Beds Are Burning

Todd plays "Beds Are Burning" on the piano.

MIDNIGHT OIL - BEDS ARE BURNING

A one-hit wonder retrospective

Todd: Welcome back to One Hit Wonderland, where we take a look at bands and artists who are known for only one song. And today, we finally - finally - finish off the requests that I sold off on Patreon, thank God. [Screenshot of Todd's Patreon] I will do it again next time I'm absolutely desperate for cash, so probably soon. I accidentally sold way too many, though, so next time, it's gonna be, like, stupid expensive. [chuckles] Geez. Requests, requests. Well, anyway, on to the episode. And you know? (clips of "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" and "The Safety Dance") It seems like I do a lot of 80s new wave bands on this show, so after all that, it's finally time to end on something...

Todd: ...a little different. An 80s alternative band! And those are absolutely not the same thing!


 * Video for "Beds Are Burning"
 * Peter Garrett: Out where the river broke

Todd (VO): Billboard started the alternative rock charts in 1988, as it became not just an underground thing, but a force in its own right, [clips of "Stand" by...] with R.E.M., ["Trouble Me" by...] 10,000 Maniacs and [and "Knock Me Down" by...] the Red Hot Chili Peppers all becoming big deals. But one of the biggest hits of that genre that year...

Todd:...actually came from our good friends down under, a nice intersection between the rise of college rock and the [picture of Crocodile Dundee poster] weird Australian craze of the eighties.


 * Midnight Oil: How do we sleep while our beds are burning

Todd (VO): Yes, the band we are talking about is Midnight Oil, named after the nightly application of baby oil that keeps the lead singer's head so shiny. These Aussie rockers, led by what looks like a hulked-out John Malkovich, were big in their native country, but..

Todd: ...in the U.S., they only notched one top 40 hit.

Todd (VO): One of those wacky 80s novelty hits about that most hilarious subject: picture of Colonisation by Lawry Love horrible human rights abuses.

Todd: Heh, heh, heh, what a goofy decade, am I right?


 * Peter: It belongs to them, we're gonna give it back

Todd (VO): Ha, yeah. I would love more than anything to avoid heavy topics right now, but just fair warning, this is gonna be a fairly dense episode.

Todd: I didn't pick it. Don't blame me! Blame the [picture of] Australian government! There's blood on your hands, [picture of...] Sir Robert Menzies!


 * Midnight Oil: The time has come

Before the hit

Todd: Okay, before the hit, [picture of Midnight Oil performing live] they were Midnight Oil, founded in 1978 in Sydney, Australia. And they released [picture shows...] eleven albums. No joke, this band has the most extensive and substantial discography I've ever covered on this show since [album cover of Tubthumper by...] Chumbawamba. Once again, you guys have handed me an actual, legit band. What am I gonna do with you guys?

Clip of "Used and Abused"


 * Peter: I was taken downtown for my part in the demonstration

Transcript in progress