Australia (The Kinks song)


"Australia" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks, appearing on their 1969 album, Arthur . It was written by the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies.

Lyrics and Music

In the song, the character Derek 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.
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 , 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.