"True Blue"
Single by John Williamson
from the album True Blue - The Best of John Williamson
A-side"True Blue"
B-side"The Year of the Tree"
ReleasedMarch 1982
RecordedHoneyfarm Studios
GenreCountry
Length3:29
LabelFestival Records
Songwriter(s)John Williamson
Producer(s)John Williamson
John Williamson singles chronology
"The Diggers of the Anzac (This Is Gallipoli)"
(1981)		 "True Blue"
(1982)		 "(You've Gotta Be) Fair Dinkum"
(1982)

"True Blue" is an Australian folk song written and performed by singer-songwriter John Williamson. The lyrical content utilises Australian slang heavily, with the title meaning authentically Australian (from a British phrase).[1] The song was released in March 1982 as a single from True Blue – The Best of John Williamson, but it failed to chart.

The lyrics included a reference to Vegemite, a food paste, but that was removed in a later version because Williamson "just didn't want the song to be commercialised".[2] The 1986 version was used for the Australian Made campaign.

The song was adopted by the Australia national cricket team and the Australia national rugby union team as an unofficial theme song and is often performed at sporting events or other ceremonies.[3]

Williamson performed the song twice on acoustic guitar at Australia Zoo during Steve Irwin's public memorial service (it was Irwin's favourite song): once shortly after the beginning ceremony, and again at the end as Irwin's truck was driven out of the Crocoseum (crocodile exhibit) for the final time.[4]

In March 2009, Williamson sang in a 30-minute musical, The Story of True Blue, which relates how an Australian cattle dog loses its family in a bushfire. It was narrated by Shannon Noll, and it combined stock men, livestock, motorbikes and circus performers.[5]

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "True Blue" was ranked number 27.[6]

Track listing

7"
No.TitleLength
1."True Blue"3:29
2."The Year of the Tree"3:13

1986 version

"True Blue"
Single by John Williamson
from the album Mallee Boy
A-side"True Blue"
B-side"Alice Springs"
ReleasedSeptember 1986
GenreCountry music
LabelFestival Records
Songwriter(s)John Williamson
Producer(s)John Williamson
John Williamson singles chronology
"Goodbye Blinky Bill"
(1986)		 "True Blue"
(1986)		 "Raining on the Rock"
(1987)

In 1986, Williamson re-recorded "True Blue" and released it in September 1986 as the lead single from his sixth studio album Mallee Boy. The song was used for the Australian Made campaign.[3] The song peaked at number 43 on the Kent Music Report.[7][8]

At the 1988 APRA Awards (Australia), the song won Most Performed Australasian Country Work.[9]

Charts

7"
No.TitleLength
1."True Blue" 
2."Alice Springs" 

Track listing

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 43

Release history

Region Date Format Edition(s) Label Catalogue
Australia March 1982
Standard Festival Records K-8653
Australia September 1986
  • 7" Vinyl
 Standard Festival Records K-111

References

  1. ↑ "TRUE BLUE 21st Anniversary - Lyrics by John Williamson". Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  2. ↑ John Elliott (November 2003). "The True Blue epic". Country Music Capital News. Rural Press Limited. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "John Williamson sees true blue people all over the world". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Steve Irwin". John Williamson. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Hey, true Bluey: John Williamson goes to the dogs". 26 March 2009.
  6. ↑ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0646119176. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988.
  8. ↑ Ryan (bulion), Gary (30 October 2012). "Chart Positions Pre 1989, Part 4 – John Williamson". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "APRA Music Awards – 1988 Winners". Australasian Performing Right Association. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
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