Eagle Rock (song)

"Eagle Rock"
Single by Daddy Cool
from the album Daddy Who? Daddy Cool
A-side"Eagle Rock"
B-side"Bom Bom"
Released1971
GenreAustralian rock, blues rock
Length4:09
LabelSparmac
Wizard
Songwriter(s)Ross Wilson
Producer(s)Robie Porter
Daddy Cool singles chronology
"Eagle Rock"
(1971) 		"Come Back Again"
(1971)

"Eagle Rock" is the debut single by Australian rock band Daddy Cool, released in 1971 on the Sparmac record label. It went on to become the best-selling Australian single of the year, achieving gold status in eleven weeks, and remaining at No. 1 on the national charts for a (then) record ten weeks.[1][2] "Eagle Rock" also spent 17 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Melbourne Top 40 Singles Chart.[3] The song was re-released by Wizard Records in 1982, and reached No. 17 on the Australian singles chart.[2]

In New Zealand, the song has charted three times. In 1971 it reached No. 17, in 1986 it was in the charts for ten weeks, reaching No. 19, and in 1990 it was No. 1 for four weeks, staying in the charts for 15 weeks and achieving gold status.[4]

Guitarist, vocalist and the song's writer Ross Wilson[5] was living and performing in London when he wrote the song.[6][7] He explained his inspiration for the song:

It came from a Sunday Times liftout magazine A-Z on music. In the before blues section there was an evocative photo of rural black Americans dancing in a dirt poor juke joint—the caption was along the lines of "some negroes 'cut the pigeon wing' and 'do the eagle rock'".[8]

— Ross Wilson, 2001

"Eagle Rock" was a 1920s black dance performed with the arms outstretched and the body rocking from side to side. "Doing the eagle rock" is also a metaphor for sexual intercourse.[9] The 1913 song "Ballin' the Jack" has the line "Stretch your lovin' arms straight out in space / Then do the Eagle Rock with style and grace".

The accompanying promotional video, directed by Chris Löfvén, shows the band in locations around Melbourne.[10]

In May 2001, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best Australian Songs of all time, as decided by a 100-strong industry panel, "Eagle Rock" was declared second behind the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind".[11]

In 2010, "Eagle Rock" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry.

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Eagle Rock" was ranked number 21.[12]

  1. ^ "No. 1 Hits 1971". The Menzies Era. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  2. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  3. ^ "Off the Record playlist". 3RRR. 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  4. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Wellington: Dean Scapolo and Maurienne House. ISBN 978-1877443-00-8.
  5. ^ "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  6. ^ "Daddy Cool". Milesago. Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  7. ^ "Australian Rock Database entry for Daddy Cool". Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2008.
  8. ^ "Long Way To The Top: Episode 3 "Billy Killed the Fish 1968-1973"". ABC-TV. Archived from the original on 15 October 2002. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
  9. ^ "Blues terms". The Sutton Blues Collective. Archived from the original on 30 June 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  10. ^ Hollow, Chris (10 October 2000). "Daddy Cool : Ross Wilson Interview". Sand Pebbles fanzine. Archived from the original on 3 June 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
  11. ^ "The final list: APRA'S Ten best Australian Songs". APRA. 28 May 2001. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  12. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.