5/12/96

by Michael Travis

I had the good fortune to catch this documentary late one evening, just as I was about to switch off the television for the night. It was a program about the song 10 Guitars and how it had become an alternative National anthem for New Zealand. The show featured many local singing talents (if I remember rightly, these ranged from the Topp Twins to Crowded House) singing their renditions of the song, and top on my list, of course, was Jan Hellriegel.

Jan sang it alone, with her piano for accompaniment. Her rendition was lovely, quite breathy and elegant; and ballady, in much the same way as Thinking. Jan imbued the song with a new sense of immediacy and tension, and it was quite awesome to behold - especially since she and teh Cassandra's Ears girls were once run out of Opononi for not knowing the song!