Australian country music link Australia's vast distances. Isolation and loneliness of life in the Australian bush has been another theme. For much of its history, Australia's bush music belonged to an oral and folkloric tradition, and was only later published in print in volumes such as Banjo Paterson's "Old Bush Songs", in the 1890s. Waltzing Matilda, often regarded as Australia's unofficial National anthem, is a quintessential early Australian country song, influenced more by Celtic folk ballads than by American Country and Western music. The lyrics were composed by the poet Banjo Paterson in 1895. This strain of Australian country music, with lyrics focusing
Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Croatia’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was chosen on 4 March using the "Dora" competition in the seaside resort of Opatija, the place where the first "Dora" was held. Severina Vučković was chosen with the song "Moja štikla" (My stiletto), which was described as a turbo-folk song with humorous lyrics and Balkan folk motifs. The lyrics were written by Severina, the music by Boris Novković (Croatian representative in 2005) and Franjo Valentić, and arrangement by popular Bosnian-born musician Goran Bregović. Severina was born 21 April 1972 in Split, Croatia, then Yugoslavia.