Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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In 1974, pop star Neil Sedaka released a song about Lightning Ridge, the opal mining town in NSW, Australia. But...why?

In this video I chat with Stephen Terrey, the Lightning Ridge resident who inspired Mr. Sedaka's odd b-side, described by the artist himself as "the strangest song I ever wrote".

Lightning Ridge (original recording): youtube.com/watch?v=o9AFlmuQNNw
Mini Concert (slow version): youtube.com/watch?v=-AUzL_2GCfg
Mini Concert (peppy version): youtube.com/watch?v=xAv6FtEPVyE

Neil Sedaka on YouTube: youtube.com/user/NeilSedakaMusic

0:00 Introduction
1:46 The Song
3:22 How it Came to Be
10:50 Lightning Ridge in 1974
14:38 Let's Massively Overanalyse a Song
17:51 Conclusion
18:45 Acknowledgements

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Calendar Girl - Sedaka/Greenfield - RCA Victor
Lightning Ridge - Sedaka - Polydor

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IDU theme remixed by fraxyl
modern retro disco biscuit by fraxyl
fraxyl.bandcamp.com

Other music by Russell Gawthorpe: soundcloud.com/datazoid

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Thank YOU for watching!

#lightningridge #neilsedaka #popmusic