Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge


Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge is an album released by Austereo in 2001 featuring musical challenges posed by radio comedian Andrew Denton to musicians, generally selecting a song in a style in contrast to their own. Following the success of the radio series, the album was released and then a second album followed in 2003, and later a compilation of the greatest of the two was released.

Background

hosted a morning radio program on Triple M in Sydney, entitled Andrew Denton Breakfast Show. The Musical Challenge segment was created with Denton challenging musical guests to perform songs which don't necessarily suit their style, such as Jimmy Barnes singing ABBA's hit "Dancing Queen" Two CDs of these performances were released on Sony Music with proceeds from the sale going to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

Volume 1

  1. "Billie Jean" – Neil Finn
  2. "I Write the Songs" – Mark Lizotte
  3. "Word Up" – Taxiride
  4. "Dancing Queen" – Jimmy Barnes
  5. "Cheap Wine" – Tina Arena
  6. "Lump" – Lee Kernaghan
  7. "Wuthering Heights" James Reyne
  8. "Legs" – Human Nature
  9. "My Heart Will Go On" – The Screaming Jets
  10. "1999" – Shawn Mullins
  11. "Freak" – Troy Cassar-Daley
  12. "I Touch Myself" – Rolf Harris
  13. "Ben" – Jon Stevens
  14. "Creep" – Gina Jeffreys
  15. "You Got Nothing I Want" – Alex Lloyd
  16. "Gangsta's Paradise" – Richard Clapton
  17. "SOS" – Tonic
  18. "Jump in My Car" – Men at Work
  19. "Down Under" – The Red Army Choir
  20. "Pretty Fly " – James Blundell
  21. "It's a Long Way to the Top " – The Wiggles
  22. "Pretty Vacant" – The Delltones
  23. "Nutbush City Limits" – Suzanne Johnston
  24. "Why Don't You Get a Job?" – John Williamson
  25. "Thriller" – Joe Dolce
  26. "Play That Funky Music" – Archie Roach

    Volume 2: Even More Challenged

  27. "Sorrow" – Powderfinger
  28. "I Was Made for Lovin' You" – Killing Heidi
  29. "Mysterious Ways" – Alex Lloyd
  30. "When Doves Cry" – Barenaked Ladies
  31. "Kryptonite" – Gina Jeffreys
  32. "You Can't Stop the Music" – The Superjesus
  33. "Genie in a Bottle" – Something for Kate
  34. "Little Red Corvette" – Paul Kelly
  35. "Weir" – David Campbell
  36. "Baby I'm-a Want You" – The Living End
  37. "T.N.T." – Human Nature
  38. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Scandal'us
  39. "Jive Talkin"' – Spiderbait
  40. "Sexual Healing" – Neil Finn
  41. "Teenage Dirtbag" – Adam Brand
  42. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" – Lash
  43. "Top of the World" – Stabbing Westward
  44. "Sometimes When We Touch" – Diesel
  45. "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" – Bodyjar
  46. "Una Paloma Blanca" – Zed
  47. "Loving You" – The Cruel Sea
  48. "Eye of the Tiger" – Josh Joplin
  49. "Walk on the Wild Side" – The Wiggles
  50. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" – John Paul Young
  51. "Smoke on the Water" – Mental As Anything
  52. "Morning Train " – The Angels
  53. "Dirty Deeds" – Kerri-Anne Kennerley
  54. "I'm Like a Bird" – Richard Clapton
  55. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Willie Nelson

    Volume 3: Third Time Lucky!

The New Stuff

  1. "Sympathy for the Devil" – Killing Heidi
  2. "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Nickelback
  3. "Aussie Medley" – Tenacious D
  4. "Kiss Kiss" – Bodyjar
  5. "These Days" – Kasey Chambers
  6. "It's Raining Men" – Jebediah
  7. "Murder On The Dancefloor" – One Dollar Short
  8. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" – Shawn Mullins
  9. "Not Pretty Enough" – Grinspoon
  10. "A Little Less Conversation" – Crash Palace
  11. "The Girl from Ipanema" – Noiseworks
  12. "Sex Bomb" – The Red Army Choir
  13. "Enter Sandman" – Mental As Anything
  14. "Paranoid" – Diesel
  15. "Working Class Man" – David Campbell
  16. "Sweet Child o' Mine" – Human Nature
  17. "Close to You" – Hall & Oates
  18. "Leaving on a Jet Plane/Jet Airliner" – The Screaming Jets
  19. "Delilah" – James Reyne
  20. "Alive" – Bob Downe
  21. "Physical" – The Cruel Sea
  22. "Control" – Adam Brand
  23. "Advance Australian Working Class Man" – Adam Hills

    The Classics

  24. "Billie Jean" – Neil Finn
  25. "Dancing Queen" – Jimmy Barnes
  26. "Cheap Wine" – Tina Arena
  27. "Lump" – Lee Kernaghan
  28. "Ben" – Jon Stevens
  29. "Creep" – Gina Jeffreys
  30. "You Got Nothing I Want" – Alex Lloyd
  31. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Scandal'us
  32. "It's a Long Way to the Top " – The Wiggles
  33. "Nutbush City Limits" – Suzanne Johnston
  34. "Why Don't You Get a Job?" – John Williamson
  35. "Sorrow" – Powderfinger
  36. "You Can't Stop the Music" – The Superjesus
  37. "Genie in a Bottle" – Something for Kate
  38. "Little Red Corvette" – Paul Kelly
  39. "Baby I'm-a Want You" – The Living End
  40. "Jive Talkin'" – Spiderbait
  41. "Are You Gonna Go My Way" – John Paul Young
  42. "I'm Like a Bird" – Richard Clapton
  43. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Willie Nelson

    Bonus track

  44. "Come as You Are" – Killing Heidi