Mental As Anything Glad To Be Added To ARIA Hall Of Fame

Mental As Anything are thoroughly pleased to be included in the ARIA Hall Of Fame. Did you know they are “second only to INXS on the list of the most hits”? I’m not entirely sure what that means, so let’s investigate.

From Paddy Donovan’s article on SMH:

In recent years, there has been a slight bias in the ARIA Hall of Fame towards unheralded artists and rock bands that write “serious” songs.

In the hallowed hall, it seemed, there wasn’t room for a band with a name as silly as Mental as Anything, led by a singer called Greedy Smith who wrote novelty songs and made quirky video clips. But that would be overlooking the band’s knack of writing lots of catchy tunes — it is second only to INXS on the list of the most hits — and enduring popularity.

Waaaaaaaaait a second – are they saying that other than INXS, Mental As Anything has had more hit songs than any other Australian band? Really? Or are we saying as far as ARIA Hall Of Fame performers go, Mental As Anything are second only to INXS as far as hit songs go? Surely AC/DC would’ve had more?

Moving on (while still slightly perplexed).

Three decades after its first hit The Nips Are Getting Bigger, those endearing attributes will finally be acknowledged tonight at the Forum Theatre when the band is inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame alongside the Dingoes, Kev Carmody, Little Pattie and John Paul Young.

“Lightweight pop music is supposed to be here today and gone tomorrow, so it’s nice that we have been remembered,” said Greedy Smith.

I always found If You Leave Me, Can I Come To? to be genuinely kinda heartbreaking!

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