29 April 2025

Up There Cazaly - Aussie football anthem

Roy Cazaly (1893–1963) was an early champion ruckman for St Kilda and South Melbourne Clubs from 1911-27. In the 1910s and 1920s, Cazaly formed a famous ruck pack with teammates Fred Skeeter Fleiter and Mark Napper Tandy, who was known for his high marks i.e massive leaps skywards. When teamed with Fleiter and Tandy, Cazaly soared well above the packs of tall players (Sporting Globe, 1935). While Cazaly made a leap, Fleiter would shepherd (protect) and the men would scream “Up there Cazaly” together. The crowds joined in the scream!

Cazaly going up for a screamer/a great mark 

The words later became a battle cry used by Australia’s WW2 troops. It was noted that Cazaly's unusual surname likely contributed to the words’ nationalist fervour amongst working-class male soldiers overseas. Back home in Australia, the famous playwright Ray Lawler included the phrase in his play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll 1955 where the heroine Nancy used it on several occasions, with clear theatrical effect.

But why was a song necessary? In 1978, the Mojo Singers' song C'mon Aussie C'mon was so successful at promoting Channel 9's cricket coverage that it became a #1 hit in Australia. So Channel 7 urgently wanted a similar theme for its Victorian Football League/VFL broadcasts and an advertising company signed up singer-songwriter Mike Brady.
   
L->R: Mark Tandy, Fred Fleiter, Roy Cazaly, South Melb,
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When the South Melbourne Football Club relocated north to Sydney in 1982 as the Sydney Swans, the club changed its song to a version of Brady’s song, Up There for Sydney. This song was not loved and the new Sydney club soon reverted to its original song, Cheer the Red and the White.

The song was featured in the 1980 film version of The Club, the play by David Williamson. In 1981, Ian Turner and Leonie Sandercock published a book on the VFL history called Up Where, Cazaly?: The Great Australian Game. On his 2007 album The World's Most Popular Pianist Plays Down Under Favorites, French pianist Richard Clayderman included a medley of 3 Australian favourites: a]Up There Cazaly, b]Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and c]A Pub With No Beer.

The National Postal Service opened a tv ad campaign in 2016. They created a cover version of Up There Cazaly, sung by various groups in their own cultural styles. It was affiliated with the AFL's Multicultural version of the anthem.

"Up Where, Cazaly?: The Great Australian Game"
book written by Turner & Sandercock

Stadia, teams and singers may change but there's one non-negotiable truth when it comes to AFL grand finals: Brady singing again, the heart of AFL Grand Final day. Brady told ABC Radio I just have a really lovely feeling about it when I sing it because people like it. And to have 95,000 people sing along with you is wonderful." But why is Brady's song still rocketing along 4 decades on?

By 1979, Brady was actively promoting Channel 7’s coverage of the VFL, composing a jingle about footy being chosen over any other weekend leisure. A disc jockey played the short jingle and asked Brady to turn it into a full-length song.  It was first performed by the Two-Man Band, Brady and music arranger Peter Sullivan, and later became the “anthem” of Australian Rules Football/AFL. The catch-cry was soon adopted by South Melbourne fans and entered our slang expressing encouragement. The song became the highest-selling Australian single ever, and was nominated for Most Popular Australian Single.

The head of Fable Records Ron Tudor rang from Buckingham Palace where he was being presented with an MBE, saying We've got a number one record! It was a surprise, because although Brady had triumphantly performed the song at the grand final, he’d battled technical issues.

In time the song lost its #1 position but Brady could still write more footy anthems, with One Day in September (1980) very popular. And he helped write Greg Champion's song That's the Thing about Football (1994)

Was/is Mike Brady passionate about Australian footy? British born Brady moved to Melbourne in 1959 and experienced early stardom when his band MPD Ltd had a 1965 Australian hit single with Little Boy Sad. Most assumed Brady loved the sport, but he said he wasn't a huge fan of the game but he'd always been an observant person. He was fascinated by the way this Big Thing dominated Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth & Hobart. He'd been to the football once and spent all the time watching the crowd. It was really a great spectacle for me to observe and that's where Up There Cazaly came from.
                                     
Brady playing at an AFL Grand Final, 
Herald Sun
 
Fans singing with Mike Brady
alamy

When released, the song sold 50,000 copies in 3 weeks. But its popularity each Grand Final didn't make it a huge money-spinner. But apart from its rousing chorus, Brady said the song remained popular 40+ years after its release because it appealed to everyone. It's not all about blokes-males. It's not a blokey song but it’s woke; thus women like it. It neither mentions big men flying nor a specific footy team.

