Solid Rock (Goanna song)
"Solid Rock" is a song written by Shane Howard and recorded by Australian rock band Goanna. The song deals with issues of land rights for Indigenous Australians and was released in September 1982 as the lead single from the band's debut studio album, Spirit of Place. "Solid Rock" peaked at number 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
| "Solid Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Goanna | ||||
| from the album Spirit of Place | ||||
| Released | September 1982 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 4:28 | |||
| Label | WEA Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Shane Howard | |||
| Producer(s) | Trevor Lucas | |||
| Goanna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
At the 1982 Countdown Music and Video Awards, "Solid Rock" won Best Debut Single.[1]
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Solid Rock" was ranked number 13.[2]
Background and release
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived."[3]
WEA were reluctant to release it as a single and Howard initially had reservations about whether commercial radio would play it because of its politically sensitive theme but then Howard insisted on its release to make a statement about the European invasion of Australia.[3][4] The song was released in September 1982.
Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as "a damning indictment of the European invasion of Australia."[5]
Track listing
- 7" WEA Records (100223)
Side A: "Solid Rock" - 4:28
Side B: "Four Weeks Gone" - 5:42
Charts
| Chart (1982/83) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 71 |
Cover versions
- In 1994, Shane Howard recorded the song on his album Live in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
- In 2009, Street Warriors featuring Shannon Noll released a version of "Solid Rock"[8]
- In 2011, heavy metal band Darker Half covered the song on their album Desensitized.
- In 2016, Scott Darlow featuring Shane Howard released a version of "Solid Rock"[9]
- In 2017, Jessica Mauboy covered the song on her album The Secret Daughter Season Two: Songs from the Original 7 Series.
- In 2020, The Waifs, John Butler (musician), Jordi Davieson, Carla Geneve performed a cover of Solid Rock[10] during the Fire Aid concert, a benefit performance for the people affected by the 2020 wild fires.
References
- "Countdown Date: 19/4/1983". Countdown Archives. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- Choudry, Aziz (7 November 2002). "Sweet and Dangerous Music: Soundtrack for a Secret Country". Shane Howard. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- Kruger, Debbie (July–August 2002). "They Wrote the Songs Pt2". APrap. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Goanna'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 24 June 2004.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- https://www.billboard.com/music/goanna
- "Solid Rock feat. Shannon Noll". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- "Solid Rock feat Shane Howard". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- "Solid Rock Cover-The Waifs-Freemantle Arts Center Jan 30, 2020". Blanca. Retrieved 2 February 2020.