Blue Sky Mine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "You May Not Be Released"
- "Wedding Cake Island"
- "Blossom and Blood"
| "Blue Sky Mine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Midnight Oil | ||||
| from the album Blue Sky Mining | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 29 January 1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | Midnight Oil, Warne Livesey | |||
| Midnight Oil singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| Blue Sky Mine on YouTube | ||||
"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in January 1990 as the first single from their seventh studio album, Blue Sky Mining (1990). The song was inspired by the experiences of workers at the Wittenoom asbestos mines who contracted various asbestos-related diseases.[3][4][5] The "blue" refers to blue asbestos, and the "sugar refining company" mentioned in the lyrics refers to the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Ltd, the owner of the mines.
"Blue Sky Mine" peaked at No. 7 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart, No. 8 on the Australian Singles Chart, No. 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It charted the highest in New Zealand, where it reached No. 2 for two weeks in March 1990. The music video, directed by Claudia Castle, won the ARIA Award for Best Video at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991.[6]
Double J named it in the top fifty Australian songs of the 1990s, saying, "It just so happens to also have a beat perfect for fist-pumping and a chorus crafted for hearty singalongs, which is why it appealed to the masses around the world. If even a small percentage of rock'n'roll fans took something from their message, the band's work was not in vain."[7] In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Blue Sky Mine" was ranked number 39,[8] and ranked 99 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.[9]
Track listings
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Sky Mine" | R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens[10] | 4:20 |
| 2. | "You May Not Be Released" | R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, Rotsey, W. Stevens[11] | 3:40 |
| Total length: | 8:00 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Sky Mine" | R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens[10] | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Wedding Cake Island" | R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[12] | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Blossom and Blood" | R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[13] | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 12:08 | ||
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[32] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
