In 2016, he returned with A.B. Original \u2014 the hip-hop duo comprising of Yorta Yorta man Briggs and Ngarrindjeri man Trials \u2014 as they covered his original song Dumb Things,<\/a> and furthered his long history of collaborating with Indigenous Australian musicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly 20 years after his first Like A Version, Kelly \u2014 with a full band this time \u2014 entered the LAV studio again. This time, like his original Amy Winehouse moment, he takes inspiration from yet another powerful femme voice: Kylie Minogue.<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n Taken from Kylie’s 1997 album Impossible Princess<\/a>, Did It Again is Australia’s seminal pop queen with a grittier edge, shortly before her iconic golden hot pants moment<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paul Kelly (in full length trousers) turns the track into a rollicking sing-along, one that invokes infectious and subconscious head-bobbing and toe-tapping.<\/p>\n “I’m a Kylie Minogue fan. Who isn’t?” Kelly said about the cover.<\/p>\n “I like the lyrics but musically I thought it was really strong, I thought it would really suit the band. So that’s why we chose it. It’s got a great sort of gear change and we just love playing it.”<\/p>\n Keeping his cover in the same key as the original, Kelly infused the track with his signature cadence, warmth and wry smile. There’s no doubt he and his band were there to simply have fun.<\/p>\n The music video for Did It Again featured Minogue battling various personas of herself, namely Cute Kylie, Dance Kylie, Sex Kylie and Indie Kylie. (Supplied: YouTube)<\/p>\n How To Make Longevity<\/p>\n So, what’s the secret sauce for Kelly’s long and storied career, which has no sign of slowing down?<\/p>\n It lies in the people around him \u2014 his band. People he’s been performing with for more than three decades, in some cases.<\/p>\n “We sort of get along really well, we’re not sick of each other, so going out on tour is always fun,” Kelly told triple j Breakfast’s Concetta and Luka.<\/p>\n “As far as writing stuff, you know, I just write songs one by one.<\/p>\n “And so long as they keep coming, when I’ve gotten enough, I go and record them and then go and play them.<\/p>\n Paul Kelly’s Take 5<\/a><\/p>\n As the 70-year-old songwriter prepares his 30th album, he talks about the music that has driven him creatively.<\/p>\n “It’s pretty simple, really.”<\/p>\n Outside of playing shows, Kelly said they filled all the time “waiting around” as a band with activities and sharing stories that they’ve heard millions of times.<\/p>\n “We’re all pretty sporty,” he said.<\/p>\n “So, there’s couple of runners in the band; there’s a few swimmers. I’m a swimmer. Four of us play tennis, so we try to get on a tennis court, and there’s a few of us who don’t drink anymore.<\/p>\n “Well, I do, but we’re about half and half split now.”<\/p>\n He prefers to swim in the ocean and mixes it up between freestyle and breaststroke, for what it’s worth.<\/p>\n Loading…<\/p>\n Paul Kelly recognises Kylie Minogue as “unstoppable”; a force of creative and experimental nature that never seems to go away.\u00a0<\/p>\n We could say the same about him \u2014 he’s just released Seventy<\/a>, his 30th studio album.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n