Solid Rock (Goanna song)
1982 single by Goanna
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"Solid Rock" is a song written by Shane Howard and recorded by Australian rock band Goanna. The song deals with issues of land rights for Indigenous Australians and was released in September 1982[1] as the lead single from the band's debut studio album, Spirit of Place. "Solid Rock" peaked at number 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
| "Solid Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Goanna | ||||
| from the album Spirit of Place | ||||
| Released | 6 September 1982[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:28 | |||
| Label | WEA Records | |||
| Songwriter | Shane Howard | |||
| Producer | Trevor Lucas | |||
| Goanna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
At the 1982 Countdown Music and Video Awards, "Solid Rock" won Best Debut Single.[2]
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Solid Rock" was ranked number 13.[3] In 2025, the song placed 47 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.[4]
In 2021, MTV Classic ranked the song 10th during their special Top 100 Big in the 80s countdown.
Background and release
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australia’s indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived."[5]
WEA were reluctant to release it as a single and Howard initially had reservations about whether commercial radio would play it because of its politically sensitive theme but Howard insisted on its release to make a statement about the European settlement of Australia.[5][6] The song was released in September 1982.
Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as "a damning indictment of the European settlement of Australia."[7]
Track listing
- 7" WEA Records (100223)
Side A: "Solid Rock" – 4:28
Side B: "Four Weeks Gone" – 5:42
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1982/83) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8][9] | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 71 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 57 |
| Chart (1983) | Position |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[11] | 56 |
Cover versions
- In 1994, Shane Howard recorded the song on his album Live in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
- In 2009, Street Warriors featuring Shannon Noll released a version of "Solid Rock"[12]
- In 2011, heavy metal band Darker Half covered the song on their album Desensitized.
- In 2014 Heavy Metal band Dead Kelly covered Solid Rock on their YouTube Channel
- In 2016, Scott Darlow featuring Shane Howard released a version of "Solid Rock"[13]
- In 2017, Jessica Mauboy covered the song on her album The Secret Daughter Season Two: Songs from the Original 7 Series.
- in 2017 Robbie Miller created a slow acoustic version.
- In 2020, The Waifs, John Butler, Jordi Davieson, Carla Geneve performed a cover of "Solid Rock"[14] during the Fire Aid concert, a benefit performance for the people affected by the 2020 bushfires.
- Also in 2020, Amanda Palmer covered the song on Forty-Five Degrees: Bushfire Flash Record, a benefit release supporting the Firestick Alliance.
- in 2023 WildHeart made a heavy metal cover of Solid Rock in a double song album with another song Sacred Ground somewhat of a spin off of Solid Rock
