In wartime, music plays many roles. There are patriotic songs that bind communities and rally troops; there are performers who offer relief from the battlefield and remind soldiers of their homes; there are songs that evoke the dreadful human cost of conflict, and which in the Vietnam War helped to turn public opinion.
Here are some of the most famous Australian war songs: triumphal anthems, rollicking pick-me-ups and the laments of scarred survivors.
A patriotic rallying cry
‘Australia Will Be There’ was among the best known of all First World War patriotic songs in this country. It was the marching song of the Australian Expeditionary Forces, used to rally the troops on their long treks into battle. The melody is instantly recognisable – and memorable – for its incorporation of the New Year’s Eve standard ‘Auld Lang Syne’ in the chorus; the song’s full title was ‘For Auld Lang Syne – Australia Will Be There’.
It was composed by (Walter) Skipper Francis, a renowned swimmer and athlete, who migrated to Australia from Wales in 1913. He wrote the song in early 1914 but revised the lyrics in 1915 to add a reference to HMAS Sydney’s defeat of the German cruiser SMS Emden in November 1914. The topical reference paid off – subsequent recordings of the song reputedly sold a million copies and raised $60,000 for charity.
Listen to 'Australia Will Be There'
The unofficial anthem has a wartime connection
The song that gives Eric Bogle’s ballad its title is ‘Waltzing Matilda’, Australia’s unofficial anthem and our most recorded song (more on the actual national anthem below). While Banjo Paterson wrote the ‘Waltzing Matilda’ lyrics in 1895 to a tune played by Christina MacPherson, it wasn’t recorded until 1926, and a handful of other writers have helped shape the melody and words into the familiar version we know and sing today.
There were numerous recordings of the song during the Second World War, including one by country star Tex Morton. The Massed Bands of the Australian Army, conducted by Major RA Newman, recorded it ahead of the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. This Second World War recording of the song is by an Australian military entertainment unit called the 116th Rhythm Ensemble and was part of a radio broadcast. The announcer introduces 'Waltzing Matilda’ as ‘the song that has gone into action with the diggers of this war from Timor to Tobruk’. ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2008.
Listen to 'Waltzing Matilda' by the 116th Rhythm Ensemble
Advancing Australian troops to Gallipoli
This recording of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ dates from 1915, when Australian troops were landing in Egypt on their way to Gallipoli during the First World War. It was a commercial recording, likely featuring an armed-forces entertainment unit rather than regular soldiers. It’s the earliest surviving recording of the song, which had been composed by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878 and then revised for Federation in 1901. It was officially proclaimed to be Australia’s national anthem nearly 70 years after this recording, in 1984, but only after two verses were cut altogether and the remaining two notably edited (no more ‘gallant Cook’, ‘true British courage’ or ‘Britannia rules the waves’). During the Second World War, an abridged version of ‘Advance Australia Fair’ became the ABC radio news theme. Lyrics have now been written in the Dharug language, spoken by the Dharawal people in Sydney, and performed at major sporting matches.
Listen to 'Adavance Australia Fair' recorded in 1915
The recording of 'The Landing of the Australian Troops in Egypt' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2007.
A protest song for all wars
This famous Australian song with lyrics about Gallipoli was actually written by a young Scot, newly arrived in the country, as a veiled protest against the Vietnam War. Eric Bogle was only 25 when he attended an Anzac Day march in Canberra in 1971: it inspired him to write the powerful ballad about a young rover sent to fight in Gallipoli in 1915, where he loses both legs and is shipped back to Australia, his roving days over.
‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ went on to have a lasting life of its own. By the time Bogle recorded it for his debut album Now I’m Easy in 1980, it had already been recorded by other artists in Australia and the UK. It’s one of the most covered Australian songs ever, with versions by Joan Baez, Slim Dusty, Midnight Oil and over 120 other artists. In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) named it one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2016.
'And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda' by Eric Bogle, from the album Now I'm Easy (1980). NFSA title: 197491
Patriotic songwriting goes professional
What’s the secret to a successful war song? Catchy melodies and straightforward lyrics were essential ingredients for songs written to be performed at recruiting drives or by soldiers on the march, who only had access to portable instruments like tin whistles and harmonicas. ‘Digger’ was composed and recorded by prolific singer-songwriter Jack Lumsdaine during the Second World War, but it prominently pays tribute to the Diggers of Gallipoli who ‘made Australia’s name’. Lumsdaine namechecks Australian locations and landmarks to remind soldiers abroad what they’re fighting for – nothing less than ‘the greatest land on Earth’. He had already made his mark with songs like ‘Canberra is Calling to You’ and ‘Queanbeyan’ and an ode to Australia’s most famous horse, ‘Phar Lap – Farewell to You!’ ‘Digger’ was the product of Australia’s ‘Tin Pan Alley’, and signalled a trend towards publishing local professional songwriters in the 1940s. It was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2022.
