Spirit of the Anzacs

"Spirit of the Anzacs"
Single by Lee Kernaghan featuring Guy Sebastian, Sheppard, Jon Stevens, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll and Megan Washington
from the album Spirit of the Anzacs
Released	22 January 2015
Format	Digital download
Length	3:53
Label	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Writer(s)	Colin Buchanan Lee Kernaghan Garth Porter
Producer(s)	Garth Porter
Lee Kernaghan singles chronology
"Turn This to Gold" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015)
Guy Sebastian singles chronology "Linger" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015) "Tonight Again" (2015) Sheppard singles chronology "Smile" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015) "Let Me Down Easy" (2015) Jon Stevens singles chronology "Touch" (2012) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015) Jessica Mauboy singles chronology "Can I Get a Moment?" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015) "The Day Before I Met You" (2015) Shannon Noll singles chronology "We Only Live Once" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015) Megan Washington singles chronology "Limitless" (2014) "Spirit of the Anzacs" (2015)

"Spirit of the Anzacs" is the first single from Lee Kernaghan's 2015 album of the same name. The charity single features Guy Sebastian, Sheppard, Jon Stevens, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll and Megan Washington. It was released on 22 January 2015 to raise funds for Legacy and Soldier On.^[1][2] "Spirit of the Anzacs" is the first taste of an album that has brought soldiers' letters to life in song. The project was inspired by Kernaghan's 2014 visit to the Australian War Memorial when he was shown archives of soldiers letters to family from the front lines.^[3] "Spirit of the Anzacs" is based on Paul Keating's 1993 eulogy at the interment of the Unknown Soldier, one of Australia's most iconic speeches. Kernaghan said the song was inspired by Keating's immortal words, "He is all of them. And he is one of us."^[4]

Music video

The official video was released on YouTube via ABC Music on 26 February 2015. The video shows the singers performing their parts of the song in a studio, overlapped with various pieces of war footage and photos.^[5]

Charts

"Spirit of the Anzacs" peaked at No. 32 in Australia, giving Kernaghan his first single on the ARIA Singles Chart since his 2007 single "Spirit of the Bush" peaked at No. 11.^[6] It was No.3 on the Australian Artist Singles Chart.^[7] The song re-entered the ARIA Singles Chart at No. 38 on 3 May 2015, the sales week following ANZAC Day.

Chart (2015)	Peak position
scope="row"	Australia (ARIA)[6]	32

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Australia	22 January 2015[8]	Digital download	Australian Broadcasting Corporation

References

1. "Spirit of the ANZAC’s – single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
2. "Megan Washington, Sheppard Join Lee Kernaghan For Anzac Charity Song". The Music AU. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
3. McCabe, Kathy (23 January 2015). "Lee Kernaghan enlists Sheppard, Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian for Spirit of the Anzacs single". News.com.au (News Corp Australia). Retrieved 23 January 2015.
4. "Oz singers team ANZAC Charity song". dailymail.co.uk. 27 February 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
5. "Spirit of the Anzacs (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
6. "Australian-charts.com – Lee Kernaghan feat. Guy Sebastian, Sheppard, Jon Stevens, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll & Megan Washington – Spirit Of The Anzacs". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
7. "ARIA Australian Artist Singles Chart w/c 9 March 2015". ARIA. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
8. "Spirit of the Anzacs – single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2015.