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.
Minutes To Midnight
Midnight Oil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, clock on the world
Driving a dump truck up to the sun
A sigh in the human heart
I look at the clock on the wall
It says three minutes to midnight
Faith is blind when we're so near
Seas full of submarines, A.W.A.C.'s like flies
Truth gets harder to define
Talking in tongues
But the dancer's hand grips the rail
And fingers will blister on the 88's
Hope drains out of the side of the page
But ear's can't hear
What eyes don't see
And you can't see me
Everybody say God is a good man
Everybody say 1,2,3
Set up those gunsights in H.G. Wells backyard
I.C.B.M's, S.S.20's they lie so dormant they got so many
Remember your childhood
Remember the journey
Hope is what you say and do
The lyrics of "Minutes to Midnight" by Midnight Oil is a powerful commentary on humanity's state of mind and the impending doom that it faces. The song highlights the concept of time and how it is running out for the world, becoming a cause of anxiety for many. The first few lines of the song state, "Everybody says God is a good man, ah clock on the world, driving a dump truck up to the sun, a sigh in the human heart." The song starts with a sarcastic line about people's faith in God and how they believe that he is a good man. It then talks about the clock on the wall and how it feels like time is driving a dump truck up to the sun, indicating the end of the world. The line "a sigh in the human heart" showcases the anxiety that people feel about the world ending.
The next lines talk about how time is running out, and the world is just three minutes away from midnight. The word 'faith' becomes blind when we are so near to the end, and the horse Phar Lap is floating in a jar, an example of the world's absurdity. The seas are full of submarines and A.W.A.C.'s that fly. The "talking in tongues" line stands for how people are unable to understand each other because they speak different languages, creating a rift. Amidst all this chaos, the dancer grips the rail, and the pianist's fingers blister on the 88's. The line "Hope drains out of the side of the page" refers to how the current scenario is hopeless, and the pages of people's lives do not hold any promises.
The song's final lines suggest that hope lies in what we say and do. It implores people to remember their childhood and the journey that they have been on. The lines "Everybody says God is a good man, everybody says 1,2,3, set up those gunsights in H.G. Wells' backyard, I.C.B.M's, S.S.20's they lie so dormant they got so many" are a poignant commentary on war and the repercussions of it. It ends with the line "Hope is what you say and do," which emphasizes the importance of being hopeful and spreading positivity.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody say god is a good man
People commonly proclaim that God is benevolent
Ah, clock on the world
Expression of surprise upon realizing the passage of time
Driving a dump truck up to the sun
Visual metaphor representing unrealistic human endeavors
A sigh in the human heart
Melancholic feeling experienced in the depths of one's being
I look at the clock on the wall
Looking upon the physical manifestation of time
It says three minutes to midnight
Realizing the proximity to a calamitous event
Faith is blind when we're so near
In times of crisis, relying on faith alone can be unreliable
Phar Lap floating in a jar
Aussie icon preserved in a jar, symbolizing the loss of innocence
Seas full of submarines, A.W.A.C.'s like flies
Militarization of the world and technology that perpetuates war
Truth gets harder to define
In a world of misinformation, it is difficult to discern truth
Talking in tongues
Speaking unintelligibly, often in religious settings
But the dancer's hand grips the rail
Amid the chaos, the dancer holds onto something for stability
And fingers will blister on the 88's
88-key pianos played so long that blisters form on the fingers
Hope drains out of the side of the page
Conveying the bleakness of the current situation
But ear's can't hear
A play on words, implying that ears alone can't process complex matters
What eyes don't see
There are things we can't perceive without additional context
And you can't see me
The feeling of being invisible or ignored
Set up those gunsights in H.G. Wells backyard
Referencing author H.G. Wells, whose work inspired nuclear weaponry
I.C.B.M's, S.S.20's they lie so dormant they got so many
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and Soviet Union's S.S.20 missiles lay in wait
Remember your childhood
Recalling the purity and joy of childhood
Remember the journey
Reflecting on life's journey so far
Hope is what you say and do
Hope is not just a feeling, but a combination of words and actions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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