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.
Who Can Stand In The Way
Midnight Oil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
John Laws is on the air again
It's heavy traffic, jacarandas, eye in the sky and foot on ground
I see a million sand speck'd ants in mortal combat hand to hand
And I feel that I
Yes I feel that I
Seem to live this life long distance
People rolling in and out
Those circles and tides confound me
And there's just one thing
Yes there's just one thing
Who can stand in the way
When there's a dollar to be made?
I was hanging round off Dobroyd Point
When the first fleet chain sailed in
Looked into the clearest blue
The scurvy smell, the convicts cry
And we just carried on,
Yes we just carried on
Now choppers strafe the supermarket sky
And people wonder why
Chopping down tons of trees
Got seas of print not a soul can read say
Why do I drown you build brick boxes
One by one now they block my sun
But it's metal on metal
It's the dance of TV
If Christ were here he'd camera check
He'd cry so loud the planes would stop
He'd cry so loud the earth would shake
And men would fall in tinsel town
There's just one thing
Yes there's just one thing...
Who can stand in the way
When there's a dollar to be made?
Precious moments, precious few
When that dollar's more than me and you
It's the joy of forgetting,
Such a joy to forget
But we killed all our firstborn
And we slashed and we burned
And we sold off the paddocks
And we raped and we gouged
On the wings of a six-pack
Will we ever learn?
The opening lines of Midnight Oil’s “Who Can Stand in the Way” immediately set a tone of frustration and decay. The mention of broadcaster John Laws on the air, coupled with heavy traffic and eye-in-the-sky surveillance, paint a picture of modern urban chaos. The singer seems overwhelmed and disconnected from the people and things around them. The mention of sand speckled ants in combat is a metaphor for the chaos and struggle of the world, with the singer feeling helpless to stand against it.
The pre-chorus of the song reflects the feeling of being disconnected from society. The singer feels as though they are living life at a distance and is unable to connect with people or the world around them. The chorus, “Who can stand in the way when there’s a dollar to be made?” is a pointed criticism of modern capitalism and its destructive impact on society and the environment.
The second verse of the song addresses the singer’s memories of Sydney Harbour, specifically the arrival of the first fleet, and the ensuing destruction of the environment through deforestation and development. The choppers strafing the supermarket sky and chopping down trees are more examples of the destruction wrought by progress, and the singer feels powerless to stop it.
Line by Line Meaning
Well oh well I feel I'm in decay
I am not doing well and feel like I am slowly deteriorating
John Laws is on the air again
The radio is playing and John Laws is the host
It's heavy traffic, jacarandas, eye in the sky and foot on ground
There is a lot happening with busy traffic and helicopters flying overhead, while beautiful jacaranda trees can be seen on the street
I see a million sand speck'd ants in mortal combat hand to hand
I see a vast number of ants fighting to the death
And I feel that I
Yes I feel that I
Seem to live this life long distance
Gaze at the things surround me
People rolling in and out
Those circles and tides confound me
I feel disconnected from the people and things around me, like I am watching everything from a distance and it confuses me
And there's just one thing
Yes there's just one thing
There is only one thing that matters
Who can stand in the way
When there's a dollar to be made?
Nobody can stop people from making money
I was hanging round off Dobroyd Point
When the first fleet chain sailed in
Looked into the clearest blue
The scurvy smell, the convicts cry
I was at Dobroyd Point when the first fleet arrived and saw the bright blue sky, but also smelled the illness of those aboard and heard their cries
And we just carried on,
Yes we just carried on
We continued on despite what we were seeing and hearing
Now choppers strafe the supermarket sky
And people wonder why
Chopping down tons of trees
Got seas of print not a soul can read say
Helicopters fly overhead, while people destroy trees and print useless things that nobody reads
Why do I drown you build brick boxes
One by one now they block my sun
But it's metal on metal
It's the dance of TV
I feel suffocated by the construction of buildings one after the other, blocking the sun, and it is all just the same metallic, artificial cycle that we see on TV
If Christ were here he'd camera check
He'd cry so loud the planes would stop
He'd cry so loud the earth would shake
And men would fall in tinsel town
If Jesus Christ were alive, he would be appalled and cry out so loud that it would shake the earth and make people wake up
There's just one thing
Yes there's just one thing...
Who can stand in the way
When there's a dollar to be made?
Despite all of the problems, nobody can stop people from making money
Precious moments, precious few
When that dollar's more than me and you
It's the joy of forgetting,
Such a joy to forget
Sometimes we can forget our problems and feel happy when we have money
But we killed all our firstborn
And we slashed and we burned
And we sold off the paddocks
And we raped and gouged
On the wings of a six-pack
Will we ever learn?
We have hurt and destroyed so much in pursuit of money, and yet we still continue to do it. Will we ever learn from our mistakes?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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