The Dead Heart

"The Dead Heart"
Australian 12-inch vinyl single
Single by Midnight Oil
from the album Diesel and Dust
Released 1986 (AUS)
1988 (UK, U.S.)
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Peter Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Peter Gifford
Producer(s) Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil singles chronology
"Best of Both Worlds"
(1985)		 "The Dead Heart"
(1986)		 "Beds Are Burning"
(1987)

"Best of Both Worlds"
(1985)		 "The Dead Heart"
(1986)		 "Beds Are Burning"
(1987)

"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil.[1] It was first released as a single in Australia in 1986 and in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1988 after it had been included on the 1987 album, Diesel and Dust.[1] It peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and at number 11 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart. The song deals with the mistreatment of indigenous Australians and the nonrecognition of indigenous cultures in Australia, and was part of efforts to raise awareness of Australia's Stolen Generations - the forcible removal of Australian Aboriginal children from their families between 1909 and the 1970s.

Midnight Oil recorded "The Dead Heart" for the handing back ceremony of Uluru (Ayers Rock) to its traditional Aboriginal owners. The band was then invited to tour through some of the most remote communities in the Australian outback with the Aboriginal group, the Warumpi Band, a tour that was known as the Blackfella/Whitefella tour.[2]

Track listing

7" single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Dead Heart"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[3]5:10
2."Kosciusko"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens[4]4:57
Total length:10:07
12" single
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Dead Heart"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[3]6:20
2."Blackfella / Whitefella" (performed by Warumpi Band)N.Murray, G. Djilaynga[5]3:25
3."This Land" (performed by Coloured Stone)B.Lawrie[6]5:00
Total length:14:45

Charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[7] 4
Chart (1987) Peak
position
New Zealand Singles Chart[8] 14
Chart (1988/89) Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart[9] 20
Canadian Singles Chart 38
French Singles Chart[10] 19
Dutch Singles Chart[11] 40
UK Singles Chart[12] 62
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13][14] 53
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[13][14] 11

Cover versions

Sydney-based punk rock band, Frenzal Rhomb recorded a significantly up-tempo version of the song for the 2001 album, Power & The Passion: A Tribute to Midnight Oil. In 2010, Canadian band Alexisonfire recorded a version for their limited edition tour EP.

References

  1. 1 2 "Amicus". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  2. ↑ Sony Music Entertainment (March 6, 2013). "Midnight Oil Celebrated With ESSENTIAL OILS, Double-Disc Collection Of Recordings Spanning 1978-2002, Curated By The Band". Sony.
  3. 1 2 "'The Dead Heart' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "'Kosciusko' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "'Blackfella / Whitefella' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "'This Land' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  8. ↑ "Discography: Midnight Oil". New Zealand Charts Portal. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Midnight Oil: 'The Dead Heart'". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Discographie Midnight Oil" (in French). French Charts Portal. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Discografie Midnight Oil" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "Midnight Oil Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Artist Single Chart History: Midnight Oil". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Midnight Oil > Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
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