Footscray song from 1989 recorded at last

  • 2016-02-01
A song about Footscray, Victoria written 27 years ago and regularly heard at venues throughout the inner west of Melbourne has finally been recorded.

Billy Miller, former lead singer of ‘70s groups The Ferrets, originally wrote the song as an ode to Footscray.

It resonated with locals whenever they heard it performed at community festivals, pubs, and clubs throughout the City of Maribyrnong; so much so that Miller decided to include it on his latest album, called ‘Australia’.

The track is currently available on Spotify, iTunes and other streaming services.

The idea to finally record the song had not been planned but was rather a last-minute inclusion, according to Miller, who has never stopped writing and performing despite The Ferrets disbanding in 1979.

Scanning his personal favourites from a long list of songs written during the past 40 years saw the local Footscray song jump out to Miller.

He said the song about Footscray was written with friend and uniquely Aussie Clip Clop Club band member Gary Adams during an afternoon relaxing in the back yard of his home.

The song’s lyrics touch on many local themes, including traffic jams at Yarraville station, births at Sunshine Hospital, and the mix of industry and wildlife along Footscray’s Maribyrnong River.

In addition to recording and playing live gigs regularly advertised through poster printing, Miller is today kept busy starring in documentaries and producing and writing film soundtracks in his studio. He is also a big supporter of the St Kilda Football Club.