Brady, a Collingwood fan, jokes about his fame. But that first grand final performance back in 1979 was the one where the immigrant realised "the crowd was on his side". Always feeling like an outsider, from that day on, he felt like he belonged in Australia.

Roy Cazaly died in 1963

Cazaly was fit into his 60s, but died in Tasmania at 70. Did he realise how famous his name was?


18 comments:

roentare said...

Originally a football catchcry, Up There Cazaly became a unifying Australian anthem through Mike Brady’s 1979 song, whose inclusive spirit and cultural resonance cemented it as a lasting Grand Final tradition.

jabblog said...

Hearing a football crowd singing can be quite uplifting.

Andrew said...

While I care little for footyball, its traditions are wonderful, including Cazaly and Brady. Brady appears at every grand final to perform 'Up There...', but I fear he is becoming quite old now.

Hels said...

Andrew
Mike Brady was born in 1948, so he isn't so old *cough*. But even if he eventually loses his voice, most people in Australia know the words and music, or could learn it very quickly. I always join in:
Up there cazaly, in there and fight
Out there and at 'em, show 'em your might
Up there cazaly, don't let 'em in
Fly like an angel, you're out there to win

Hels said...

roentare
it is amazing that Cazaly soared above the packs of tall players _early_ in the 20th century. Fleiter and Tandy screamed “Up there Cazaly” so loudly and supportively that the football crowds joined in.
It was only in 1979, as you say, that anthem linked people together. I barrack for Melbourne and I happily sing along, whichever teams are playing in the grandfinal.

Hels said...

jabblog
uplifting and very arousing! Most weekly games only attract moderate crowds (40,000 on average), but there is a huge number for the grand final each year (92,000-98,000). Singing together almost makes the grandstands lift off the ground :)

Ingrid said...

This is all unknown to me ! but I wanted to tell you, that when you comment on my Blog and I want to come to yours and read what you have written, I only get an almost empty page with these words

hels
On Blogger since April 2020

and that's it. Impossible to come to your blog. When I see your name on Andrew's or Jabblog's Blog there is your link and it works normally. Don't know what happens



Joe said...

I left Sydney before the Sydney Swans joined the AFL and only knew about rugby. Has Up There Cazaly helped Sydney joined the rest of Australia?

Hels said...

Ingrid
that is so disappointing... it takes ages to write a blog post and I would hate for something to go wrong. Being a technological midget myself, I can only make two suggestions: 1] delete your connection to my blog and start a new one; or 2] ask one of your grandchildren for advice :)
I wonder if anyone else has run into the same problem you have found.

Hels said...

Joe
A 2024 Roy Morgan poll asked 1,300 Australians :Do you consider Mike Brady's Australian Football anthem 'Up There Cazaly' to be one of Australia's most iconic sporting songs?
The highest "yes" answers came from Tasmania (85%), Western Australia and South Australians (both 78%). Then Victoria (74%) and Queensland (70%). Only in New South Wales were the respondents split 50-50%.
So NSW may still love Rugby as much as Australian footy.

River said...

It's one of those songs thta lift the spirits and make people feel happy. I still have a copy on a 45rpm record. I'm not a footy fan though, nor any other sport, but one of my sons loved the song and often watched footy with his dad.

Hels said...

River
I love football, but I hate the violence and unfairness that appear from time to time. The chorus of Up There Cazaly represents not violence, but strength, courage and rising above mediocrity. Everyong sings together, whichever team they barrack for or even if they don't like football.

Ирина Полещенко said...

Congratulations on May 1st - the holiday of spring and labor! May the gentle sun illuminate your life and inspire you to new labor achievements on this first day of May. I wish you peace, a cheerful and joyful mood, eternal spring in your soul. May all your days be creative and fruitful!

hels said...

Irina
Thank you.. labour yes, spring no. I have been writing about football because autumn is almost finished here and it is a winter sport.
Be fit and healthy!

Luiz Gomes said...

Bom dia. Uma excelente quinta-feira e um ótimo mês de maio minha querida amiga.

Hels said...

Luiz
Are you a football fan yourself - soccer, rugby or any other genre?

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I have always liked that song

Hels said...

Jo-Anne
The 2024 Roy Gallop Poll showed that Up There Cazaly remained a significant sports song for three quarters of citizens (except for NSW). So we all remember the 1979 song very fondly!