The band split in 2002 to allow Garrett to focus on his political career. He became a member of the Australian House of Representatives and the was the Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts from 2007-2010. From 2010, he was the Australian Minister for Education. Garrett did not stand for re-election in 2013. The band has reunited since then for two benefit concerts: the 2005 WaveAid concert for Indian Ocean Tsunami victims and in March 2009 the band reformed for two shows in Canberra as a warm up for "Sound Relief" in Melbourne, a benefit concert for the Victorian Bushfire victims.
The Oils, as they are known to their fans, began as a progressive rock band called Farm in the early 1970s, then under the Midnight Oil name developed a reputation as an impressive and hard-working live act associated with the surfing community of Sydney. They became one of Australia's most respected bands, known for their live performances, and also for their activism and support for community groups and causes.
Midnight Oil's first two albums Midnight Oil and Head Injuries were originally released on an independent label, followed by the EP Bird Noises in 1980. Their third album, Place without a Postcard, was recorded in Great Britain with the respected producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Who) on the back of a brief tour of the UK.
Their fourth album, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (spoken as "10 to 1"), marked both the Oil's major Australian breakthrough and the beginning of their successful association with producer Nick Launay. This album also saw considerable success in the college radio scene of the US, prompting a tour of North America.
Following on from 10-1, the Oils with Nick Launay recorded the fifth album Red Sails in the Sunset during a three month stint in Tokyo in 1984, becoming the first known western band to record an entire album in Japan. Red Sails was reasonably successful in Australia, featuring songs like Best of Both Worlds and Kosciuszko, but the album's quirky, experimental sound failed to make major inroads overseas. Also during 1984, frontman Peter Garrett was narrowly defeated in an election for the New South Wales, representing the Nuclear Disarmament Party (NDP).
In 1985, following the release of the EP Species Deceases the Oils embarked on a career-changing tour of remote Aboriginal communities of outback Australia with legendary Aboriginal group, the Warumpi Band. The tour led to the recording of Midnight Oil's major international breakthrough success Diesel and Dust, released in 1987 which featured their biggest international hit Beds Are Burning. The following album Blue Sky Mining, released in 1990 had two songs that topped the US Modern Rock charts, Blue Sky Mine and Forgotten Years. Both Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining were produced with Warne Livesey.
Between 1988 and 1992, the band's Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining discs became known worldwide, as did their political activism for causes ranging from nuclear disarmament to aboriginal rights and environmental issues. Their subsequent albums sold less well outside Australia, but the Oils maintained a following throughout the 1990s and into the new century.
The Midnight Oil lineup remained quite stable over the band's long career: Garrett as lead singer and harmonica, Jim Moginie on guitar and keyboards, Martin Rotsey on guitar, and Rob Hirst on drums. Andrew (Bear) James, the first bass player, left in 1980 due to ill health. Peter Gifford replaced him and in turn quit the band in 1987 citing the pressures of touring. New Zealander Bones Hillman, (ex Swingers) replaced him, and remained with the group until its dissolution in 2002. Gary Morris was the band's manager and effective sixth member (often credited with the simple title "Business, no singing" on albums) throughout.
In 2004 Peter Garrett was elected to Federal Parliament as the Labor member for Kingsford-Smith in Sydney. In November 2007 he became Minister for Arts in the Australian government as a member of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's front bench. He retired from Parliament in 2013. Jim Moginie continues his involvement with music through his own band, The Family Dog and as a producer for artists such as Sarah Blasko. Rob Hirst is also involved with several musical projects such as Hirst and Greene, Ghostwriters, The Angry Tradesmen and The Backsliders. Moginie, Hirst and Martin Rotsey continue to play and record together in instrumental band The Break.
The band reformed in 2016, launched a world tour in 2017 and released the live album Armistice Day: Live at the Domain, Sydney with an accompanying film. 2020 saw the release of the mini-album called The Makarrata Project. Bass guitarist Bones Hillman died on 7 November 2020 of cancer. On 18 May 2021, the band announced their upcoming thirteenth album, Show of Hands, the last recordings to feature Hillman. The first single, released on 28 October, was Rising Seas.
