"Blue Sky Mine"
Single by Midnight Oil
from the album Blue Sky Mining
B-side
  • "You May Not Be Released"
  • "Wedding Cake Island"
  • "Blossom and Blood"
Released5 February 1990 (1990-02-05)[1]
GenreGarage rock[2]
Length4:18
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Peter Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Bones Hillman
Producer(s)Midnight Oil, Warne Livesey
Midnight Oil singles chronology
"Dreamworld"
(1988) 		"Blue Sky Mine"
(1990) 		"Forgotten Years"
(1990)

"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in February 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.

Reception

"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]

Track listings

7-inch version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blue Sky Mine"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens[9]4:20
2."You May Not Be Released"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, Rotsey, W. Stevens[10]3:40
Total length:8:00
12-inch version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Blue Sky Mine"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens[9]4:18
2."Wedding Cake Island"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[11]3:15
3."Blossom and Blood"R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford[12]4:35
Total length:12:08

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 3 February 1990. p. 38. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. ^ Fricke, David (2004). "Midnight Oil". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 541–542. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  3. ^ "Wittenoom Community Education Campaign - Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia Inc".
  4. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r13029
  5. ^ "Vanishing history: the most intriguing lost cities - travel tips and articles - Lonely Planet". www.lonelyplanet.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-12.
  6. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  7. ^ Dan Condon. "The 50 best Australian songs of the 90s". Double J.
  8. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b "'Blue Sky Mine' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  10. ^ "'You May Not Be Released' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  11. ^ "'Wedding Cake Island' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  12. ^ "'Blossom and Blood' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9099." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9060." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 18. 5 May 1990. p. V.
  18. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Blue Sky Mine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  22. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Midnight Oil – Blue Sky Mine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Midnight Oil Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  28. ^ "Midnight Oil Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  29. ^ "Midnight Oil Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  30. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles: March 31, 1990". Cash Box. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  31. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990". ARIA. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Retrieved 30 July 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  33. ^ a b "The Year in Music 1990". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. 22 December 1990. p. YE-47.
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