Dave Dobbyn's Loyal has been voted the greatest New Zealand song ever in an online poll of Kiwi music fans.
Nearly 3000 people voted in the Telecom survey to find New Zealand's top 50 songs.
Dobbyn appeared twice in the top ten with Slice of Heaven coming in at number three. The top five was rounded out by The Exponents' classic pub hit Why Does Love Do This To Me, the internationally acclaimed Don't Dream It's Over from Crowded House and Bic Runga's heartfelt song Sway.
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Operations Manager Anthony Healey says it is a fantastic list of songs.
"What links the songs is their innate New Zealandness. These are songs you 'll hear playing on a jukebox in a country pub, at a summer barbecue and the ones we sing along loudly with at the rugby," he says.
Healey says the dominance of songs from the 1980s is no surprise given New Zealand music written by New Zealanders began to really find its own feet during this time.
A survey of industry insiders taken by APRA in 2001 determined the industry top five to be Nature by Fourmyula, Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House, Loyal by Dave Dobbyn, Counting The Beat by The Swingers and Six Months in A Leaky Boat by Split Enz.
The survey also threw up a few surprises like Shihad's Home Again at number seven and the recent Kiwi smash hit Wandering Eye by Fat Freddy's Drop at number 11.
Top ten New Zealand songs as voted in the online poll:
1. Loyal - Dave Dobbyn
2. Why does love do this to me - The Exponents
3. Slice of Heaven - Dave Dobbyn
4. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
5. Sway - Bic Runga
6. April Sun in Cuba - Dragon
7. Home Again - Shihad
8. Victoria - The Exponents
9. Bliss - The Dudes
10. I See Red - Split Enz
