List of songs about Sydney

This is a list of songs which mention or are about Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, as well as the suburbs of Sydney and nearby locations such as Katoomba, Newcastle and Wollongong.

Song listings

The list is ordered alphabetically by suburb and within suburb alphabetically by song title. Where known, the songwriters, performing artists and album or CD on which the track has appeared are listed. Some of the tracks listed appear on the Sony Music 2000 double-compilation CD Somewhere in Sydney - 30 songs from the Harbour City, which was compiled and conceived by Glenn A. Baker.

Beverley Hills

• "Naomi Campbell" 360

Blacktown

• "Blacktown to Bondi" Mental as Anything
• "Blacktown" Miracle

Bondi

• "Bondi" (Elliott Weston) Elliott Weston
• "Fall of Rome" (James Reyne) James Reyne
• "Section 5 (Bus to Bondi)" (Rotsey/Hirst/Garrett/Moginie) Midnight Oil

Botany

• "To the Shores of Botany Bay" (Traditional arrangement The Bushwackers) The Bushwackers

Camperdown

• "Rose of Camperdown" (Fenton/Rumble) Holly

Circular Quay

• "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (Eric Bogle) Eric Bogle "Now I'm Easy" (Larrikin Records).
• "If We Can't Get It Together" (Tim Rogers) You Am I
• "Reckless" (James Reyne) Australian Crawl Semantics (EMI); Paul Kelly Hidden Things; James Reyne Electric Digger Dandy; John Farnham I Remember When I Was Young

Coogee

• "Coogee Boy" (Keyes) Perry Keyes
• "Wedding Cake Island" Midnight Oil

Darlinghurst

• "Darling It Hurts" (Paul Kelly, Steve Connelly) Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
• "Darlinghurst Confidential" The Celibate Rifles
• "Darlinghurst Nights" (Robert Forster) The Go-Betweens
• "Darlinghurst Road" (R. Thorpe, Noel Watson) Noel Watson
• "Taylor Square" (Mick Thomas) Weddings Parties Anything

Ermington

• "This Is Not My Town" (The Model School)

Erskineville

• "Bill from Erskineville" (John Dengate)
• "Erskineville" (The Gadflys)
• "Sicilian Born" (Graeme Connors) Album "North"
• "Siege Of Union Street" (Alistair Hulett) The Cold Grey Light Of Dawn

Five Dock

• "The Cicada That Ate Five Dock" (John Sammers) Outline

Glebe

• "Glebe" The Tactics
• "Lauren from Glebe" Muscles
• "Purple Sneakers" You Am I

Hornsby

• "Houndog" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel
• "No Place Like Normanhurst" Kiff vs. Spliff

Katoomba

• "Until" (Michael Quinlan) The Mexican Spitfires Lupe Velez EP Red Eye Records

Kings Cross

• "At the Piccolo Bar" (Don Walker) Don Walker
• "Breakfast at Sweethearts" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel Album Breakfast at Sweethearts
• "El Alamein Blues" (Don Walker) Catfish
• "From St. Kilda to Kings Cross" (Paul Kelly) Paul Kelly And The Messengers Mushroom Records CD Hidden Things Paul Kelly Mushroom Records LP/CD "Post"
• "Girls on the Avenue" Richard Clapton
• "Metho Blues" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel Album Breakfast At Sweethearts (Enhanced)
• "Queen of Everyone's Heart" (Keyes) Perry Keyes

Llandilo

• "Meth Labs and Daygos" 360

Lavender Bay

• "Long Jumping Jeweller (of Lavender Bay)* (Glenn Shorrock) Little River Band

Leichhardt

• "Norton Street" *(Raoul Graf/Ed Kuepper) Raoul Graf

Manly

• "Reckless" (James Reyne) Australian Crawl Semantics (EMI)

Maroubra

• "Down on the Street with You" (Keyes) Perry Keyes
• "Stomping At Maroubra" Little Pattie

Marrickville

• "Miracle in Marrickville" John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong Single Red Eye Records
• "River of Tears" (Kev Carmody) Kev Carmody, The Drones
• "You sound like Louis Burdett" - The Whitlams

Newcastle

• "Newcastle Song" (Bob Hudson) Bob Hudson M7 Records Single (1975) This song by Bob Hudson was also featured on his "Newcastle Song" LP record.
• "Star Hotel" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel

Newtown

• "A Walk Down King St" Spurs For Jesus
• "King St" *John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong Single Red Eye Records
• "Newtown Dreaming" *(Willoughby) Mixed Relations
• "Newtown (La La La)" Cuthbert and the Night Walkers
• "Rock'n'Roll Band And A Schooner Of Beer" (H. Ree) McBodybag
• "The Newtown Song" [Annita Cullen, Laurie and the Toyboys]
• "12 Hours" The Whitlams
• "Year of the Rat" The Whitlams

