News July 2, 2020

Yothu Yindi’s ‘Treaty’ rules new publicly-voted poll of the NT’s all-time greats

Senior Journalist, B2B

Yothu Yindi’s enduring hit ‘Treaty’ comes out on top of a new publicly-voted poll of the Northern Territory’s all-time greats.

Almost 30 years after it first hit the airwaves, ‘Treaty’ is No. 1 on the Territory Sounds Countdown, organised by trade body MusicNT and counted down on Territory Day (July 1).

Both the East Arnhem community of Yirrkala and Central Desert community of Papunya figure highly in the poll, with Warumpi Band’s ‘My Island Home’ and ‘Blackfella, Whitefella’ coming in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, and Yothu Yindi’s ‘Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)’ taking out the No. 4 spot.

Milingimbi rapper and 2019 Young Australian of the Year Baker Boy sees his 2017 single ‘Marryuna’ featuring Yirrmal complete the top 5.

Watch Yothu Yindi’s ‘Treaty’:

‘Marryuna’ came in at No. 17 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 poll in January 2018, making Baker Boy (real name Danzal Baker) the-then second highest ever ranking Indigenous artist in Hottest 100 history, after A.B. Original’s ‘January 26′ went in at No. 16 in the 2016 countdown (Gamilaraay singer and songwriter Thelma Plum beat them all with ‘Better In Blak,’ which dropped in at No. 9 in the 2019 countdown).

The Top 40 “reminds us of how NT songs have such a key place in the national soundtrack and have defined movements, been rallying cries and celebrate place and time like no other scene in the country,” comments MusicNT executive director Mark Smith.

“We loved listening to the tracks on Territory Day this year, and what we think should be every year.”

Watch Yothu Yindi’s ‘Treaty’ (radio mix):

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Culture, Lauren Moss agreed. “The NT government supported this countdown to promote Territory musicians,” Minister Moss said in a statement, “and the top 40 shows the breadth of talent we have here.”

With ‘Treaty,’ Yothu Yindi took contemporary Aboriginal music to the world.

The NT band played their signature song in New York in 1992 to help launch the United Nations’ “International Year of the World’s Indigenous People.”

The track twice charted in the U.K. (in 1992 and in 2000) and cracked the Billboard charts.

Today, ‘Treaty’ is widely considered one of Australia’s most important works. In 1992, it went on to win song of the year at the ARIA Awards. A decade later, when APRA published its Top 30 Australian songs to celebrate its 75th anniversary, ‘Treaty’ was among them.

And in 2009 ‘Treaty’ was added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry.

Yothu Yindi were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2012.

More than 2,000 votes were cast on the NT poll, which broadcast live on Territory Day via ABC Local Radio, TEABBA, CAAMA Radio, 8CCC, Gove FM, 8KTR and PAW Radio.