Wed, November 04, 2009
Aussie rockers Midnight Oil''s 1987 hit Beds are Burning is being re-recorded and released as a free download through a major collaboration between leading singers and political figures.
Though the focus is on mattresses, the deeper metaphor refers to the situation wherein people cannot feel comfortable as the planet is being destroyed, with one lyrics proclaiming: "How can we dance when our world is turning? How can we sleep when the beds are burning?"
Joining Mark Ronson, Lily Allen, Jamie Cullum, Duran Duran and Bob Geldof is none other than Kofi Annan, the former top dog of the UN and the current head of the Global Humanitarian Forum which backs the campaign.
The choice of a Midnight Oil song is coincidental given that Peter Garrett, the lead singer of the group, went on to become the minister of environment, entertainment and the arts in Australia in 2007 as a member of the Australian Labor Party.