North Shore

• "North Shore Girls Get Off" (Dave Beniuk) David Beniuk

Paddington

• "Double on the Main Game" (Keyes) Perry Keyes
• "Oxford Street" (Dorian Mode) Dorian Mode

Palm Beach

• "Deep Water" (Richard Clapton) Richard Clapton

Parramatta

• "Parramatta Gaol 1843" Redgum
• "Parramatta Hot Rod Man" The Whiteliners, Satellite V, Gaitorbait
• "Tomorrow" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel

Randwick

• "Randwick Bells" (Paul Kelly) Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls

Redfern

• "Ivy Street" (Tim O'Reilly) The Mexican Spitfires Lupe Velez EP Red Eye Records
• "The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw" Perry Keyes The Last Ghost Train Home Album Laughing Outlaw - the song mentions several other Sydney suburbs
• "The Last Ghost Train Home" (Perry Keyes) Perry Keyes

Stanmore

• "The Battle of Stanmore" Died Pretty

Strathfield

• "Murder City Nights" (Denis Tek)Radio Birdman
• "Rookwood" (Stephen McCowage) The Mexican Spitfires Lupe Velez EP Red Eye Records

Summer Hill

• "Summer Hill Road" (R.Burton/G.Paige) The Executives Single Festival Records

Sydney

• "Blue Sky City" Danny McVey & Darryl Chute (www.blueskycity.com.au)
• "City of Lights"* (Grant McFarland) Grant McFarland
• "Found" Horrorshow
• "I Wonder What They're Doing (in Sydney Today)" (Mick Thomas) Michael Thomas
• "Khe Sanh" (Don Walker) Cold Chisel Atlantic records Single (April 1978)
• "Harbour Town" Icehouse
• "Larrikin Town" *(Keith Glass) Keith Glass
• "Lights of Sydney Town" (Alistair Hulett) Roaring Jack
• "My City of Sydney" (Tommy Leonetti/Robert Trout) Tommy Leonetti, Mary Schneider, XL Capris, Frenzal Rhomb
• "Old Sydney Town" Alopi Latukefu & the Palermo Express
• "Rep My City" Miracle
• "Somewhere in Sydney" (Greg Macainsh) Skyhooks
• "Sundays in Sydney" (Dave Steel) Dave Steel
• "Sydney Born Man" (Peter Martin) SCRA
• "Sydney From a 727" (Paul Kelly) Paul Kelly & the Messengers, Mushroom Records Comedy
• "Sydney Girls" (Anderson/Wells) Rose Tattoo
• "Sydney Ladies" (Broderick Smith/Kerryn Tolhurst), The Dingoes, The Dingoes (1974, Mushroom Records)
• "Sydney or the Bush" *(Norma O'Hara Murphy) Norma O'Hara Murphy
• "Sydney Song" Eskimo Joe
• "Sydney Town" (Michael Quinlan) The Mexican Spitfires Lupe Velez EP Red Eye Records
• "Sydney Town (The more they try to keep you down in)"* (Hardy/Gary Sheaarson) - Frank Hardy recorded by Gary Shearson
• "Then 'Til Now" Bliss N Eso
• "Town Hall Steps" (Timothy (Tim) O'Reilly) The Mexican Spitfires Lupe Velez EP Red Eye Records
• "Typically Sydney" The Deadly Hume
• "Where You Wanna Go" K1
• "You Gotta Love This City" (Tim Freedman) The Whitlams

Tamarama

• "Tamarama Doorslammer" *(C.Sue/A.Wilson) Killers On The Loose

Tempe

• "You sound like Louis Burdett" - The Whitlams

White Bay

• "The White Bay Paper Seller" *(Judy Small) Judy Small

Woolloomooloo

• "Hullabaloo" (S. Kelly, J. MacKay) Absent Friends
• "Numbers Fall" * (Don Walker) Cold Chisel
• "Ruby" (Don Walker) Catfish
• "Ticket In Tatts" (Mick Thomas) Weddings Parties Anything
• "Woolloomooloo Lair" *(D.Newton/M.Williamson/R.Corbett) The Bushwackers
• "Woolloomooloo Sunset" (McCormack) David McCormack and the Polaroids

The Illawarra

The Illawarra includes Wollongong, and despite their geographical closeness, most songs about Wollongong have been written about its cultural distinctness. Many of which are tongue in cheek.

• "I've Been Everywhere Man" Aunty Jack
• "Queen of the Gong" Aunty Jack
• "Wollongong the Brave" Aunty Jack
• "Wollongong on My Mind" Aunty Jack
• "Beachcomber from Wollongong" John Williamson
• "Lights of Wollongong" Aubrey & Martin

See also

• "I've Been Everywhere" - a popular novelty song which mentions, inter alia, several Sydney suburbs albeit not Sydney itself.

External links

• Songs written about Sydney - Bernard Zuel, The Sydney Morning Herald
• Songs of Melbourne
• Australia By Song - a growing list of Australian towns and locations that have been immortalised by both traditional and contemporary song