Label Columbia | Producer(s) Midnight Oil | |
Released 1986 (AUS)
1988 (UK, U.S.) Writer(s) Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Peter Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Peter Gifford "Best of Both Worlds"
(1985) "The Dead Heart"
(1986) "The Dead Heart"
(1986) "Beds Are Burning"
(1987) | ||
"The Dead Heart" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil. 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. It peaked at number four on the Australian singles chart and at number eleven on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. 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.
Cover versions
Sydney-based punk rock band, Frenzal Rhomb recorded a significantly up-tempo version of the song for the 2001 album, Power & The Passion: A Tribute to Midnight Oil. In 2010, Canadian band Alexisonfire recorded a version for their limited edition tour EP.