| "Dogs Are the Best People" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by the Fauves | |
| Recorded | Sing Sing, Hothouse, Melbourne and Charing Cross, Sydney |
| Genre | Indie rock |
| Label | Polydor Records |
| Producer(s) | Wayne Connolly, Greg Wales |
"Dogs Are the Best People" is a single by Australian rock band the Fauves, the second from the album Future Spa . It reached number 20 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1996. [1] [2]
Singer Cox later said in the period before recording, their record company was keen to find some potential singles, and, "they weren't keen on that one. I still have somewhere quite a harsh critique of the song from the record company. We'd already started playing it live, and for a band that was used to people staring at us nonplussed, suddenly there was this song that people had never heard and started bouncing around in the crowd. We had an inkling that maybe we had written a song that a few people might like, so we stuck to our guns." [3]
On their website, the Fauves wrote, "This is a remedial level song to play but the tab might be a bit confusing. Just take note of the chord positions and listen to the record - it will all become very clear. Although the tuning is CGDFAA# you actually only need 2 strings. All a bit embarrassing really. [4]
Cox later noted, "I feel to this day that we got known somehow as a novelty band, which was just so far from what we were about. The song itself wasn't even really supposed to be about dogs. It was supposed to be more about people. But that subtext got overlooked. 'Novelty song' is probably too harsh a term but that kind of angle was the sort of thing that was getting air play." [5]
AllMusic called the song "guitar pop at its best" and noted that it was "amazingly, [a] mainstream Australian hit". [6] Beat Magazine said the song had, "entered Australia's popular music lexicon" and "epitomised the irreverent wit that defined the era in alternative music, embodying a sense of misanthropic sarcasm that revelled in being the outsider." [7]
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, named it as one of his favourite songs on ABC Radio Melbourne. [8]
Double J named it in the top fifty Australian songs of the 1990s, saying, "Read the lyrics, listen to the melody and try to argue with this song's inclusion in this list. I'd say it's a shame that they're best remembered because of something so light-hearted, but genius comes in all forms." [9]
Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The group have released seven studio albums: both The Official Fiction (2003) and Desert Lights (2006) topped the ARIA Albums Chart; while Beautiful Sharks (1999), Echolalia (2001) and Leave Your Soul to Science (2012) reached the top 10. Two of their singles have reached the ARIA top 20: "Monsters" (2001) and "Déjà Vu" (2003). The band have received a total of 11 nominations for ARIA Music Awards in 1999, 2001 and 2003.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 is the fourth studio album by Midnight Oil that was released on vinyl in 1982 under the Columbia Records label. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and remained on the chart for 171 weeks. It also became the band's first album to be released in the US, where it peaked at number 178 on the Billboard 200.
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001. Founding mainstays are brothers Nic and Chris Cester together with Cameron Muncey. They were joined in the following year by Mark Wilson. The quartet released three studio albums Get Born (2003), Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009) before disbanding in 2012. Get Born is their highest charting work, which peaked at number one in Australia, top 20 in the United Kingdom and top 30 in the United States. Its lead single "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (2003) reached the top 20 in Australia and UK and top 30 in the US. Both Shine On and Shaka Rock are Australian top five albums, while their other top 20 singles are "Look What You've Done" (2004), "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" (2006) and "She's a Genius" (2009).
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 number-one position on the ARIA Albums Chart: Hi Fi Way, Hourly, Daily and #4 Record. Nine of their tracks appeared on the related ARIA Singles Chart top 50 with "What I Don't Know 'bout You", their highest charting, at No. 28. You Am I have received ten ARIA Music Awards from thirty-one nominations. The band have supported international artists such as the Who, the Rolling Stones, Sonic Youth and Oasis.
