12 Songs You Need To Listen To In Melbourne

Music is food for the soul. With so much to see and to do in Melbourne, we have picked some of Australia’s favourite sons and daughters, along with a few international favourites, for you to listen to when pounding the cities streets in search of coffee or wall art.

Kylie Minogue is the Aussie Queen of pop for 30 years. This is Can’t get you out of my head, exactly how you’ll feel after a trip to Melbourne.

Men At Work, Down Under. Iconic 80s pop, seriously, you can’t wander Australia without this one in your playlist.

Crowded House are a very successful New Zealand/Australian-based rock group formed in the 1980s. Melbourne can have all four seasons in one day so their hit Weather with you is entirely appropriate!

Gotye, Somebody I Used To Know. Gotye was two years old when his family relocated to Australia, eventually settling in Montmorency, Victoria. We’ll take that!

All Saints, Pure Shores. A UK pop act maybe, but Australia is the ultimate beach destination. You’ll need this when cruising the wondrous coastline.

Fat Freddy’s Drop, Wandering Eye. Okay, they’re from New Zealand but the song is a kicker to walk around Melbourne’s laneways on the hunt for coffee, food and graffiti!

Powderfinger, My Happiness. No Australian playlist would be complete without power house band, Powderfinger in the mix. The difficulty is whether to choose this or their lead singer, Bernard Fanning’s classic Wish You Well!

AC/DC, Highway To Hell. One of the great rock bands of all time, you’ll be forgiven for thinking you are on Mars when tearing along the Northern Territories red sands.

Icehouse, Great Southern Land. Australia is a great southern land, this song by 80s band Icehouse captures its essence. Cyndi Lauper, I Drove All Night. Nowhere is close is Australia. You’ll drive all night (and day!) to get where you want to go. A classic driving tune, a must have on your playlist. Stereophonics, Maybe Tomorrow. Australia has a way of drawing people in so that they feel like they are home. You’ll know the feeling when you get here.

Spirit of Uluru: Australian Aboriginal Music. Travel is the only expense that makes you richer. The bittersweet symphony of Aboriginal peoples music is a testimony to that. By Jamie Newell Jamie Newell is a freelance photojournalist from the UK, currently living and exploring Melbourne and the surrounding areas.