What are the world's top Northern Territory songs? - ABC News

To Northern Territorians, Territory Day is all about the fireworks (and, at times, also about dousing the grassfires that result).

Key points:

• The Territory Sounds Countdown has revealed NT's all-time top 40
• Treaty by Yothu Yindi is top of the inaugural poll
• Indigenous bands dominate

But after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of fireworks events, Territorians have found renewed pride in their rich music, culture, and diversity.

The Territory Sounds Countdown has filled the void with a search for the top 40 songs that the world can thank the NT for.

The Countdown featured music from the desert to the islands and everywhere between, blaring from ABC radio stations and community radio, in homes, pubs, and cafes.

Get on with it, tell us who won…

The clear winner, revealed just after 9pm on Territory Day, was Yothu Yindi's 1991 release, Treaty.

Yothu Yindi founding member Witiyana Marika was over the moon just to hear the political anthem made it into the top 40.

But then it was revealed the song won.

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Hear Yothu Yindi's Witiyana Marika being told Treaty was number 1

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"You made my day," he said.

"I'm going to celebrate something, I don't know.

"(The song means) heart and soul for the nation and for the mother earth and the people of the earth.

"What we need is treaty now. Here. On our soil we need a treaty for the whole of Australia for our nation. We'd like to be recognised."

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article may contain images of people who have died.

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Two, three, four...

Another Yothu Yindi song Djapana / Sunset Dreaming came fourth.

"(Djapana is about) whats happening with the people slipping away and living in other societies," he said.

"That song brings everyone back."

In the tally room, there was daylight between the top three songs.

The Warumpi Band on stage at the Rock Against Racism concert in Melbourne in 1984.(Supplied)

Papunya rockers The Warumpi Band took out second and third place with My Island Home and Blackfella, Whitefella.

Warumpi member Neil Murray said the later has become an iconic protest song.

"I just showed (band founder and guitarist Sammy Butcher) the words I had and he said: 'we've gotta do this. We've all got to live together black and white we've all got to get along'," Murray said.

"Just prior to us recording it in '84 down in Sydney (singer George Rrurrambu) said 'we've gotta say yellafella'. So we stuck that in the second verse.

"That song is The Warumpi Band song that really represents what we are on about.

"It seemed like a real force for positive change for society."

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Anything new or strange?

It was a male-dominated top 40.

Ali Mills was the only female-lead act to break the top 10.

Dave Garham called it out on air.

"Where are all the ladies?" he said.

Not counting former female members of a small number of bands, the only other women in the countdown were Mauboy and Emily Wurramara, in 33rd place with Black Smoke.

Sara Storer was in duet with Katherine powerhouse Tom Curtain on Speak Up, a song about the tragic death of teenager Dolly Everett in 2018.

The band with the most songs in the top 40, are a band many never heard before but which have just enjoyed renewed success overnight according to radio texters, was Darwin hard rock band The Poor with seven entries, followed by 2019 Young Australian of the Year Baker Boy with five songs.

Not all went as expected

Two upsets were the placings of some of Australia's best-known exports: the solitary Dr G Yunipingu song Bapa in eighth; and Jessica Mauboy with Little Things in 22nd place and Eurovision 2018 entry We Got Love in 34th place.

Contemporary country musos Tom Curtain and Dave Garnham can't be unhappy with five and two songs in the poll — each act with a tune near the top end of the list.

There was also room for the heavies. Aside from The Poor, metal band Emerald Sun scored a hat trick.

Ali Mills was the only female solo artist in the top 10 of the Territory Sounds Countdown.(Supplied: Darwin Festival)

Who didn't make it?

Notable absences from the top 40 — but still inside the top 100 — were Caiti Baker and Sietta, Shellie Morris, Leah Flanagan, Ali Mills, Apakatjah, and Stevie Jean.

Almost 2000 votes were cast and voters could choose from about 1000 songs, including their own submissions.

Listen to the first half and the second half of the countdown.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA3LTAyL3RlcnJpdG9yeS1zb3VuZHMtY291bnRkb3duLTIwMjAtbm9ydGhlcm4tdGVycml0b3J5LXRvcC00MC1zb25ncy8xMjQxMTk3ONIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjQxMTk3OA?oc=5

2020-07-01 23:37:48Z
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