when I looked out again, we were 36 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 3: still over desert, not much in particular. And I think 37 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 3: it was that it was that moment, that light bulb moment, 38 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 3: when I suddenly went, oh, my goodness, the scale of 39 00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 3: the continent, you know, was suddenly very real. 40 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 2: It's a damn big continent. It's a very big It 41 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 2: was the moment where he went wow, yeah, yeah. Ten 42 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: years ago this month was selected for inclusion in the 43 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 2: Australian National Film and Sound Archives Sounds of Australia list. 44 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: I think it's a pretty cool thing to get it gone. 45 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: For absolutely it belongs in there real. 46 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 2: And I do wonder if tomorrow, when the Aussie Boys 47 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 2: walk out they often use this song down at Optus 48 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: for the Test match it's India, if they play the 49 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: song again tomorrow to start a new cricket summer. It 50 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 2: seems to be one that they do well. 51 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: Iver didn't always think it would be a hit, and 52 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: he told our own Russell. 53 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 3: That I heard that you thought it might not actually 54 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 3: work on the radio. 55 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 2: You thought, no, no, no, it's a bit long. Even 56 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 2: though the record company liked it right. 57 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 3: Everybody immediately liked it, but I was terrified of it 58 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 3: because it was five minutes and fifteen seconds long. Now 59 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 3: and you have to imagine those days that the record 60 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 3: company said, when you take a single into the radio station, 61 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 3: what they'll do is that they'll look at the label 62 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 3: and if they see three point fifty nine seconds, three 63 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 3: minutes fifty nine seconds, that's fine. If they see a four, 64 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 3: forget it, they'll never play it. I was trying I 65 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 3: out a fire. We had a very long note that 66 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 3: started at the front of it, and the record company 67 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 3: kind of discreetly tried to encourage me to edit the 68 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 3: note off because it took care of about fifteen seconds 69 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 3: on its own, and I'm very glad I didn't, because 70 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 3: our keyboard player at that time a little while ago said, 71 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 3: I've never kind of dreamed of the idea that i 72 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 3: could stand there and play one note and the entire 73 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 3: audience would erupt. And that's exactly what happens.