Straight Lines (song)

"Straight Lines" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released on 12 March 2007 and debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's first number-one single since 1997's "Freak". The single was shortly followed by the release of the band's fifth studio album Young Modern on 31 March 2007. Unlike the songs written during Diorama, when Daniel Johns wrote all the tracks himself, "Straight Lines" was co-written by the Presets' Julian Hamilton.
"Straight Lines" was awarded a double-platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association on 2 September 2007, indicating combined digital and physical single sales of 140,000 units in Australia. On 28 October 2007, "Straight Lines" won "Best Selling Australian Single" at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007, as well as "Single of the Year". The song was the most played song on Australian radio in 2007. It charted at number two on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2007 and missed out on the number-one spot by only 13 votes.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Straight Lines" was ranked number 74. In 2025, the song placed 28 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.

Music video

The music video for the song features a dynamic band performance, and was filmed at the Olympic Park railway station, Sydney, by directors Paul Goldman and Alice Bell. The video appeared on the official website on 2 February
It was awarded "Best Video" at the 2007 ARIA Awards.

Awards and nominations

APRA Award

2008 Song of the Year and Most Played Australian Work APRA Awards for "Straight Lines", written by Daniel Johns and Julian Hamilton, was presented by Australasian Performing Right Association.

Track listing

Australian maxi-CD single

"Straight Lines"
"All Across the World"
"Sleep All Day"
"Don't Wanna Be the One"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Australian maxi-CD single liner notes.
Studios

Recorded at Seedy Underbelly Studio
Additional recording at the Panic Room
Mixed at Metalworks Recording Studios
Mastered at Gateway Mastering

Personnel

Daniel Johns – lyrics, music, production, additional recording
Julian Hamilton – music
Nick Launay – production, recording
Scott Horscroft – production assistance
Paul Mac – production assistance, additional recording
David Bottrill – mixing
Giancarlo Gallo – mixing assistance
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Hackett Films – artwork