By Basant El-Faramawy
Australia's National Film and Sound Archive and Apra Amcos have launched the National Songbook, a digital archive celebrating songs that shaped the nation's cultural identity. The first 10 songs were inducted at a ceremony in Canberra on Wednesday.
Selection by expert panel
A panel of 11 music experts, including broadcasters Richard Kingsmill and Zan Rowe, composer Cornel Wilczek and musician Mo’Ju, chose the inaugural list. NFSA chief curator Meagan Loader described the deliberations as a “very robust conversation” facilitated by Apra chair Jenny Morris and NFSA chair Annette Shun Wah.
Songs span more than a century
The oldest entry is “Waltzing Matilda,” written by Andrew “Banjo” Paterson in 1895 and recorded in 1927. The most recent is the Presets’ 2008 electronic track “My People,” a protest song about Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.
Indigenous and feminist anthems honored
Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty,” written around a campfire in 1990, was recognized as a landmark protest anthem. Helen Reddy’s 1971 feminist anthem “I Am Woman” and Ruby Hunter’s 1990 “Down City Streets,” addressing the Stolen Generations, were also included for their personal storytelling and lasting resonance.
Rock, electronic and orchestral works
Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning” (1987), the Easybeats’ 1966 garage-rock hit “Friday on My Mind,” and the Necks’ unsettling score for the 1998 film “The Boys” represent diverse genres. Peter Sculthorpe’s 11-minute “Earth Cry,” featuring didgeridoo player William Barton, was chosen for capturing the vastness of Australia.
List to grow annually
The songbook will add 10 new songs each year, selected by a fresh panel. Eligible songs must be at least a decade old, written or co-written by an Australian Apra member, and have demonstrable cultural impact. Loader said the first list is a “great conversation starter” and expects the archive to evolve over time.
