Top 10 Midnight Oil Songs
January 25th 2009 22:00
Burning the Midnight
Following on from the last post on the Oils, and seeing as its Australia Day, I look at their best and most memorable songs from the last 30-plus years. If you haven’t had a good listen to Midnight Oil lately (or ever), I suggest you dig in. I have mostly stuck to the bigger songs, but they have a hoard of underrated album tracks.
MIDNIGHT OIL SONGS
Dead Heart – Diesel and Dust
My favourite Oils song. Rarely do you find a song that is both dynamic and heartfelt. A chilling chorus and a legendary drum and bass backbeat that is supposed to sound like a Toyota Landcruiser Troop Carrier – which is what they use out in the sticks. If you listen carefully, and have heard the high-idle of a ‘Troopy’, you will hear it clearly.
One Country – Blue Sky Mining
One of their most underated. I love the breakdown section where bassist Bones Hillman takes the vocals. Beautiful song.
Forgotten Years – Blue Sky Mining
Another great and inspiring song from Blue Sky Mining, every country can relate to this.
“Few of the sins of the father, are visited upon the son”
Short Memory – 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
This was never released as a single but managed to amass a strong following none the less. I was never a fan of this song and thought it was boring and overrated, but I have since learned to love it. The lyrics about political oppressions and mistakes that are ‘forgotten and repeated’ have led me to use the phrase often – short memory.
Blue Sky Mine – Blue Sky Mining
This song is great on many levels. The lyric refers to the blue asbestos mined in Wittenoom, Western Australia which has since become a ghost town.
They won 5 ARIA Awards after this album and Gary Morris was so far up Peter Garrett’s ass that he accepted the award on behalf of the band and was criticised for a speech lasting 20 minutes! Stella album either way.
Truganini – Earth and Sun and Moon
Named after the last surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal, it mainly deals with the Monarchy and the Union Jack that won’t remove itself from Australia’s flag
King of the Mountain – Blue Sky Mining
“Yellow belly black snake, sleeping on a red rock, waiting for the stranger to go.” Meaning the Aboriginals and the stranger being the English...RIP Peter Brock
My Country – Earth and Sun and Moon
Great song, the truth of it being much more sceptical than the sound. The message basically saying that a country is not a sports team, you don’t barrack along right or wrong.
Hercules – Species Deceases EP
A cool little song that was never released as a single, but is a great track from their hard-to-find 1985 EP.
Beds are Burning – Diesel and Dust
Their biggest song worldwide. Mainly about the Pintupi people, who were the last Aboriginals to ‘come in from the desert’ in the 30s and 40s and have since gone back.
Other notable mentions:
Best of Both Worlds, Kosciuszko, Surf's Up Tonight, US Forces, Armistice Day, Read About It, Dreamworld, When The Generals Talk, Redneck Wonderland,
Blue Sky Mine
“We carry in our hearts the true country, and that cannot be stolen”
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