The Australian band Midnight Oil specialises in songs with lots of socially conscious and political comments. 'The dead heart' refers to early white settlement in Australia, from the perspective of the Aborigines who had laid claim to the land prior to the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. The song also gives a mention to the industrialisation of Australia with the words 'Mining companies, pastoral companies, uranium companies, collected companies / Got more right than people / Got more say than people'.Although originally released in 1986 in Australia, the single was only released in Europe in 1988 after the single 'Beds are burning' had become a worldwide hit. The less accessible 'The dead heart' only managed to reach number 62 in the UK singles chart.
My collection: 7" single no. 769
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, March 16, 1989
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'The dead heart' / 'Kosciusko'
