Blue Sky Mine#Charts and certifications

{{Infobox song

| name = Blue Sky Mine

| cover = Blue Sky Mine (Midnight Oil) single coverart.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Midnight Oil

| album = Blue Sky Mining

| B-side = * "You May Not Be Released"

"Wedding Cake Island"
"Blossom and Blood"

| released = {{start date|1990|2|5|df=y}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = Rock{{cite book |chapter=Midnight Oil|last= Fricke|first=David|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |year=2004 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages= 541-542}}

| length = 4:18

| label = * CBS

Sprint Music

| writer = * Rob Hirst

| producer = Midnight Oil, Warne Livesey

| prev_title = Dreamworld

| prev_year = 1988

| next_title = Forgotten Years

| next_year = 1990

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|Ofrqm6-LCqs|Blue Sky Mine}}}}

}}

"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in February 1990 as the first single from their seventh studio album, Blue Sky Mining (1990). The song was inspired by the experiences of workers at the Wittenoom asbestos mines who contracted various asbestos-related diseases.{{Cite web|url=http://www.asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm|title = Wittenoom Community Education Campaign - Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia Inc}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r13029|pure_url=yes}}{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/scotland/travel-tips-and-articles/76715 |title=Vanishing history: the most intriguing lost cities - travel tips and articles - Lonely Planet |website=www.lonelyplanet.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712063001/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/scotland/travel-tips-and-articles/76715 |archive-date=2011-07-12}} The "blue" refers to blue asbestos, and the "sugar refining company" mentioned in the lyrics refers to the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Ltd, the owner of the mines.

Reception

"Blue Sky Mine" peaked at {{abbr|No.|Number}} 7 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart, No. 8 on the Australian Singles Chart, No. 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on both the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It charted the highest in New Zealand, where it reached No. 2 for two weeks in March 1990. The music video, directed by Claudia Castle, won the ARIA Award for Best Video at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991.ARIA Award previous winners. {{cite web|url=https://www.ariaawards.com.au/history/award/Best-Video?view=list|title=Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video |publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)|access-date= 12 December 2019}}

Double J named it in the top fifty Australian songs of the 1990s, saying, "It just so happens to also have a beat perfect for fist-pumping and a chorus crafted for hearty singalongs, which is why it appealed to the masses around the world. If even a small percentage of rock'n'roll fans took something from their message, the band's work was not in vain."{{cite web|author=Dan Condon|url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/features/the-50-best-australian-songs-of-the-90s/10267974|title=The 50 best Australian songs of the 90s|website=Double J}} In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Blue Sky Mine" was ranked number 39.{{cite news|url=http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/songs-made-triple-ms-ozzest-100/|title=Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'|work=Musicfeeds|date=27 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2020}}

Track listings

{{Track listing

| headline = 7-inch version

| total_length = 8:00

| title1 = Blue Sky Mine

| writer1 = R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens{{cite web | publisher = Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | title = 'Blue Sky Mine' at APRA search engine | url = http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Blue%20Sky%20Mine | accessdate = 3 April 2014 }}

| length1 = 4:20

| title2 = You May Not Be Released

| writer2 = R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, Rotsey, W. Stevens{{cite web | publisher = Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | title = 'You May Not Be Released' at APRA search engine | url = http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=You%20May%20Not%20Be%20Released | accessdate = 3 April 2014 }}

| length2 = 3:40

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 12-inch version

| total_length = 12:08

| title1 = Blue Sky Mine

| writer1 = R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, W. Stevens

| length1 = 4:18

| title2 = Wedding Cake Island

| writer2 = R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford{{cite web | publisher = Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | title = 'Wedding Cake Island' at APRA search engine | url = http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Wedding%20Cake%20Island | accessdate = 3 April 2014 }}

| length2 = 3:15

| title3 = Blossom and Blood

| writer3 = R. Hirst, J. Moginie, P. Garrett, M. Rotsey, P. Gifford{{cite web | publisher = Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | title = 'Blossom and Blood' at APRA search engine | url = http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/worksearch.axd?q=Blossom%20And%20Blood | accessdate = 3 April 2014 }}

