"Lights on the Hill" is an
Australian country music
Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass music, bluegrass, to yodeling to Australian folk music, folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English ...
hit song written by Anthony Ernest Brooks, with music by
Joy McKean
Joy McKean , (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading songwrite ...
and made famous by her husband,
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...
. It won the first
Golden Guitar
The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England.
It is also a major attraction duri ...
in January 1973 at the
Country Music Awards of Australia
The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...
, held in Tamworth. It has been covered by
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
and
Mental as Anything
Mental As Anything are an Australian New wave music, new wave and pop rock musical ensemble, band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999, and recorded all of their charting singles and albums) w ...
.
About the song
The song describes a
truckie driving at night with a heavy load being blinded by lights on the hill, hitting a pole, falling of the edge of a road and realising his impending death.
First Golden Guitar Award
The song won for
Joy McKean
Joy McKean , (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading songwrite ...
the first ever
Golden Guitar
The Big Golden Guitar is one of the many "big" attractions that can be found around Australia. Located in Tamworth, New South Wales, the monument is one of the best-known points of interest in New England.
It is also a major attraction duri ...
Award for "Song of the Year" at the first
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
in January 1973,
and
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...
's rendition won the award for Best EP or Single.
The Lights on the Hill Truck and Coach Drivers' Memorial
A memorial which bears the name of the song was erected in
Gatton, Queensland
Gatton is a rural town and locality in the Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Gatton had a population of 7,101 people.
It is the administrative centre of the Lockyer Valley situated in the Lockyer Valley of S ...
, in remembrance of truck and coach drivers and other members of the transport industry who have lost their lives in accidents or in other ways. It is located at Lake Apex Park on the outskirts of the town. Before
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars, ...
died, he and his wife
Joy McKean
Joy McKean , (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading songwrite ...
agreed to the use of the name, Lights on the Hill, and to be patrons of the memorial.
File:Slim Dusty with Golden Guitar.jpeg, Slim Dusty
File:Lights on the Hill Memorial.jpg, Lights on the Hill Memorial, Gatton, Queensland
See also
*
Bush ballad
The bush ballad, bush song or bush poem is a style of poetry and folk music that depicts the life, character and scenery of the Australian bush. The typical bush ballad employs a straightforward rhyme structure to narrate a story, often one of ...
References
External links
Keith Urban Sings Lights on the Hill at Slim Dusty Tribute Concert, 2004Lights on the Hill Truck & Coach Drivers' Memorial official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lights on the Hill
Slim Dusty songs
Joy McKean songs
Keith Urban songs
Songs about truck driving
Vehicle wreck ballads
Year of song missing