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Power and the Passion (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Power and the Passion
| cover = Power and the Passion Midnight Oil Australian edition.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Standard artwork '(Australian 7-inch vinyl single pictured)'
| type = single
| artist = Midnight Oil
| album = 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
| released = March 1983
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = New wave, post-punk
| length = 5:39
| label = Columbia
| writer = James Moginie
Robert Hirst
Peter Garrett
| producer = Midnight Oil, Nick Launay
| prev_title = US Forces
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = Read About It
| next_year = 1983
| misc =
}}
"'Power and the Passion'" is the second single from Midnight Oil's 1982 album '10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1' (following "'US Forces'"). The song is one of the band's most famous, and it was performed on every Midnight Oil tour since the issue of '10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1' as well as at the WaveAid concert.
At the 1983 Countdown Music Awards, the song won Best Australian Single.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Power and the Passion" was ranked number 29.
Lyrics and composition
The lyrics mention former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam and his dismissal in 1975, as well as the Pine Gap spy base, which remain controversial issues in Australia to this day. The song also makes reference to the McDonald's Big Mac and paraphrases Emiliano Zapata with the line "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
The song includes a drum solo by Rob Hirst; it is the only studio recording by Midnight Oil to feature a drum solo.
Legacy
In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named "Power and the Passion" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. It was the second Midnight Oil song in the list with "Beds Are Burning" declared third behind the Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" and Daddy Cool's "Eagle Rock".
It was performed by the band at the 2009 Sound Relief concert in Melbourne.
On 5 June 2012, the song was released as downloadable content for the video game 'Rock Band 3'.
Music video
The video for "Power and the Passion" was filmed in 1982 amongst the "Woolloomooloo Mural Project" in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Track listing
# "Power and the Passion" - 4:45
# "Power and the Passion" (Dub Version) - 4:39
Compilations
This track was placed on the band's collection 20,000 Watt R.S.L.
More recently, the title of the collection Flat Chat was derived from the lyrics of this song. However, this song was not featured on that collection.
A newly remastered version was then featured on the band's second "greatest hits" album, Essential Oils (Midnight Oil album), in 2012.
US 12-inch version
The US 12-inch single release features a little-known specially remixed version, mixed by Francois Kevorkian and Dominic Malta at RPM Sound Studios specifically for the North American market. This special version, which runs for 6:40, did not appear on the 12-inch single as released elsewhere in the world, including in Australia, whose 12-inch single featured the standard album version which runs for 5:38. The remix features echo effects added to Peter Garrett's vocals and a continuation or reprise of Rob Hirst's drum solo after the nominal ending of the song.
Live versions
Live versions of "Power and the Passion" were not available legally until 2004, when the 'Best of Both Worlds' CD/two-DVD set featured two. One (on the 'Oils on the Water' CD/DVD) was from early 1985 (the 'Red Sails in the Sunset' tour) and the other (on the 'Saturday Night at the Capitol' DVD) was from 1982 ( the '10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1' tour).
The song's drum solo was often performed significantly faster.
Personnel
* Peter Garrett - lead vocals
* Peter Gifford - bass, backup vocals
* Martin Rotsey - guitar
* Jim Moginie - guitar, keyboards
* Rob Hirst - drums, percussion
;with
* Gary Barnacle, Peter Thoms, Luke Tunney - brass
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Category:1983 singles
Category:APRA Award winners
Category:Midnight Oil songs
Category:1982 songs
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Nick Launay
Category:Songs written by Jim Moginie
Category:Songs written by Peter Garrett
Category:Songs written by Martin Rotsey
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