| length3 = 4:35

}}

Charts

=Weekly charts=

scope="row"\|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine\|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles\|magazine=Music & Media\|volume=7\|issue=18\|page=V\|date=5 May 1990}} \|56
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+Weekly chart performance for "Blue Sky Mine" !scope="col"\|Chart (1990) !scope="col"\|Peak position
{{single chart\|Australia\|8\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Flanders\|41\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Canadatopsingles\|7\|chartid=9099\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Canadaadultcontemporary\|39\|chartid=9060\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|France\|25\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Germany\|45\|songid=2084\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Ireland2\|30\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Dutch40\|28\|year=1990\|week=12\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Dutch100\|33\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|New Zealand\|2\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Norway\|8\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Switzerland\|11\|artist=Midnight Oil\|song=Blue Sky Mine\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|UK\|66\|date=19900217\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Billboardhot100\|47\|artist=Midnight Oil\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Billboardalternativesongs\|1\|artist=Midnight Oil\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
{{single chart\|Billboardmainstreamrock\|1\|artist=Midnight Oil\|rowheader=true\|access-date=30 July 2018}}
scope="row"\|US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web\|url=https://www.cashboxmagazine.com/archives/90s_files/19900331.html\|title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles: March 31, 1990\|work=Cash Box\|access-date=January 3, 2021}} \|27

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+Year-end chart performance for "Blue Sky Mine" !scope="col"\|Chart (1990) !scope="col"\|Position
scope="row"\|Australia (ARIA){{cite web\|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1990/singles-chart\|title=ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990\|publisher=ARIA\|access-date=25 October 2018}} \|35
scope="row"\|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine\|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9139&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9139.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9139\|title=Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990\|magazine=RPM\|via=Library and Archives Canada\|access-date=30 July 2018}} \|43
scope="row"\|US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine\|title=The Year in Music 1990\|magazine=Billboard\|volume=102\|issue=51\|page=YE-47\|date=22 December 1990}} \|26
scope="row"\|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) \|20

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Year-end chart performance for "Blue Sky Mine"

!scope="col"|Chart (1990)

!scope="col"|Position

scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1990/singles-chart|title=ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990|publisher=ARIA|access-date=25 October 2018}}

|35

scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM){{cite magazine|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.9139&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.9139.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.9139|title=Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990|magazine=RPM|via=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=30 July 2018}}

|43

scope="row"|US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=The Year in Music 1990|magazine=Billboard|volume=102|issue=51|page=YE-47|date=22 December 1990}}

|26

scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)

|20

Certifications

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Blue Sky Mine"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1990|certyear=1990|certref=|access-date=25 October 2018}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" \|+Release dates and formats for "Blue Sky Mine" !scope="col"\|Region !scope="col"\|Date !scope="col"\|Format(s) !scope="col"\|Label(s) !scope="col"\|{{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row" rowspan="2"\|United Kingdom \|5 February 1990 \|{{hlist\|7-inch vinyl\|12-inch vinyl\|CD\|cassette}} \|rowspan="2"\|{{hlist\|CBS\|Sprint Music}} \|{{cite magazine\|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1990/MW-1990-02-03.pdf\|title=New Singles\|magazine=Music Week\|page=38\|date=3 February 1990\|access-date=27 August 2021}}
19 February 1990 \|7-inch vinyl (gatefold sleeve) \|{{cite magazine\|title=New Singles\|magazine=Music Week\|page=35\|date=17 February 1990}}
scope="row"\|Japan \|21 March 1990 \|Mini-CD \|Epic \|{{cite web\|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/166452/products/107689/1/\|title=ミッドナイト・オイル {{!}} ブルー・スカイ・マイン\|trans-title=Midnight Oil {{!}} Blue Sky Mine\|publisher=Oricon\|language=ja\|access-date=14 March 2025}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+Release dates and formats for "Blue Sky Mine"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row" rowspan="2"|United Kingdom

|5 February 1990

|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}

|rowspan="2"|{{hlist|CBS|Sprint Music}}

|{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1990/MW-1990-02-03.pdf|title=New Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=38|date=3 February 1990|access-date=27 August 2021}}

19 February 1990

|7-inch vinyl (gatefold sleeve)

|{{cite magazine|title=New Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=35|date=17 February 1990}}

scope="row"|Japan

|21 March 1990

|Mini-CD

|Epic

|{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/166452/products/107689/1/|title=ミッドナイト・オイル {{!}} ブルー・スカイ・マイン|trans-title=Midnight Oil {{!}} Blue Sky Mine|publisher=Oricon|language=ja|access-date=14 March 2025}}