Beds Are Burning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Beds Are Burning" is a 1988 hit single by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, the first track from their album Diesel and Dust. It reached #6 in the UK charts and #17 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song is a plea for the land rights of Aboriginal Australians: "The time has come, to say fair's fair, to pay the rent, to pay our share."

It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

In 2004, the German Eurodance group Novaspace covered this song.

In 2006 the Australian Treasurer Peter Costello used the lyrics of this song in the Australian Parliament to make a point about public leasing of buildings by the opposition Australian Labor Party. This was designed to clearly make fun of Midnight Oil member turned Labor MP Peter Garrett and included a spoof of his trademark dancing style.

---

[edit] External Links

[1] Youtube video of Peter Costello singing and dancing this song in the Australian Parliament