Up There Cazaly
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"Up There Cazaly" is 1979 song by Mike Brady, written to promote Channel Seven's coverage of the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...
(VFL). It was first performed by the Two-Man Band, a duo of Brady and Peter Sullivan, and has since become an unofficial anthem of
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
. The title refers to early-20th-century ruckman
Roy Cazaly Roy Cazaly (13 January 1893 – 10 October 1963) was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He also represented Victoria and Tasmania in interstate football and, af ...
. Known for his prodigious leap, Cazaly formed a famous ruck combination with
South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
teammates Fred "Skeeter" Fleiter and Mark "Napper" Tandy. It was ruck-rover Fleiter who was the first to call "Up there, Cazaly!" when the ruckman flew for the ball. The catchcry was soon adopted by South Melbourne supporters and eventually entered the Australian lexicon as a common phrase of encouragement. Released independently on Fable Records, the song became the highest-selling Australian single ever, with sales of over 240,000 as of October 1979 and 260,000 by the end of 1980. It held this record until February 1981 when
Joe Dolce Joseph Dolce (, originally ; born October 13, 1947) is an American-Australian singer, songwriter, poet and essayist. Dolce achieved international recognition with his multi-million-selling novelty song, " Shaddap You Face", released worldwide un ...
's " Shaddap You Face" sold more than 290,000 units. At the Australian 1979 ''TV Week/Countdown'' Music Awards, the song was nominated for Most Popular Australian Single.


Background

"Up there, Cazaly!" was used as a battle cry by Australian troops during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. It has been noted that Cazaly's distinctive surname most likely contributed to the phrase's enduring popularity. As one journalist noted, "'Up there, McKinnon' might not have taken off".Lemon, Geoff (4 November 2014). p There Cazaly by Mike Brady – an AFL anthem that isn't awful" ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 5 November 2016. Australian dramatist
Ray Lawler Raymond Evenor Lawler (23 May 1921 – 24 July 2024) was an Australian playwright and dramatist, actor, theatre producer and director. Lawler's most notable play was his tenth, '' Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' (1953), which had its premie ...
included the phrase in his 1955 play ''
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' is an Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne on 28 November 1955. The play is considered to be the most significant in Australian theatre history, and a " ...
'' when he had heroine Nancy use it on several occasions, most notably in a telegram with marked dramatic effect: "Up there, Cazaly. Lots of Love. Nance."


Track listing

# "Up There Cazaly" (Seven's Footy Theme) (2:40) # "The Winner's March" (Instrumental) (2:54)


Reception

In 1979, VFL star
Ron Barassi Ronald Dale Barassi (27 February 1936 – 16 September 2023) was an Australian rules footballer, coach and media personality. Regarded as one of the greatest and most important figures in the history of the game, Barassi was the first player ...
described the track as "one of VFL football's real success stories" of the year, and opined that it was "destined to go down in football history." Ian Warden, a columnist for ''
The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...
'', reported that he found himself singing the "banal confection" to himself all day, and that it had "somehow made it to the summit of my subconscious Top Twenty, triumphing over the greatest hits of
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
and of
Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...
. It is all too sinister." When asked which Australian song he would most like to cover,
Spiderbait Spiderbait is an Australian alternative rock band from Finley, New South Wales, formed in 1989 by bass guitarist and singer Janet English, drummer and singer Kram, and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004, the group's cover version of the 1930s Lea ...
member Kram chose "Up There Cazaly", "because it's the '
Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...
' of footy songs". In an essay on her love–hate relationship with Australian football, comedian Catherine Deveny considers "Up There Cazaly" to be "schmaltzy" and "formulaic", but also gives it reluctant praise: "The cloying lyrics and emotionally manipulative music would invoke involuntary goosebumps, teary eyes and a subsequent feeling of embarrassment. The rousing chord progressions, choirs in full flight, strings in octaves and timpani created a confected majesty that tapped into our animal brains."


