Warumpi Band - Black Fella White Fella | Reaction

[@gusdrivinginaustralia6168]

These guys are great. They did the original " My island home " that later got covered by Christine Anu.

[@johnjarvis2470]

Such a good song.....

[@sharyndoyle6362]

Our Son inlaw is an Indigenous man. We absolutely adore him. Our daughter couldn't have chosen better. Their sons have grown up to be real men. Respectful and hard working like their father and mother . How good is that .

[@JohnDoe-dh4fi]

songwriter Neil Murray inspiration for this song came from his experience as a white man working in Papunya a Indigenous community where he notice everybody was getting long with each other his band mates Sammy Butcher and George Brurrambu late suggested to Murray to include "yellafella" ( a term used sometimes to refer individuals of mixed race) for this video the term yellafella is used for Asian Australians

[@Clemshortzy]

Warumpi were so important for so many white Australians because in the 80s they were our first exposure to race issues and an indigenous view of the country. The fact that the first message was this song was hopeful and positive and we felt that whites could actually help somehow was so great. Stomping ground is a great song too.

[@beabarber4300]

So glad you did this! Brilliant song, from a brilliant album - 'Big Name, No Blankets' is the name of the album. Every song a banger. Even the ones in language which I don't understand but loooove the tunes. Yes, they are aboriginal - a 'settlement' band that has garnered quite a lot of fame, if not fortune. In Australian usage, the word 'settlement' is roughly equivalent to 'reservation' in USA. The end song - Gotta Be Strong - never fails to move me. The song Fitzroy Crossing is best understood as being EXTREMELY ironic. Breadline has even more resonance nowadays due to current economic conditions.

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

My partner is not indigenous while I am (but fairly light skinned compared 2 some)& we've lived in some extremely remote area's where not many white people live & those that do often keep 2 themselves. Hubby always plays & sings this loud & proud & has a few Warumpi t-shirts & it definitely has helped bridge that initial gap when arriving in a new place. Often white people r met with distrust & its understandable when u look @ past experiences. Thanks 2 G.R. & Warumpi Band 4 putting this out, it's helped us make great mates real quick in some places cos the msg is so simple yet extremely powerful. Sure it takes more than this 1 song 2 b accepted but it sure goes a long way. But so does a simple G'DAY BROTHER (BALAH) OR SIS, AUNTIE or UNCLE. We gotta start s'where EDIT- WHEN ASKED IF HE SPEAKS ANY LANGUAGE HE WILL OFTEN BLURT OUT THE EQUIVALENT OF "BOOBS!!"2 MUCH LAUGHTER & AMUSEMENT FROM THE FELLAS COS LETS FACE IT, MEN R MEN WHEREVER U GO & LAUGHTER & MUSIC R THE GREAT UNIFIERS.

[@thefosters]

well said mate

[@kingmukaitai2411]

I'm related to the singer of that crew and few of the other members

[@Gumbye]

He passed on, but I saw him live, when I was a young girl. A teenager. Love their songs🙂

[@kane29842]

Yep. 100% aboriginal artist, from a tiny remote island in northern Australia. Linked up with a white school teacher for this band. Song is damn near 40 years old, message just as relevant as ever and to my embarrassment it’s a song I only heard for the first time a few years ago. Warumpis were trailblazers and it’s a shame they didn’t get more renown even locally. They did perform this song with midnight oil at one stage which is probably the thumbnail you saw.

[@ArrowsNbows]

Shout out elcho island my island home

[@kane29842]

@@ArrowsNbows now there's another great song

[@yoluko4750]

You are the first reaction channel I've seen do this song. I'm so glad someone finally did! This is one of my favourite Aussie tracks. Warrumpi toured with Midnight Oil, which gave them a lot of exposure, although they're still not that well known, especially these days. A shame, because they are a great band. I've always heard that this song was related to the Referendum on Indigenous Rights in the 70s, but I'm not sure the dates work. It would certainly work with the idea of standing up and being counted (as in your vote being counted). Basically the Referendum was to remove racist language from the Australian Constitution and ensure Aboriginal people the same basic rights as other citizens. It passed, and is Australia's watershed moment in Civil Rights.

