A Blast From the Past
A friend told me to watch this. It’s from an old concert from the 1980’s by Aussie singer John Farnham. In this clip, he’s singing the Beatles song HELP, and is accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which is recognized internationally as one of the world’s top orchestras.
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What touched my friend (and me when I watched it) was not just his talent, but the obvious love the audience had for him, and his genuine appreciation and modesty about it. He always had a reputation as one of the nicest guys in the music/entertainment industry, and you can see it live here.
Did you watch it? What did you think?
I underappreciated him back in the day. That’s a gorgeous clip though, and it’s easy to see his appreciation for the crowd and theirs for him.
Yes, I didn’t appreciate him as much as I probably should, either. I watched a few more clips of him with other stars and his generosity and humility — apart from his obvious talent— shines.
He is new to me, and I can see why people love him and his performance. Thanks for introducing me – I love this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Annette.
I am surprised that I had never heard of him. I have loved so many other Australian singers and groups from that same period of time. Thank you for posting this video and I have viewed several others now as well. What a lovely voice.
Thanks, Margot. He’s a household name here, but maybe didn’t try to go international. Not sure.
I’ve always loved John Farnham. Started with Sadie the Cleaning Lady. Saw him in his early days of fame singing at our local shopping centre. Many years later in ‘You’re the Voice’ days he played at our local Leagues Club. He was so much with the crowd. We all sang along with him and he smiled all the time. Then we were begging him to sing Sadie. He kept refusing. We kept begging. Then he pointed his microphone at the crowd and if we want to hear it we had to sing it, alone. So we did. Every lyric. And… Read more »
Great story, Enisa. I think Sadie branded him early on, and he tried to escape that, so it’s no wonder he refused. But how lovely that the audience sang it back to him. He’s a lovely guy, I think.
Wow! I’ve never even heard of him, and now I’m watching all the clips I can find on YouTube. A wonderful voice, an amazing entertainer! Thanks, Anne!
So glad you’re enjoying his work, Constance. Thanks.
Oh, thank you so much for this. He was a really great singer and a wonderful guy ever since the Sadie days. It’s so good to hear he has come through the cancer.
Thanks, Carol. Yes, it’s a big relief for all who love and admire him.
That’s a blast from the past! I loved John (or as he was back in the olden days, Johnny) Farnham since I was a teen watching Uptight on Saturday mornings. He was always so generous and kind to his audience, always had a smile on his face too. No wonder he’s so loved. Was lucky enough to see him and Tom Jones in concert together in Brisbane a couple of decades ago :-D
Nice to see you here, CC. Yes, he’s a legend in Australia, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad word said about him. I can imagine that concert with Tom Jones would have been fun.