Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Midnight Oil and "Forgotten Years"
Midnight Oil forgoes the harmonica, break out its jangly R.E.M.-style guitars, and belts out a pretty good rock hit about avoiding the mistakes of the past
Midnight Oil - “Forgotten Years”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 1 (May 19, 1990)
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Madonna - “Vogue” (5/19/90, 1 week)
By May 1990, World War II had been over for nearly 45 years. Many of the freshest memories of war around the world were images out of places like Afghanistan, Iran, Vietnam and Korea, with some of those major conflicts completed decades prior to 1990. Indeed, by the turn of the decade, the biggest “war” happening on the planet may well have been the “Cold War,” the battle for superpower bragging rights between the United States and the Soviet Union. The world didn’t know it at the time, but even that element of global conflict was about to collapse, with the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of the previous year ultimately becoming the first in a series of events that would spell the end of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
Of course, regional skirmishes and internal strife continued to exist and will likely exist in some form for all of human history, but with so much movement toward stability on the geopolitical front worldwide, the timing of Midnight Oil’s second MRT chart topper seemed almost too perfect. With “Forgotten Years,” the band sought to channel the memories of their fathers and grandfathers and remind everyone that, even with the worst of times seemingly behind them, the world can’t forget it happened lest it happen again.
Midnight Oil is a band who channels political and social activism through the lens of rock music. “Blue Sky Mine,” the recent MRT #1, was all about highlighting the historical tragedy of miner and mill workers and asbestos exposure at the Wittenoom Gorge in Australia. Their biggest hit, “Beds Are Burning,” called attention to Aboriginal land rights, while tracks like “The Dead Heart” and “Put Down That Weapon” called attention to government interventions and nuclear weapons.
With “Forgotten Years,” Midnight Oil puts down their harmonicas and focuses solely on a solid bass- and lead-guitar jam about the past and how quickly it can be forgotten. It’s clear the band sought inspiration from family and friends who had fought in wars before, and it’s their lament that the band hopes will inspire future generations to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
Our sons need never be soldiers
Our daughters will never need guns
These are the years between
These are the years that were hard fought and won
In one portion of the song, Midnight Oil channels the voice of people who talk about how they’ve never experienced war and haven’t had to deal with battles. My interpretation is that there were younger people and generations who hadn’t dealt with the difficulties of wars, and were the most likely to forget. Thus, in the lead-in to the chorus, the band makes a passionate plea to remember the tough times, because without those battles and difficulties, we wouldn’t have the calm we have today.
Our shoreline was never invaded
Our country was never in flames
This is the calm we breathe
This is a feeling too strong to contain
Still it aches like tetanus
It reeks of politics
Signatures stained with tears
Who can remember?
We've got to remember
George Santayana is credited with the phrase, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” and regardless of the context of the original quote, Midnight Oil is loosely reinterpreting that message in the hope of reminding everyone to remember the tough times in order to avoid going through them again. It’s a poignant song with a solid message, but it’s a message that didn’t have the staying power for U.S. radio audiences in the late spring of 1990.
Indeed, after one week on top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart, the song trended downward and stayed on the charts for 13 weeks before disappearing for good. In spite of its short time on top of the charts, the song maintained a long beloved legacy with other musicians. Brandon Flowers from The Killers lists “Forgotten Years” as one of his favorite songs, noting in a “Rolling Stone” interview in 2017, “I wish I’d written ‘Forgotten Years,’ by Midnight Oil. That song touches my heart.” When Midnight Oil was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2006, U2 frontman Bono recited the chorus of “Forgotten Years” and lauded the band for their music, which “brought people's differences together, not to resolve them, just to get them in the same room, up each other's noses.”
The third single from “Blue Sky Mining,” titled “King Of The Mountain,” managed a #3 peak on the MRT chart in 1990, extending their influence in the alternative music genre while drifting further away from their previous mainstream success. The 1993 release of their next album, “Earth and Sun and Moon,” would generate three more top-10 MRT hits: “Truganini,” “Drums of Heaven,” and “Outbreak Of Love.” After this, the band’s remaining albums would become solid hits in their native Australia but would not make much of a ripple in the U.S. charts.
That said, I’m surprised by what I’ve learned about Midnight Oil through my brief review of their music. Harmonica work aside, I can admit that I found out some interesting things about Australia, about the band’s activism, and about the influence that they would have on some of my own favorite bands. I can’t count Midnight Oil among my personal favorites, but I can see why they’re so beloved by so many people in Australia and certainly around the world.
Rating: 7/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
Another tricky week to squeeze out some notable MRT chart songs, but there were a couple of decent tracks that hit their peak this week.
“Cradle of Love” by Billy Idol: Here’s a chart trivia tidbit for you: Which Billy Idol song, other than pop chart-topper “Mony Mony” in 1987, was his highest charting track on the Hot 100? “Eyes Without A Face”? Nope, that topped at #4. “White Wedding”? Guess again. That one peaked at #36. Strange though it seems, the answer is “Cradle of Love,” which peaked at #2 on the flagship chart in 1990, I’m sure thanks in no small part to the steamy music video that accompanied its release. Billy wasn’t able to replicate that chart peak on the MRT chart, but he did manage to place this song at #7 on the alternative chart behind Midnight Oil.
“Pictures of You” by The Cure: The last of four singles off their “Disintegration” album, “Pictures of You” didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous releases, but still finished with a respectable peak of #19 on the MRT charts behind “Forgotten Years.” I wouldn’t worry too much about The Cure, though; they’ll be back in the top spot a few more times.