[@mikenicholas9017]

The referendum was in 67 and didn't remove racist language from the constitution. The constitution used to say the federal government could make rules for any race except Aboriginal people. (States got to do their own things with/to Aboriginal people and the federal government couldn't stop them. That changed so the federal government could make race based laws to all races. Howard used this to specifically target Aboriginal people after one of his Canberra staff pretended to be a central desert community worker and complained about child abuse. A huge public reaction ensued and Howard sentn8n the military in a cynical PR campaign. It effectively ended self determination in these Northern Territory communities and gave got authorities and therefore the mining industry better access. Back to the constitutional referendum in 67. It also changed the constitution from excluding Aboriginal people from any census. We still have so far to go. Our constitution STILL has "race" powers in section 51.

[@Nick-ih9jw]

Underrated guitar too

[@lesliedavis2185]

Great band, I saw them live back in the day

[@anthonypirera7598]

Thanks for playing this song I'm an Aussie and I have never heard this song before

[@AdamSandaver]

One of the the best songs ever written...Simple, direct and as strong as it gets.

[@timmcgrath676]

Warumpi band should have been on the Olympics in Sydney 2000

[@lisadelahaye6568]

wow, thank you for reacting to this great song by a great band.

[@meni8015]

Great song. Positive and uplifting message. Remember listening to it back in the day.

[@tw3543]

glad u did this review, 😊 Great song great message. Them and goanna are my favourite old Aussie music. 👍

[@RhythmicEye]

Oh man I’ve been waiting for you to do this. So pleased, absolutely love this song.

[@sueznann8927]

I can’t believe you did this song! I was just looking it up to ask you to react to it 🙌 ❤️

[@saliadee2564]

Stoked that you finally reacted to this. This song is so much of my childhood. To me, this band is the sound of the Australian bush, beach, and outback. Btw 'yellow' wasn't a slur when this song was written. Just goes to show how things can change. But the message stays the same.

[@ianking-jv4hg]

(Yella fella, half caste Aboriginal) old fashion way. Black fella, White fella, Yella fella, All One Mob, We Mob.

[@markw7299]

So glad you reacted to this classic song from such an iconic Australian band. As others have said, you would do well to listen to their album "Big name no blanket." The Warumpi Band, based out of the remote desert community of Papunya, a couple of hours drive west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, also sing in the different Indigenous languages of the central Australia region. The lead singer who has since passed was originally from Elcho Island off the north coast of the Northern Territory, where the main language is Yolngu matha. No authentic Australian music catalogue can truly be complete with out the Warumpi Band.

[@macisback9059]

Well as a white fella from Australia watching a black fella from America this song couldn't be more true..

[@monicaking2140]

Loooooove this song !! Awesome band ❤

[@rosiekickett2617]

Warumpi Band...are a great Aboriginal Australian band

[@bowriverblues8445]

Fun fact this song was on the b side of a midnight oil 45 singles record dead heart if my memory serves me well….wow I’m getting old..

[@trevormogridge6004]

Much respect you brother, I appreciate you a lot and thank you for listening to our indigenous band of Australian . If you ever get a chance to listen to another indigenous band call pigram brothers / saltwater Cowboys recommend this band

[@mals4125]

Their music still holds a power and freshness today - completely agree this album is epic.

[@macman1469]

George is the Aboriginal Mick Jagger. Or maybe Mick is the white George ? Edit -" My Island Home" is Georges story . Written by the white bloke in the band .

[@jadecawdellsmith4009]

I remember hearing that said in a doco & thought how spot on. G.R. really was The Man! Such charisma & stage presence

[@Nick-ih9jw]

Cool. I didn't know tje guitarist Neil Murray wrote it. He's also a legend. I just looked it up and think he cowrote it with George.

[@mjay6508]

Yep Neil Murray was a teacher out at Papunya NT and the Warumpi Band came from there.....

[@johnjarvis2470]

Crazy good band to see

[@starlightshimmery]

Loved this song so much back in the day. Fantastic lyrics and uplifting unifying message. I feel sorry for the kids today with so much aggressive divisive music blasted at them. Love the Warumpi band.

[@lencooke944]

you understood it in one shot. kudos to you.

[@richardkenna149]

Should be the planet's national anthem

[@Gumbye]

He's a rock star😊

[@Mrmikey0909]

Love it.

