62. The Nosebleed Section – Hilltop Hoods

For Australian hip-hop, this was the song that made things start to happen. Very little hip-hop from Australia had been popular before this (other than bands like 1200 Techniques and their 2002 hit ‘Karma‘). But this song not only cemented the mainstream popularity of Australian hip-hop, but also the mainstream popularity of bands such as The Hilltop Hoods.

This song, like the majority of Hilltop Hoods songs, is built around a sample. In this case, the song sampled is ‘The People In The Front Row’ by Melanie Safka. It was quite possibly the title of the sample that led to the name, lyrics and meaning of the song. The song focuses on the ideals of having a great time, whilst dedicating the song to “my people in the front, in the nosebleed section.“

To me, it seems that the general appeal of this song lies in the groundbreaking factor that this song yielded whilst being able to deliver a fresh sound whilst mixing in older hooks. Mixed with the lyrics that the general punter in the nosebleed section could relate to, this song has every earmark of a successful song. And of course, all Aussies love homegrown music, so there was no chance this song was going to fail to be a success.

Close Competitors

The Hard Road

3 years after the Hilltop Hoods released ‘The Nosebleed Section‘, they released their most successful song to date. This song, ‘The Hard Road‘ focused on the idea of how the band had “gone down the hard road“ to get where they are today. With sharp, insightful lyrics (although the lyrics at times border on distastefully funny; “I’ll finish with a bang like Kurt Cobain’s biography“), the song manages to make a strong point regarding the lives of the members  and their pasts, presents and futures.

Once again, this song is built around a sample (‘Out In the Woods‘ by Leon Russell), and again it is the ability to mix older styles with newer, fresher beats that heralds the song’s ability to be successful. But of course, Australian hip-hop is still fresh, so while the band is able to make catchy tunes that the average punter can relate to, their songs are bound to be successful.

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