The Dead Heart

For the 1996 Australian film, see Dead Heart.

"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil.^[2] 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.^[2] It peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and at number 11 on the U.S. Mainstream rock chart.

"The Dead Heart"
Australian 12-inch vinyl single
Single by Midnight Oil
from the album Diesel and Dust
Released	August 1986 (AUS) 1988 (UK, U.S.)
Genre	Folk rock[1] alternative rock
Length	5:10 (album version) 6:20 (extended version)
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)

At the 1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards, the song was nominated for Best Single.^[3][4]

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.^[5]

Background

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.^[6]

Track listing

7" single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Dead Heart"	R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[7]	5:10
2.	"Kosciusko"	R. Hirst, J. Moginie[8]	4:57
Total length:			10:07

12" single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Dead Heart"	R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[7]	6:20
2.	"Blackfella/Whitefella" (performed by Warumpi Band)	N.Murray, G. Djilaynga[9]	3:25
3.	"This Land" (performed by Coloured Stone)	B.Lawrie[10]	5:00
Total length:			14:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1986–1989) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] 4 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 20 Canada RPM Top Singles 38 France (SNEP)[13] 19 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 40 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 14 UK Singles (OCC)[16] 62 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] 53 U.S. Billboard Top Albums Tracks[18] 11

Year-end charts Chart (1986) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[19] 30

References

1. Fricke, David (2004). "Midnight Oil". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 541–542. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
2. "Amicus". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
3. "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
4. "Final episode of Countdown". 1970scountdown. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
5. "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
6. 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.
7. "'The Dead Heart' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
8. "'Kosciusko' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 6 December 2022.
9. "'Blackfella / Whitefella' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
10. "'This Land' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 April 2014.
11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 200. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
12. "Midnight Oil – The Dead Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
13. "Midnight Oil – The Dead Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
14. "Midnight Oil – The Dead Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
15. "Midnight Oil – The Dead Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
17. "Chart History: Midnight Oil". Billboard. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
18. "Chart History: Midnight Oil > Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
19. "Kent Music Report No 650 – 29 December 1986 > National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 21 December 2019.