Thanks To TikTok The World Has Discovered Australia’s Obsession With The Nutbush
CHURCH HOUSE, GIN HOUSE.
There are very few songs that you can play that gets every Australian in a room hyped up.
In this prestigious category exists classics like ‘The Horses’ by Daryl Braithwaite, ‘Khe Sanh’ by Cold Chisel and, of course, ‘Nutbush City Limits’ by Ike and Tina Turner.
Despite the song being about a small American town, ‘Nutbush City Limits’ has become Australian by default. Since the creation of the Nutbush dance in the ’70s when the song came out, Australians have claimed the catchy tune as their own.
The Nutbush, which is learned at most schools, is performed whenever it is played — usually at weddings and other functions.
do australia’s children still gather to learn a dance to nutbush city limits, or was i actually in some kind of weird cult not a school
— Bec Shaw (@Brocklesnitch) February 3, 2016
did you even go to primary school in australia if you didn't learn the nutbush in PE?
— Jemima Skelley (@jemimaskelley) June 4, 2018
If you went to school in australia and you didnt do the nutbush at least 50 times a year you were not educated properly
— yung noodle arm 🇭🇰 (@yungnoodlearm) November 28, 2019
But what Australians are now discovering is that the Nutbush, as a dance, is actually only an Australian thing. Yep, apparently the Nutbush isn’t one of those dances known by everyone like the Macarena.
Can you imagine a world where the words “church house, gin house” don’t make you instantly run to the middle of the dance floor? Horrifying if you ask me.
ONLY AUSSIES WILL GET THIS IM PISSING pic.twitter.com/fhpfIthexT
— ًmackie (@wontustayaIive) January 25, 2019
I’ve just learned that they don’t do the nutbush anywhere else other than in Australia
which is at the same time completely baffling and also makes all of the sense in the world https://t.co/SmmwOeCo3I
— Max Quinn (@Maxquinn) July 17, 2019
But to be fair, we should’ve known that only Aussies had the dancing skills based of the abysmal attempt that was shown on Glee that one time.
It’s Called Australian Culture, Sweetie
As videos of the Nutbush made their way online, people began getting confused over just what the hell Australians were doing down under.
once we had a group of japanese exchange students at our school and they watched about 100 of us all do it in unison. they were terrified
— cb ❣️ (@chiara_bailey) January 25, 2019
im genuinely so confused sksk is Australia okay????
— ❥ liz misses brook (ia) (@eternalwyattx) January 25, 2019
Adding to all the confusion, Australians on TikTok decided to start making videos about our fascination with the line dance.
Even though no one really remembers ever learning the dance, every Aussie somehow knows all the moves — and will do them wherever and whenever they hear the first beat of ‘Nutbush City Limits’.
But most people just used the opportunity to reminiscing on the good days. The days where our biggest problem was trying to remember all the steps to the Nutbush for the Year 6 school disco.
Long live the Nutbush.