Paul Kelly has penned heartbreakers, ballads, tales of struggle and triumph… even songs for funerals. A lullaby, then, hardly raises one’s eyebrows when considering Australia’s preeminent singer/songwriter’s long career. What does grab attention is that his new single, as Kelly puts it, is “a lament in the form of a lullaby. A lullaby that sounds a warning. I hope it doesn’t come true, but some of it already has.”
“Sleep, Australia, Sleep” (Cooking Vinyl) is a bit of deception, then; in it, Kelly refers to the environmental disasters that have ravaged much of the world — including Australia’s battle with epic wildfires. The title more than suggests apathy towards mounting damage to ecosystems caused by mankind, as evidenced by lyrics such as these:
“Count down our rivers
Our pastures and trees
But there’s no need to hurry
Oh, sleep now, don’t worry
‘Coz it’s only a matter of degrees”
Kelly’s hardly a novice to social provocation or political criticism; the singer has visited many inequities and problems over his near-40-year recording career, particularly ones that concern Australia’s Aboriginal peoples.
The official video for “Sleep, Australia, Sleep” dropped this week, featuring beautiful and harrowing nature footage provided by a number of Australian wildlife and environmental organizations. Earlier this year, concert footage of Kelly singing the song surfaced on YouTube; the video was filmed at the Tivoli with Brisbane’s Pub Choir – an event where the theater’s audience rehearses a song with a conductor prior to the show.
Kelly has also released Pub Choir-backed performances of his classics “Leaps And Bounds” and “How To Make Gravy” on YouTube.
“Sleep, Australia, Sleep” is available for download or streaming at all major outlets.
An updated, two-CD omnibus of Paul Kelly classics, “Songs From The South (1985-2019) was released in January.
– Steve Stav
