Kitch's Top 10 Classic Australian Rock Songs - #6 "Holy Grail"

"Holy Grail" – Hunters & Collectors

Writer(s): Mark Seymour, Jeremy Smith, Doug Falconer, John Archer, Barry Palmer, Michael Waters, Robert Miles and John Howard.

Album: Cut

Released: 1992

Peak Chart Position: #20

Mark Seymour wrote most of this song, but it’s credited to the entire Hunters & Collectors line-up. According to Seymour, ‘Holy Grail’ was inspired by Napoleon’s march into Russia in 1812, and a little bit about trying to break into the lucrative American market, which a lot of Australian pub-rock bands of the time had struggles with.

The song, says Seymour, is about survival – Napoleon’s army was basically destroyed by the bitter winter weather – and a struggle to make Cut, a successful outing for the Hunters (it’s gone 2 x platinum), which, nonetheless, was apparently was an “excruciating” record to make.

‘Holy Grail’ seems to pop up during every second sporting contest here, and was especially prominent during Channel Ten’s years broadcasting the AFL – it was the theme song that opened and closed each of their broadcasts – which led to Seymour performing it a bunch of times over the years. I fondly remember one particular performance: opening game of the Sydney Swans 2006 season, when they raised the premiership flag over the SCG.