[@ivanjankovic3740]

Jimmy Little's cover version of this song might be worth checking out,greetings from Down Under

[@simonford8773]

Yes! Our recent referendum was a disgrace too many people said “no I don’t want to listen”. It is a shame on my people. This song should have been the theme song! Yes I wanna stand up and be counted: I can’t undo. I can only move forward with the song of this land and the people whose ancestors lived and died and raised families for 60000 years. Always was always will be Aboriginal land.

[@amygone2pot]

“It doesn’t matter when the ship is sinking” - we’ve taken on a lot more water since this song was written. Time to start bailing, I reckon!

[@mikenicholas9017]

Generally, in the 80s Australia, a fair bit of Jim crowe type stuff was going on. We've come a long way since. Some people are even openly prepared to consider the notion of structural racism.

[@kingmukaitai2411]

Aboriginal pride

[@cullain3967]

I think the motivation was general, Australia still struggles with racism both social and institutional and it's a long time since this was written. I think there is a lot of this sentiment but I also see there is a lot of push-back from people who fear being treated fairly, which to their mind means being treated as badly as they treated others when in a position to do so. Kind of sad how a particular conservative mindset only sees equality in suffering, they never want to consider equality in prosperity because that would mean no-one to look down on...

[@cravenmoorecock5267]

Lolz…complete BS! 🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@TheChristOfRockNRoll]

Nobody is equal with anybody.....you're not even equal with yourself on a different day.....equality is a myth but you can expect the law to treat people equally.....that's doable.

[@mikenicholas9017]

Insightful

[@stevegraham3817]

The song would have been written in general. 1962 the Aboriginals got to vote and there has been a continuous momentum for rights and reconciliation, and this is just another hand extended from the black side to be friends and help each other. There has been many examples from both sides, including Treaty by Yothu Yindi, and from the likes of Midnight Oil, Goanna, among many of the other Oz bands. Even though the politicians didn't say sorry for what our fore fathers did until the 2000s, most Australians are decent people and have progressively advancing and including Aboriginals all through history. Yes there has been atrocities, but the general Aussie person including those who are born elsewhere and become Aussie, is a decent human.

[@fledermauseimglockenturm7655]

This song form part of my personal philosophy. Having indigenous/Irish Australian heritage this song came along at the right time for me and gave me some pride and strength. Both sides of the family had had it hard but the past was the past and the future seemed bright. By the 90's the voice of activism had become very divisive, sowing discontent and division and what sprang forth was hopelessness and resentment for everyone involved. Except the activists, they're happy as pigs in muck.

[@timmcgrath676]

Warumpi band should have been at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney

[@robertshields7192]

oldie but a Goodie 1985 ‼️ Came out after INXS's - ORIGINAL SIN 1984 same sort of Message 🔥

[@markducote9437]

Check out Djapana by Yothu Yindi , you'll luv it

[@Gumbye]

❤

[@KerrieKruegner]

Yes they are Australian First Nation Peopkes

[@JaneDoe-se8ku]

We are all the same on the inside. It's not about the colour of your skin, it's about how you treat others & how you live your life. The song itself doesn't do that much to me, but the message is good.

[@bobbyoljaca2929]

You should check out same song but they involved midnight oil band who you love its a great duet

[@Gumbye]

G'day brother, they do have more good songs. Need to listen to them.👍

[@98pharaoh]

You held back here. Missed opportunity.

[@tubes-lut]

Should be the national anthem.

[@LizBond-oq2hg]

Like you channel but whats up with calling black and white political its the title of Warumpi Band's calling their song Black Fella White Fella. In Australia we call Aboriginal people black fellas because we are black and brown; and we call Anglo-Australians white fella because they are white; and we call mixed people Yellow fellas because they are. Great band and George is the singer of this brilliant song. This is the 1980s and the rest of the world had a lot of catching up to do. Gone a bit backwards for some since the 2023 Referendum campaign came out - we shall have to wait and see the end result.

[@wldcrd26]

ah the time before the race baiters and the divisionists took over

[@WayneStewart-p9l]

100% true and correct and I know more than a few black fellas feel EXAcTLY same way!

[@brownie0928]

React to "Brisbane Blacks"

[@WayneStewart-p9l]

Knowing several ,it’s like every group Satan wears no face but all. Heaps on to the bs being pushed now.much love ❤ to all true Aussie’s from migaloo .