Paul Kelly: Seventy – Reflections on Ageing from a Musician Bigger Than Ever
After fifty years in music, Paul Kelly continues to craft songs that are memorable, warm, and tinged with humor and sensuality. It’s unmistakably his signature sound—and even Joe makes a return.
Now seventy, Kelly has reached new heights, recently headlining his first sold-out arena tour. In the often youth-focused world of Australian music, his steady rise stands out. There’s been no sudden nostalgia-driven comeback, just a consistent presence across five decades.
Still, his ubiquity has sparked mixed reactions. Some who’ve never truly engaged with his music seem irritated by his success, especially around the annual attention for his Christmas song about Joe, the hapless character from his earlier hit To Her Door.
Exploring Ageing, Regret, and Continuity
Seventy, Kelly’s thirtieth studio album, reflects on growing older, the passage of time, and the knowledge that life carries on after we’re gone. The tracks blend introspection with poetic imagery, grounding personal themes in everyday truths.
“The Magpies – a song based on a Denis Glover poem – will keep on quardle-oodle-ardling.”
Joe’s story, meanwhile, lingers like a familiar ghost, still haunting Rita from beyond the grave. As Kelly reminds listeners, the more the world shifts, the more it seems to stay the same.
Author’s Summary
Paul Kelly’s Seventy captures the essence of ageing and endurance, showing how a life in music can evolve gracefully while staying profoundly human.