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Cover of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 by Midnight Oil
Cover: 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Song · Midnight Oil

“Power and the Passion” by Midnight Oil

From the album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (1982)

“Power and the Passion” by Midnight Oil appears on 28 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 1983 and 2025. It was first released in 1982 on the album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. Its best result is #29 on the Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #116 alternative song of 1983 and #1,401 alternative song of all time.

28countdowns
10stations
#29best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1983–2025years charted

Watch

Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (MidnightOilVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Power and the Passion" came after "US Forces" as the next single from Midnight Oil's 1982 album, the one whose title counts down from ten to one, and it won Best Australian Single at the 1983 Countdown Music Awards. Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst and Jim Moginie wrote it, and Nick Launay produced it with the band.

It's a furious state-of-the-nation address, taking aim at the 1975 dismissal of prime minister Gough Whitlam and the Pine Gap spy base, tossing in a nod to the Big Mac and borrowing a famous Emiliano Zapata line about dignity. Hirst gets a drum solo, the only one on any Midnight Oil studio recording. It has been played on every tour since, and Triple M ranked it 29 in its Ozzest 100 in 2018, while it placed 66 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs in 2025.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 75 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983 107
1983 82 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 122 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 226 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1989 158 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 319 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 62 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1989 88 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) 100
1991 53 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1994 482 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1996 467 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 448 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 487 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 745 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 381 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 1876 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 395 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1876 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 396 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 1882 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 1867 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 845 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1838 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 88 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 1839 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2018 29 Triple M Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018) 100
2023 812 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2025 66 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs (2025) 100

Also listed as: The Power and the Passion; Power & The Passion; Power and The Passion; Power And The Passion.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 6In a Big CountryBig Country

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