1982 single by Goanna
"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 3 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 Australia’s 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.
Side A: "Solid Rock" – 4:28
Side B: "Four Weeks Gone" – 5:42
References.
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