If Tim Minchin was blowing out the candles, he would probably inhale, so topsy-turvy is his joyful musical tribute to the Sydney Opera House.
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"You've gotta keep it simple," he sings in a just-released video for the building's 50th anniversary.
"You oughta play it safe/life is just a game/people like the rules as written/so just give 'em more of the same."
His point is that the Opera House is an example of Australia doing the exact opposite - both at the time it was built and in the half-century of live performance that has followed.
The building was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973 - 50 years ago on Friday.
"I adore the Opera House - playing in and around this beautiful building has been one of the great honours of my creative life," said Minchin.
Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, building the Opera House was the opposite of simple: the four-year project took 14 years to finish.
It was supposed to cost $7 million but the final cost was $102 million.
Spliced into Minchin's lyrics are voices of doubt from the time, saying it's a failure, a waste of money, and no one cares about the arts.
These days, almost 11 million people visit the Opera House every year, and the building has come to symbolise Australia to the rest of the world.
Minchin said his song is also a reminder that Australia's not-entirely-mythological larrikin spirit is the same quality that allows us to be bold and brave and not care too much what other people think.
He first appears in the film singing solo at a piano, intercut with images of the building under construction.
Then the lights go up to reveal the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, cut with archival footage of Dame Joan Sutherland, Nelson Mandela, and Iggy Pop: just some of the household names who have made history on the building's steps and stages.
Other performers spotted in the video include Ziggy Ramo, Zahra Newman, John Bell, William Barton, Courtney Act and Jimmy Barnes.
The Australian Ballet, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia, dancers from Lucy Guerin and Bangarra Dance Theatre, and students from the Sydney Dance Company also took part.
The not-so-simple video was directed by award-winning filmmaker Kim Gehrig and produced with the help of funding from Tourism Australia.
Australian Associated Press
