Sounds of Then

"Sounds of Then (This is Australia)" is a 1985 song by Australian band Gang Gajang from their self-titled debut album, Gang Gajang. "Sounds of Then" was written by frontman Mark "Cal" Callaghan.^[1]

Whilst the 1985 release of "Sounds of Then" was not an initial commercial success, it has become the band's most popular and recognisable song and reached its peak when it was used as Nine Network's station ID promotion in 1996. The B-Side, "House of Cards", was recorded live for 2JJJ.

In an interview for APRA Mark Callaghan states that the song started as a poem in his notebook, reflecting on the time that his family moved from England to Bundaberg in Queensland, a major culture shock for him.

“We lived half way between Bundaberg and the ocean, all around was bush scrub and cane fields. And walking up to the top of the street to catch the school bus, one morning you turn around and there’s fire. It’s one of those songs where if your goal was only to sell records, whatever it took to do it, then the song would have been called ‘This is Australia’. But it’s not about that. It’s a brick veneer drama. My parents got divorced when they came to Australia, it was a horrible period of my life. And the song is actually about how smells and sounds and sensations can rekindle a memory – which is what music does so successfully for people: I think I hear the sounds of then and people talking / Scenes recalled by minute movement / And songs they fall from the backing tape…^[2]

The song has also been used in a commercial by Coca Cola and featured in the 1987 film North Shore.^[3]^[4]

An instrumental version called variously: "Sounds of Then" (Instrumental) or (Surf mix) or (Mad Wax mix) was released as the B-side of 1986 single "Initiation". It was also added to the 1996 release (listed below) with an additional B-Side "Giver of Life".

In the 2015 TV show "Australia the story of us" the line "this is Australia" is used frequently in the show.

Track listing

1985 single

All songs written by Mark Callaghan unless otherwise indicated.^[1]

"Sounds of Then" -3:57
"House of Cards" (live version)

1996 re-release

"Sounds of Then" aka "This is Australia" - 3:57
"Giver of Life" (Geoffrey Stapleton, Chris Bailey, Callaghan, Graham Bidstrup, K Bidstrup aka Kay Bee)^[1]- 3:39
"Sounds of Then" (Surf mix) - 3:23

References

1 2 3 "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
↑ Mark Calaghan interview with Debbie Kruger
↑ North Shore - film credits
↑ Internet Movie database - North Shore soundtrack

External links

Gang Gajang singles

Gang Gajang	"Gimme Some Lovin" "House of Cards" "Giver of Life" "The Bigger They Are" "Sounds of Then"

Gang Again	"Initiation" "American Money" "Luck of the Irish"

Lingo	"Hundreds of Languages" "Talk to Me" "Ordinary World"

Oceans and Deserts	"Nomadsland" "Anodyne Dream" "Trust"

Gang Gajang

Mark 'Cal' Callaghan Chris Bailey Graham 'Buzz' Bidstrup Robert 'Robbie' James Geoffrey Stapleton James Black Mike Grubb Kayellen Bee Marilyn Delaney Mark O'Connor Gordon Sullivan

Studio albums	Gang Gajang Gang Again Lingo Oceans and Deserts

Compilation albums	True to the Tone The Essential Chronologica

Videos	The Complete Gang Gajang

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