I Still Call Australia Home
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"I Still Call Australia Home" is a song written and performed by Peter Allen in 1980. In it, Allen sings of the Australian expatriate's longing for home.
It has been used to suggest Australian patriotism and nostalgia: for example, in Qantas television commercials where it was sung by the National Boys Choir of Australia and Australian Girls Choir (sometimes the group is collectively called the 'Qantas Choir'). And in 1984 Summer Olympics's Opening Gala TV special (in Los Angeles), Olivia Newton-John who sung Allen's most famous song I Honestly Love You, performed this song from Sydney, Australia with the Choir as medley Waltzing Matilda. Later, both songs were also used in a musical The Boy from Oz, about Allen's life, which starred Hugh Jackman.
[edit] Usage
- In the version of the song currently used by Qantas, "Rio" is replaced by "Rome". Qantas does not operate flights to Rio de Janeiro, but flew to the Italian capital at the time the video was made.[1]
- The song is a popular inclusion in the repertoire of several Welsh male voice choirs, including the Morriston Orpheus Choir. The Welsh version replaces "London" in the line "from New York, to Rome, and old London town", with "Swansea".[2]
- Australian comedy team The Chaser composed a parody of the Qantas version of the song, called "I Still Call Australia 51 per cent Home" in response to Qantas outsourcing some of its engineering services to Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.
- The song was performed by Chris Lilley in episodes one and two of "We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year" (2005).
- The song was performed by singer Kylie Minogue in the Sound Relief concert in benefit of the victims of the Australian Bushfires on 14/03/09
[edit] References
- ^ Duncan Macleod. "Qantas I Still Call Australia Home". The Inspiration Room Daily. http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2006/qantas-i-still-call-australia-home. Retrieved on 2009-07-02.
- ^ Wonderful Welsh Choirs (track 11)