Bedlam Bridge
Midnight Oil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is crime and gun decisions
There's a street of heat and hawkers, there's a house of hope drifters
There's a gang that shoots then listens
There's a place that knows no poverty, a town without pollution
There's a soul with good intentions
There are canyons full of movie stars, churches made of metal
There are mountains made of muscle
Captains tumbling into madness
But there's a main who makes no enemies, a body never breathless
No ambition ever hopeless
Up on bedlam bridge somebody is waiting
Up on bedlam bridge I'm shot to heaven
Oh, up on bedalm bridge, waiting
In these locked and shackled neighbourhoods, bridge and tunnel diplomats
See the golden ghetto's creeper
Crazy flags from history, songs for the White House gangsters
Guns for hellgate railway sleepers
But there's a main who makes no enemies, a body never breathless
No ambition ever hopeless
So how stands the city on this winters night?
The city on the hill or so they said
The snow is falling down around the armoury
The city's closing in around my head
Up on bedlam bridge...
Drive, won't you drive the engines harder, drive
Drive, won't you turn the engines over, drive
(Hirst)
"Bedlam Bridge" by Midnight Oil is a powerful and profound song that explores the realities of life in a big city. The song is filled with vivid imagery and uses a mixture of contrasting ideas to create a complex and thought-provoking commentary on urban life. The first verse describes a city that is both vibrant and dangerous. There are areas of great wealth and prosperity, as well as areas of poverty and violence. The second verse contrasts the locked and shackled neighborhoods with the bridge and tunnel diplomats who inhabit the golden ghettos. The song suggests that this is a city of contradictions, where the powerful and the powerless exist side by side.
The chorus focuses on a bridge that seems to symbolize the divide between these two worlds. The singer is shot to heaven when he crosses it, suggesting that the bridge represents a threshold between life and death. The final verse asks how the city stands on a winter's night, and whether it is living up to its promise as a city on a hill. The snow falling down around the armoury suggests that the city is closing in on itself, becoming more insular and isolated.
Overall, "Bedlam Bridge" is a powerful commentary on the complexities of modern urban life. It highlights the stark contrasts between different neighborhoods and the challenges of living in a world where wealth and poverty exist side by side. Through its use of vivid imagery and powerful metaphors, the song encourages listeners to think deeply about the challenges facing modern cities and the need for greater social justice.
Line by Line Meaning
In this city with no footpath there's a building with no people
There is an abandoned building in a city without sidewalks.
There is crime and gun decisions
The city is plagued with crime and firearms.
There's a street of heat and hawkers, there's a house of hope drifters
The city has a warm and bustling street, but also a homeless shelter full of lost souls.
There's a gang that shoots then listens
A dangerous gang exists in the city that is willing to use violence and intimidation as tactics.
There's a place that knows no poverty, a town without pollution
There is a location in the vicinity that is prosperous and free of environmental concerns.
There's a soul with good intentions
There exists well-meaning individuals in the city.
There are canyons full of movie stars, churches made of metal
The city is home to famous individuals and unique places of worship with an industrialized design.
There are mountains made of muscle
There are areas in the city where strength and brute force are valued.
We have leaders who are anxious, we have captains not courageous
The city's leaders and captains lack bravery and exhibit signs of worry instead.
Captains tumbling into madness
Some leaders and captains are falling into insanity.
But there's a main who makes no enemies, a body never breathless
No ambition ever hopeless
There is an individual in the city who has no enemies and is always ready to act without fear or uncertainty.
Up on bedlam bridge somebody is waiting
Up on bedlam bridge I'm shot to heaven
Oh, up on bedalm bridge, waiting
There is someone waiting on Bedlam Bridge, a location that elicits religious feelings in the artist.
In these locked and shackled neighbourhoods, bridge and tunnel diplomats
See the golden ghetto's creeper
The wealthy and influential have walled themselves off from the rest of society, and only see the glimmer of prosperity around them.
Crazy flags from history, songs for the White House gangsters
Guns for hellgate railway sleepers
There are symbols of past conflicts and politics that have led to the creation of violent organizations in the city.
So how stands the city on this winters night?
The city on the hill or so they said
The snow is falling down around the armoury
The city's closing in around my head
The singer wonders about the current state of the city and how it compares to the idealized vision of it. The cold and isolation have taken a toll on the singer.
Drive, won't you drive the engines harder, drive
Drive, won't you turn the engines over, drive
The artist calls for someone to accelerate and keep moving forward despite the obstacles and turmoil present in the city.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES MOGINIE, MARTIN ROTSEY, PETER GARRETT, ROBERT HIRST, WAYNE STEVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind