By Erin Free
“You know, I just go out and do what I do, and I’m happy doing what I do,” John Paul Young replied when asked by Upside Adelaide how it felt to be such a vital thread in the fabric of Australian music. “I don’t know, it’s not something that I like to dwell on, but it is a wonderful feeling.” Ever modest, the hard working John Paul Young – who continues to tour relentlessly with an energy, imagination and vigour that belie his 71 years – is indeed one of this country’s true musical titans.
A one-time apprentice sheet metal worker, Scottish-born John Paul Young first made his mark in Harry M. Miller’s original Australian production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar before signing on with Albert Productions (also the home of AC/DC and The Easybeats), where he eventually found pop superstardom. Lending his expressive vocals and youthful good looks to a slew of ear-bendingly catchy pop tunes penned by Alberts Productions songwriting masters (and former Easybeats) Harry Vanda and George Young.
Tied in with his appearances on the hugely influential (and now utterly iconic) music TV programme Countdown, John Paul Young rode songs like “Pasadena”, “Yesterday’s Hero”, “I Hate The Music”, “I Wanna Do It With You” and “Keep On Smilin’”. In 1978, John Paul Young released the Vanda & Young-written anthemic classic, “Love Is In The Air”, which became a worldwide hit, and solidified the singer’s place in the Australian pop music pantheon.
Always a strong visual performer (largely due to the aforementioned Countdown), John Paul Young is now also indelibly tied to the world of film, thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s classic 1992 film Strictly Ballroom. The delightfully kitsch and wonderfully romantic story of a young man’s struggle to become a successful dancer, Strictly Ballroom turned Baz Luhrmann into one of Australia’s essential directors, and it also relaunched the career of John Paul Young.
The film featured his songs “Yesterday’s Hero” and “Standing In The Rain”, and unforgettably utilised “Love Is In The Air” for its roof-raising, crowd-pleasing finale. “I was famous again,” John Paul Young wrote in his memoir JPY: The Autobiography. “”Love Is In The Air’ is so strong and I don’t think I ever realised that myself, yet here I am still living off that one song and, more pertinently, living off the resurrection of that song in 1992.”
Though John Paul Young’s songs had been used in movies before (most notably in the 1980 youth coming of age movie Hard Knocks, which featured Tracy Mann in her breakout role, and included JPY’s “Where The Action Is” and “Birmingham” on the soundtrack), the importance of “Love Is In The Air” to the success of Strictly Ballroom saw the song used in other films too. Its wonderfully anthemic chorus, abundant charm, and winning sentiment have seen the song used as an instant gateway to feel-good vibes.
It can be heard in 1999’s Fanny And Elvis (a little seen comedy starring Kerry Fox and Ray Winstone); 2003’s German drama Ganz Und Gar; the hilarious 2006 British mockumentary Confetti; Nanette Burstein’s fascinating 2008 doco American Teen; the 2009 Russian drama No Love In The City; 2018’s Gloria Bell (starring Julianne Moore); and the 2019 Polish comedy Love Is Everything, as well as on TV shows like Will & Grace, Hawaii Five-0, Femme Fatales and EastEnders.
Most recently, “Love Is In The Air” was used as the unofficial theme song of the charming 2021 romantic comedy Love You Like That. The story of a small coastal town that falls under Cupid’s spell, inspiring love to pop up in the unlikeliest of places, the film stars up-and-comers Mitchell Hope and Allira Jaques. Not only does director Eric C. Nash expertly employ “Love Is In The Air” to convey his film’s message of the transformative power of love, he also grabbed John Paul Young himself to make a very special appearance in the film.
Though “Love Is In The Air” is unquestionably John Paul Young’s musical magnum opus, his other songs have also fared well on the big screen, with “Yesterday’s Hero” featured in the 2013 cricket-themed comedy Backyard Ashes and “Pasadena” in Tony Ayres’ 2007 autobiographical drama The Home Song Stories.
With a catalogue of truly indelible songs that have been the soundtracks to the lives of so many Australians (and indeed people all around the world), it’s no wonder that the music of John Paul Young has found its way onto so many movie soundtracks, evoking both an instant sense of nostalgia and an immediate upswing in mood.
John Paul Young will be traveling around Australia on his JPY: 50 Years Young The Anniversary Tour. Click here for all date, venue and ticketing information. Love You Like That is available digitally now.
