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.
Lucky Country
Midnight Oil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a feeling I get when I look to the sun
Love, it's so tough
Cause it raises your hopes and then it makes you run
We're all looking for a shorter day
We're all looking for an easy way
Even when the debts are dead and gone
Down, the stairs
And an eight mile drive waits for you to turn on
Hear, the time clocks sing
And the smoke in the distance reaches the eye line
We're all working on a shorter day...
No conversation as you go
There's so much space the heat moves you
Terracotta homes, backyard barbeque and eucalyptus smell
It's fine on the clothes line
It's fast food and slow life and red roof
My silence, comic interruptions
Surely there's some relief from atomic art
And the fragile state of world events
With clowns who love the kings and power and the mutant media babes
Wanking on dreams and fashions and toilet paper flowers
Don't talk to me in this backyard - it's clandestine, it's nuclear
Smell of space and now forever I want to go
Straight down the exit eight mile attraction
you-turn is up and the time clock sings lets go
Lucky country
Where the geckos are paid to live in the sun
On and on there's a ribbon of road and a mile to spare
Lucky country
Lucky country
The lyrics to Midnight Oil's "Lucky Country" speak to the complexities of living in a society that prioritizes speed and efficiency over personal connections and meaningful experiences. The first stanza highlights the struggles of love - it can raise one's hopes but also make them run away. The second stanza describes the monotony of daily life, with the time clocks singing and smoke lingering in the air, indicating industrial work. The lyricist then juxtaposes this with the beauty of their surroundings - the Terracotta homes, the smell of the eucalyptus, and the backyard barbeques. However, there is a sadness here, as the lyricist knows that they cannot fully enjoy these things due to the overwhelming presence of technology and the media.
In the final stanza, the lyricist describes feeling trapped, like they are living in a clandestine, nuclear backyard. They long for something more, to escape down the exit eight mile attraction and leave their current life behind. The repeated phrase of "lucky country" takes on a different meaning with each stanza. It can be seen as ironic, as the characters in the song are very aware of the negatives in their society, but also it is an acknowledgement of privilege- living in a country where you can have a backyard BBQ is a luxury that many people cannot afford. The song is a commentary on the conflicting aspects of Australian society in the 1980s, including a desire for convenience and progress, but also the loss of personal connections and the impacts of environmental degradation.
Line by Line Meaning
Speed, and this
There's a rush that comes with fast living, and we're in it.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the sun
There's a sense of hope and possibility when we're under the sun.
Love, it's so tough
Love is difficult because it can raise and then dash our hopes.
Cause it raises your hopes and then it makes you run
Love can give us hope and then suddenly take it away when we least expect it.
We're all looking for a shorter day
We all want an easier, more relaxed way of life.
We're all looking for an easy way
We all want a simpler, easier path in life.
Even when the debts are dead and gone
Even if we manage to pay off our debts, we still want an easier life.
Down, the stairs
We're descending into a more relaxed, easy-going way of life.
And an eight mile drive waits for you to turn on
We're driving down a long, winding road towards a more relaxed lifestyle.
Hear, the time clocks sing
We hear the constant ticking of the clock, reminding us of how much time we're wasting on work.
And the smoke in the distance reaches the eye line
We can see the smoke from factories and industry polluting our environment.
No conversation as you go
We're so focused on our own lives that we don't take the time to connect with others.
There's so much space the heat moves you
The vastness of our surroundings can be overwhelming, and the heat adds to that sense of oppressiveness.
Terracotta homes, backyard barbeque and eucalyptus smell
We're surrounded by suburban trappings like red-roofed houses and BBQ smells.
It's fine on the clothes line
We're living a simple life, hanging our laundry on the line to dry.
It's fast food and slow life and red roof
Our lives are a mix of fast-paced modernity and slow-paced suburbia.
My silence, comic interruptions
Even in our quiet moments, we're bombarded with distractions and noise.
Surely there's some relief from atomic art
We need something to distract us from the horrors and anxieties of world events.
And the fragile state of world events
The state of the world is precarious and uncertain.
With clowns who love the kings and power and the mutant media babes
The people in power are ridiculous, consumed with celebrity culture and personal gain.
Wanking on dreams and fashions and toilet paper flowers
Our culture is obsessed with shallow, meaningless things like fashion and pop culture.
Don't talk to me in this backyard - it's clandestine, it's nuclear
There's a sense of secrecy and danger in our quiet suburban lives.
Smell of space and now forever I want to go
There's a sense of longing for a simpler, more natural way of life.
Straight down, the exit eight mile attraction
We're heading towards a more relaxed, suburban way of life.
you-turn is up and the time clock sings lets go
We're eager to leave behind our fast-paced lives and embrace something slower and more relaxed.
Lucky country
We're fortunate to live in a country that's relatively safe and prosperous.
Where the geckos are paid to live in the sun
Even the lizards are free to bask in the sunshine in our relaxed way of life.
On and on there's a ribbon of road and a mile to spare
The winding road ahead of us seems endless, but we have the time to embrace it.
Lucky country
We're fortunate to live in a country that's relatively safe and prosperous.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES MOGINIE, MARTIN ROTSEY, PETER GARRETT, PETER GIFFORD, ROBERT HIRST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind