Artist · chart history
Yothu Yindi
Band Yirrkala Australia Formed 1986
Yothu Yindi formed in 1986 in Yirrkala, Australia. Yothu Yindi has 6 chart appearances on 6 radio countdowns from 3 stations on RockLists, spanning 1991–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Treaty (Filthy Lucre Radio Remix)”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #10. The station that charted Yothu Yindi most often is Triple J (Australia (national)), with 4 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1993.
Yothu Yindi came out of the Yolngu homelands around Yirrkala, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land, and the name means "child and mother" in Yolngu, which is a fair description of how the band works. It was born in 1986 when a white rock outfit, the Swamp Jockeys, threw in its lot with an Aboriginal folk group made up of Mandawuy Yunupingu, Witiyana Marika and Milkayngu Mununggurr. Stuart Kellaway held down the bass, Cal Williams played lead guitar, and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu moved between keyboards, guitar and percussion.
The sound is the collision you'd hope for: rock guitars and a pop backbeat braided with the drone of the yidaki, the crack of bilma clapsticks and Marika's traditional manikay chant, with Yolngu dance worked into the live show. "Treaty" was the breakthrough, climbing to No. 11 on the ARIA singles chart in 1991, and its album, Tribal Voice, got as high as No. 4. Freedom followed in 1993.
The mission was always bigger than the hits. The band set up the Yothu Yindi Foundation in 1990 to champion Yolngu culture, later running the Garma Festival, and in 1992 Mandawuy was honored as Australian of the Year, recognition he earned through the band. ARIA put them in its Hall of Fame in 2012.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Yothu Yindi on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Treaty (Filthy Lucre Radio Remix) | 1 | #10 | – | – | |
| 2 | Treaty (Radio Mix) | 1 | #36 | – | – | |
| 3 | World Turning | 1 | #41 | – | 1993 | |
| 4 | Treaty | 2 | #65 | – | 1992 | |
| 5 | Jailbreak | 1 | #87 | – | 1995 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 36 | Treaty (Radio Mix) | Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs (2025) |
| 2018 | 10 | Treaty (Filthy Lucre Radio Remix) | Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018) |
| 1995 | 87 | Jailbreak | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995 |
| 1993 | 41 | World Turning | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1993 |
| 1992 | 65 | Treaty | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992 |
| 1991 | 83 | Treaty | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1991) |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about Yothu Yindi.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.