Forgotten Years

"Forgotten Years"
Single by Midnight Oil
from the album Blue Sky Mining
B-side	"Shakers and Movers" "You May Not Be Released"
Released	April 1990 (1990-04)[1]
Length	4:21
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie
Producer(s)	Midnight Oil, Warne Livesey
Midnight Oil singles chronology
"Blue Sky Mine" (1990) "Forgotten Years" (1990) "King of the Mountain" (1990)

"Forgotten Years" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil, released in April 1990 as the second single from their seventh studio album, Blue Sky Mining (1990). The song peaked at No. 26 on the Australian Singles Chart, No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Chart and No. 11 on the Billboard Album Rock Chart.

The song was inspired by drummer Rob Hirst's grandfather and father's experience of war and how they said it was up to future generations to avoid wars in the future and not to forget how horrible wars are.^{[citation needed]} The music video was filmed in Douaumont Ossuary, France.^{[citation needed]}

Track listings

Australian 7-inch single^[2]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Forgotten Years"	Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie	4:21
2.	"Shakers and Movers"	Moginie, Peter Garrett	4:32

UK 7-inch single^[3]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Forgotten Years"	Hirst, Moginie	4:21
2.	"You May Not Be Released"	Moginie	3:38

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[1]	26
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4]	36
France (SNEP)[5]	44
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6]	24
UK Singles (OCC)[7]	97
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[8]	1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9]	11

See also

• List of Billboard number-one alternative singles of the 1990s

References

1. "Midnight Oil – Forgotten Years". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
2. Forgotten Years (Australian 7-inch single sleeve). Midnight Oil. CBS Records. 1990. 655894 7.
3. Forgotten Years (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Midnight Oil. CBS Records. 1990. OIL 6.
4. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1268." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
5. "Midnight Oil – Forgotten Years" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
6. "Midnight Oil – Forgotten Years". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
8. "Midnight Oil Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
9. "Midnight Oil Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.