Way Out West (song)


"Way Out West" is the debut single by Australian band The Dingoes. It was released in October 1973 and peaked in the top 40 of the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart and reached number 26 in Melbourne. The song became the band's signature tune.

Lyrics

The song explains the fly-in fly-out life of mining in Australia, telling the story of a man who has left his job and wife in the city to work for a company drilling for oil and enjoys "living and a working on the land".

Music

“Way Out West” is set in the Key of G.

Charts

James Blundell & James Reyne version

In 1991, Australian country artists James Blundell and James Reyne recorded a version that became a huge hit in Australia the following year, peaking at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart. It was the highest-charting single for both singers.
At the APRA Music Awards of 1992 the song won Country Song of the Year.

Chart performance

“Way Out West” debuted at number 28 on 29 March 1992. The next week, it entered the top 10, then reached its peak of number two on 26 April, kept off the top spot by "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers for two weeks. It remained in the top 10 for four more weeks and the top 50 for a further three weeks.

Track listing

CD Single
  1. James Blundell & James Reyne – “Way Out West”
  2. James Blundell – “She Won't Let You Down”
  3. James Reyne – “Long Yard Rider”

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

covered the song on the 2016 album Adam Brand and the Outlaws.