The Dead Heart

Midnight Oil

About The Dead Heart

"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. 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. 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. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "The Dead Heart" was ranked number 76. 


Year:
1997
5:12
152 
#8

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We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
Know your custom don't speak your tongue
White man came took everyone

We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
White man listen to the songs we sing
White man came took everything

We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken

We don't need protection
Don't need your land
Keep your promise on where we stand
We will listen we'll understand

Mining companies, pastoral companies
Uranium companies
Collected companies
Got more right than people
Got more say than people

Forty thousand years can make a difference 
To the state of things
The dead heart lives here

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Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil (also known informally as "The Oils" to fans), were an Australian alternative rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie. While vocalist Peter Garrett was studying at Australian National University in Canberra, he answered an advertisement for a spot in Farm, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. By late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his law degree, and Farm changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing the name out of a hat. more »

2 fans

Written by: James Moginie, Martin Rotsey, Peter Garrett, Peter Gifford, Robert Hirst

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Origin
"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band, Midnight Oil, released in 1986.
Song Meaning
The song was written to bring attention to the struggles and injustices suffered by Indigenous Australians.
Album
The song was featured in both the "Diesel and Dust" album and the "Blackfella/Whitefella" tour live album.
Inspiration
The inspiration came from the band's 1986 tour, "Blackfella/Whitefella", of Outback Australia with Indigenous groups, Warumpi Band and Gondwanaland.
Chart Performance
"The Dead Heart" reached number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and it peaked at number 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.
Accolades
It has since become one of the band's most recognized songs and was listed at number 96 in the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) 2011 list of the Top 100 Australian songs.
Music Genre
Midnight Oil is known for their distinctive style of alternative rock and this song is considered to be characteristic of their sound, combining rock with a folk influence.
Film Soundtrack
"The Dead Heart" was also featured in the 1988 Australian drama film "Dead Heart".
Band Activism
The release of the song was a part of the band's ongoing activism in support of Indigenous rights, a theme that features heavily in their lyrics and public statements.
Song Elements
The opening and closing sections of the song feature a distinctive "drone" effect, which is intended to mimic the sound of the didgeridoo, a traditional Indigenous Australian instrument.

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    The Dead Heart

    13.3M
    71,779     3,225

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1988

    Billboard #53


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