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Solid Rock (Goanna song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Solid Rock'" is a song written by Shane Howard and recorded by Australian rock band Goanna. The song deals with issues of land rights for Indigenous Australians and was released in September 1982 as the lead single from the band's debut studio album, 'Spirit of Place'. "Solid Rock" peaked at number 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
At the 1982 Countdown Music and Video Awards, "Solid Rock" won Best Debut Single.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Solid Rock" was ranked number 13.
In 2021, MTV Classic ranked the song 10th during their special 'Top 100 Big in the 80s' countdown.
Background and release
According to Howard, the inspiration came on a ten-day camping trip at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) during 1980 where he had a "spiritual awakening" which brought "the fire in the belly" to the surface over injustices to Australias indigenous peoples. Howard said "I realised that this country that I grew up in, that I thought was my country, wasn't. I had to reassess my whole relationship with the land and the landscape, and understand that we had come from somewhere else, and we had dis-empowered a whole race of people when we arrived."
WEA were reluctant to release it as a single and Howard initially had reservations about whether commercial radio would play it because of its politically sensitive theme but Howard insisted on its release to make a statement about the European invasion of Australia. The song was released in September 1982.
Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, described it as "a damning indictment of the European invasion of Australia."
Track listing
; 7" WEA Records (100223)
Side A: "Solid Rock" - 4:28
Side B: "Four Weeks Gone" - 5:42
Charts
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (1982/83)
!Peak
position
|-
|Australia (Kent Music Report)
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
||US 'Billboard' Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|61
|-
|}
Cover versions
* In 1994, Shane Howard recorded the song on his album 'Live in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand'.
* In 2009, Street Warriors featuring Shannon Noll released a version of "Solid Rock"
* In 2011, heavy metal band Darker Half covered the song on their album 'Desensitized'.
* In 2014 Heavy Metal band Dead Kelly covered Solid Rock on their YouTube Chanel
* In 2016, Scott Darlow featuring Shane Howard released a version of "Solid Rock"
* In 2017, Jessica Mauboy covered the song on her album 'The Secret Daughter Season Two: Songs from the Original 7 Series'.
*in 2017 Robbie Miller created a slow acoustic version.
* In 2020, The Waifs, John Butler, Jordi Davieson, Carla Geneve performed a cover of "Solid Rock" during the Fire Aid concert, a benefit performance for the people affected by the 2020 bushfires.
* Also in 2020, Amanda Palmer covered the song on Forty-Five Degrees: Bushfire Flash Record, a benefit release supporting the Firestick Alliance.
References
Category:1982 songs
Category:1982 debut singles
Category:Songs about Australia
Category:Songs against racism and xenophobia
Category:Goanna songs
Category:Warner Music Group singles
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