Cover versions and popular culture

When the South Melbourne Football Club relocated to Sydney as the rebranded
Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...
in 1982, the club changed its song to a rewritten version of "Up There Cazaly" entitled "Up There for Sydney". The song was poorly received and the club soon reverted to its original song, " Cheer, Cheer the Red and the White". In 1991, Collingwood great
Lou Richards Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards (15 March 1923 – 8 May 2017) was an Australian rules footballer who played 250 games for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1941 and 1955. He captained the team f ...
released a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
version of "Up There Cazaly" under his nickname Louie the Lip. It peaked at number 105 in Australia; a music video was also made for the song, although its whereabouts, if copies still exist, is unknown. On his 2007 album ''The World's Most Popular Pianist Plays Down Under Favorites'', French pianist
Richard Clayderman Richard Clayderman (; born Philippe Pagès , 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popu ...
included a medley composed of "Up There Cazaly", " Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" and " A Pub With No Beer". "Up There Cazaly" is featured in the 1980 film adaptation of
David Williamson David Keith Williamson (born 1942) is an Australian playwright, who has also written screenplays and teleplays. He became known in the early 1970s with his political comic drama '' Don's Party'', and other well-known plays include '' The Clu ...
's play '' The Club''. In 1981, Ian Turner and Leonie Sandercock published a history of the VFL titled ''Up Where, Cazaly?: The Great Australian Game''. In an episode of the 1997 documentary series ''
Race Around the World ''Race Around the World'' is an Australian travel documentary and competition series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that was broadcast from 1997 to 1998. The series was brought to the ABC by filmmaker Michael Rubbo, and was ...
'', "Up There Cazaly" is played over footage of
John Safran John Michael Safran (; born 13 August 1972) is an Australian radio personality, satirist, documentary maker and author, known for combining humour with religious, political and ethnic issues. First gaining fame appearing in '' Race Around the W ...
streaking through
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
in St Kilda colours.
You Am I You Am I are an Australian power pop band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted at the ...
vocalist Tim Rogers performed the song on a 2001 episode of '' The Footy Show''. "Up There Calisi" is a satirical song released by
TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...
bassist Jock Cheese on his 2002 solo album '' Platter''. ''
Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Id ...
'' finalist
Shannon Noll Shannon Noll (born 16 September 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter who first came to prominence as runner-up of the first season of '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. He has released five top-ten al ...
gave his own rendition of the song at the 2011
North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast The North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast is a breakfast function organised by the North Melbourne Football Club on the morning of the AFL Grand Final. The breakfast marks the traditional beginning to Grand Final day and is one of the biggest soci ...
. In 2014,
Andrew Hansen Andrew John Hansen (born 18 September 1974) is an Australian comedian, musician and author, best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. As a member of The Chaser, Hansen's television work includes co-writing and starring in A ...
of the comedy group
The Chaser The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedy group, best known for their television programmes and satirical news masthead. The group take their name from their satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. Th ...
wrote a new version of "Up There Cazaly" for
Fox Footy Fox Footy (stylised as FOX FOOTY) is an Australian rules football subscription television channel dedicated to screening Australian rules football matches and related programming. It is owned by Fox Sports Australia operated out of its Melbou ...
. In 2016,
Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation and also known as AusPost, is an Australian Government-State-owned enterprise, owned corporation that provides postal services throughout Australia. Australia Post's head office is loca ...
launched a television advertising campaign set to a cover version of "Up There Cazaly", sung by people from different backgrounds in their own cultural style. It was affiliated with the AFL's Multicultural Round.Crisp, Ainsleigh (7 July 2016)
"Aus Post uses multicultural version of anthem Up There Cazaly for new AFL ad"
Mumbrella. Retrieved 4 November 2016.


Use outside Australian football

In 1982, "Up There Cazaly" was rewritten and released as "Up There Old England" by Cliff Portwood. Brady flew to England to help Portwood record the song but it was never released, due to the B side having a portion of "
Land of Hope and Glory "Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar, written in 1901 and with lyrics by A. C. Benson added in 1902. Composition The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ...
" on it, creating a licensing issue just as it was getting major airtime on the radio. The song is used as the walkout tune for
Tonbridge Angels Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional association football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club was founded as Tonb ...
Football Club in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The melody is also used for a fan chant by Derby County F.C. supporters, with the title lyrics changed to "'' Steve Bloomer's Watchin'''".


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


See also

* Australian rules football in Australian popular culture


References

{{Authority control 1979 singles Australian rules football songs History of Australian rules football Songs about sportspeople Quotations from sports