The Whitlams are an Australian Indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the line-up has changed numerous times. From 2001 to 2022, he was joined by Warwick Hornby on bass guitar, Jak Housden on guitar and Terepai Richmond on drums – forming the band's longest-lasting and best-known line-up. Four of their studio albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 20: Eternal Nightcap, Love This City, Torch the Moon and Little Cloud. Their highest charting singles are "Blow Up the Pokies" and "Fall for You" – both reached number 21. The group's single, "No Aphrodisiac" was listed at number one on the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997 by listeners of national radio station, Triple J. In January 1996 Stevie Plunder was found dead at the base of Wentworth Falls. Andy Lewis died in February 2000.
Unit is the second studio album by Australian rock band Regurgitator, released in November 1997. Its style is a mixture of 1980s style synthesised pop music and alternative rock, with some hip hop influences. The album debuted and peaked at number 4 on the ARIA Charts. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1998, the album won five ARIA Music Awards; including ARIA Award for Album of the Year.
The Fauves are an Australian rock band formed in 1988. The band are known for their witty lyrics, melodic pop-rock and often satirical or evocative exploration of Australian themes.
Internationalist is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger. The album was released on 7 September 1998 and was often labelled Powderfinger's most adventurous work, with greater experimentation than in previous works.
Odyssey Number Five is the fourth studio album by the Australian rock band Powderfinger, produced by Nick DiDia and released on 4 September 2000 by Universal Music. It won the 2001 ARIA Music Award for Highest Selling Album, Best Group and Best Rock Album. The album is the band's shortest yet, focusing on social, political, and emotional issues that had appeared in prior works, especially Internationalist.
Wayne Paul Connolly is an Australian music producer, audio engineer and musician. From 1991 to 1997 Connolly played lead guitar and sang in guitar group The Welcome Mat and released two studio albums. Since 1994, he has played in Knievel with Tracy Ellis and Nick Kennedy. Knievel have released four studio albums and a compilation of B-sides and rarities.
Blue King Brown are an Australian urban roots ensemble formed in 2003 in Byron Bay by mainstays Nattali Rize and Carlo Santone. They have released three studio albums, Stand Up, Worldwize Part 1 – North & South – which reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 50 – and Born Free. They have toured nationally and internationally; and supported concerts by Santana, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Damian Marley, the John Butler Trio, the Cat Empire, Silverchair, Dispatch and Powderfinger.
Skunkhour are an Australian funk rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1991. They released four studio albums, Skunkhour, Feed, Chin Chin and The Go before disbanding in November 2001. Feed peaked at No. 21 on the ARIA Albums Chart while Chin Chin reached No. 34. Four of the group's songs, "Up to Our Necks in It" (1995), "Weightlessness" (1997), "Home" (1999), and "Kick in the Door" (2000) were listed in the annual Triple J Hottest 100. The group has reformed periodically since 2009 for occasional concerts and festival appearances.
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators, including Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to Modular Recordings, Tame Impala is now signed to Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the UK.
Future Spa is the third album by Australian rock band The Fauves. It was released in August 1996.
"Tokyo " is a song by Liverpudlian indie band the Wombats. It was the first single to be released from their second album This Modern Glitch. The song was added to the A-list on BBC Radio 1.
Lazy Highways is the fourth studio album by Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne indie band The Fauves. The album has been described as the band's Australiana-album.
Thousand Yard Stare is the fifth studio album by Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne indie band The Fauves.
Footage Missing is the sixth studio album by Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Australia indie band The Fauves.
"Solitude Is Bliss" is a song by Tame Impala, released as a single in April 2010. It was recorded during the sessions for the Innerspeaker album in 2009, and released as the first single from that album. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism. "Solitude Is Bliss" came in at number 33 in the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2010.
Go Farther in Lightness is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 18 August 2017 by Mosy Recordings. Written entirely by frontman David Le'aupepe, its lyrics focus on "the human experience in all its bleakness and triumph", detailing a mission of finding hope and love amidst personal struggles like loss. The 77-minute rock album also contains three orchestral interludes composed by Le'aupepe.