"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by H ...

, 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 Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

mines who contracted various asbestos-related diseases. 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 7 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' 100 Singles chart, No. 8 on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

, No. 47 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and No. 1 on both the ''Billboard''

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" fo ...

and

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

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.ARIA Award previous winners. 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." In January 2018, as part of

Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...

's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Blue Sky Mine" was ranked number 39.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1990 singles 1990 songs ARIA Award-winning songs Columbia Records singles Environmental songs Epic Records singles Midnight Oil songs Political songs Songs written by Bones Hillman Songs written by Jim Moginie Songs written by Martin Rotsey Songs written by Peter Garrett Songs written by Rob Hirst Songs about mining