Australia (The Kinks song)

"Australia" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks, appearing on their 1969 album, Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). It was written by the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies.

"Australia"
Single by The Kinks
from the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
B-side"She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina" (R. Davies) (Australia)
ReleasedDecember 1969
RecordedMay–June 1969 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London
GenreRock
Length6:46 (album version)
LabelAstor AP-1680 (Australia)
Songwriter(s)Ray Davies
Producer(s)Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"Shangri-La"
(1969)		 "Australia"
(1969)		 "Victoria"
(1970)
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) track listing
12 tracks
Side one
  1. "Victoria"
  2. "Yes Sir, No Sir"
  3. "Some Mother's Son"
  4. "Drivin'"
  5. "Brainwashed"
  6. "Australia"
Side two
  1. "Shangri-La"
  2. "Mr. Churchill Says"
  3. "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina"
  4. "Young and Innocent Days"
  5. "Nothing to Say"
  6. "Arthur"

Lyrics and Music

In the song, the character Derek (who is featured in the story line of Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)) attempts to convince his father, Arthur, of the great opportunities available in Australia, where there's "no drug addiction" and you can "surf like they do in the U.S.A." Derek's advertisement is compared to John Smith, who campaigned for America in a similar manner, by author Thomas Kitts.[1]

The song also features a jam sequence lasting for approximately half the song, which is atypical for The Kinks. This is probably the closest The Kinks ever came to a longer, loose and even slightly "spacey" jam on their records. This sequence also features a Wobble Board, an Australian Instrument. In the Australian single edit, this section is removed by editing an earlier section of the song into another section during a drum beat, which is then followed by a fade-out.

Release

"Australia" was released in most countries only on Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), where it was the closing track on side one. In Australia, an abbreviated version of the song was released as a single, with another Arthur track, "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina", on the B-side. The single was commercially unsuccessful.

gollark: Make it a nocturne. Nobody likes nocturnes.
gollark: About 20 hours to go, then.
gollark: I think that that's around the time I wake up on the 31st.
gollark: When is the drawing, anyway? The *start* of the 31st? The *end*?
gollark: Probably.

References
  1. Kitts, Thomas M. (25 May 2014). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else.
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