'Digger' by Jack Lumsdaine, 1942. NFSA title:190905
Entertaining the troops in Vietnam
There’s a long history of popular performers entertaining the troops overseas (you can see two of our biggest stars doing just that below). Inspired by a real-life all-female Aboriginal singing group, The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, 2012) is a popular feature film about four Yorta Yorta women who travel to Vietnam to sing for the troops in 1968. This clip is from the end of the film and captures the spirit of their performances. It features the group – played by Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens and Miranda Tapsell – sparkling in their stage outfits and belting out an example of the ’60s soul music they sang in Vietnam (in this case, the Four Tops classic ‘I Can’t Help Myself’, from 1965).
The Sapphires perform 'I Can't Help Myself' in The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, 2012). Courtesy Goalpost Pictures. NFSA title: 1062557
Too radical for radio
Cold Chisel’s debut single, about a Vietnam War veteran unable to find peace in civilian life, captured the disaffected mood of a generation. It became an anthem, sung without inhibition at pubs and bucks nights, in high schools and locker rooms – despite having no chorus to latch onto and a set of lyrics so dense that singer Jimmy Barnes compared them to a novel. The song’s structure – a series of verses over a straightforward country-rock backing track – matches the restlessness of the veteran who can’t stop wandering and settle down, with a late-arriving refrain (‘the last plane out of Sydney’s almost gone’) that hangs in the air like a cloud of cigarette smoke.
Despite demand from radio stations and DJs, 'Khe Sanh' was banned by commercial radio and stalled at No. 41 on the national charts as a result. The ban was ostensibly because of drug and sexual references, but composer Don Walker suspected it was more to do with a broader unwillingness to come to grips with the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The initial lack of radio play didn’t stop ‘Khe Sanh’ from defining an era, though it wasn’t until the age of digital downloads that it finally cracked the Top 40 in 2011, over 30 years after its first release. 'Khe Sanh' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2014.
Listen to an excerpt from 'Khe Sanh'
Explore more Cold Chisel
A cry for acknowledgement
Redgum’s John Schumann didn’t serve in Vietnam, but he wanted to write a song about the impact of the war on those who fought it. He turned to his brother-in-law, Mick Storen, who fought with 6 Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR). Storen agreed to share his experiences with Schumann on two conditions: that the resulting song wouldn’t denigrate veterans and that he’d agree not to release it if Storen wasn’t happy with it.
Schumann wrote ‘I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)’ in 1983 and it had an immediate impact. It topped the charts, was embraced by the soldiers it was about, and became a powerful rallying cry for acknowledgement of Australia’s Vietnam veterans. A belated ‘welcome home parade’ in 1987 saw 25,000 Vietnam veterans march in Sydney; Schumann performed the song at a concert after the parade, joined on stage by Frank Hunt (also 6RAR), the ‘Frankie’ of the song’s lyrics. 'I Was Only 19' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia collection in 2015.
Listen to an excerpt from ‘I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)’
Two Aussie legends keep up a long tradition
There's a long history of entertaining troops stationed overseas – to keep up morale and remind them of the home life they’ve signed up to protect (as we saw in The Sapphires, mentioned above). In December 1999, Kylie Minogue teamed up with John Farnham for a lively version of the Johnny O’Keefe classic ‘Shout’ at the Concert for the Interfet Troops at Dili Stadium, East Timor. The Angels’ Doc Neeson conceived the benefit concert as a show of appreciation to international troops stationed in East Timor over Christmas.
The two legendary Aussie singers have a lot of fun playing up to the audience, and their stage presence and chemistry really shine through. Both are natural entertainers and seem to have a healthy level of respect for each other's talents, which shows in their performance. The song choice is a great one for the enthusiastic crowd. With its well-known chorus, it encourages audience participation and has everyone on their feet singing along.
Explore more John Farnham
Explore more Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue and John Farnham sing 'Shout' at the Concert for the Interfet Troops at Dili Stadium in East Timor, 1999. Courtesy: Seven Network. NFSA: 460497
Want to be the first to hear stories and news from the NFSA?
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss out.
Main image: Conductor leading the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Anzac Day Dawn Service in 2022, iStock. Credit: Francis Kurth
From Gallipoli to the home front, our website features many sights and sounds of the First World War and Anzac Day commemorations.
Harry Julius' cartoons often commented on the events of the First World War and served as propaganda for the Allied war effort.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.
