Julia Gillard has given Barack Obama an iPod full of Australian tunes while visiting The US for the first time in her official capacity as PM.
The list of music features a wide cross-section of Aussie music, with some notable exclusions like John Farnham, who cedes his spot to TWO Jess Mauboy tracks and Men At Work, who are probably still being sued for copyright infringement. It appears Gillard is trying to pay the musical love forward after refusing to relinquish the Ipod Bono gave her when he was in Australia at the end of last year.
Here’s a few of Gillard’s more interesting picks and why we think she went for them:
–Claire Bowditch‘s ‘Modern Day Addiction’, in case Obama ever feels like picking up smoking again
–Bliss & Eso, ‘Bullet And A Target’, because one of them is American anyway, which makes Aussie rap less harsh on untrained ears.
– Two songs by Megan Washington, who shares a last name with the President’s current city of residence, including ‘How to Tame Lions’, which should go down well when trying to lean on Middle Eastern dictators.
– A selective group of Midnight Oil songs because they conveniently address US-caused disasters in places like Afghanistan and El Salvador, rather than the US army itself.
– Jimmy Barnes, because we love drinking.
– Hunters & Collectors, because we love drinking.
– Crowded House, ‘Fall At Your Feet’, because the time for abstract euphemisms about our relationship with the US is over.
-As for the whole of Bernard Fanning‘s ‘Tea And Sympathy’, we’re stumped. As one astute tweeter already asked “Couldn’t that be considered an act of aggression?”
See the full list of songs over at SMH, and tell us what you think should have been included. We cant believe Gillard neglected such classics as Nikki Webster‘s ‘Strawberry Kisses’ and ‘Poison’ by Bardot.
No Short Stack, please. We want diplomacy, not war.
