Let the Franklin Flow explained

Let the Franklin Flow
Cover:Let_the_Franklin_Flow_song.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Gordon Franklin And The Wilderness Ensemble
Released:April 1983
Length:3:30
Label:WEA
Producer:Trevor Lucas
Prev Title:Razor's Edge
Prev Year:1983
Next Title:That Day...Is Comin'
Next Year:1983

"Let the Franklin Flow" is a song written by Shane Howard (credited as Franklin River)[1] and recorded by Australian band Goanna (credited as Gordon Franklin and the Wilderness Ensemble). The song was released in April 1983 as a protest song to save the Franklin River from being dammed in Tasmania, Australia. "Let the Franklin Flow" peaked at number 12 on the Australian Kent Music Report.

Background

On 13 February 1983, Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble performed, "Let the Franklin Flow" at the Stop The Drop nuclear disarmament concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.[2] [3] The ensemble included members of folk rock groups Goanna and Redgum, together with their mutual producer, Trevor Lucas.[2] In April, "Let the Franklin Flow" was issued as a single with Lucas and Jeff Campbell as its producers.[4] Shane Howard (of Goanna), the song's writer, was initially credited as F. River.[1] [5] The single reached No. 12 nationally. Proceeds supported the Tasmanian Wilderness Society's campaign against the proposed damming of Tasmania's Gordon and Franklin rivers for a hydroelectricity project.[6] [7] Howard physically supported the protests by joining the picket lines.[6] The B-side of the single, "Franklin River – World Heritage", was written and recorded by the society's director, Bob Brown, who later became a senator and the leader of Australian Greens.[3] [8]

Track listing

7" WEA (7-259941)Side A: "Let the Franklin Flow" - 3:30
Side B: "Franklin River - World Heritage" (credited to Bob Brown) - 2:40

Charts

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Let the Franklin Flow"! Chart (1983)! Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 98

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) . "Let the Franklin Flow" at APRA search engine . 19 August 2010.
  2. Web site: All Fired Up: Lost Treasures of Australian Music – Various artists . Hogan . David . Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975 . Kimball . Duncan . Ice Productions . 2002 . 19 August 2010.
  3. Let the Franklin Flow . Gordon Franklin and the Wilderness Ensemble . 1983 . . 7-259941 . Melbourne .
  4. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040224195146/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/g/goanna.html . Goanna . . Holmgren . Magnus . Pertout . Alex . Phillips . John . Baird . Paul . Howard . Shane . 24 February 2004 . 28 September 2022 .
  5. Web site: 'Let the Franklin Flow' [music] / by Gordon Franklin and the Wilderness Ensemble; music and lyrics by F. River . . 1983 . 19 August 2010.
  6. Web site: https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20120726191200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/14231/20120727-0512/www.howlspace.com.au/en2/goanna/goanna.htm . Goanna . Nimmervoll . Ed . Ed Nimmervoll . Howlspace – The Living History of Our Music. White Room Electronic Publishing . 26 July 2012 . 22 January 2014 .
  7. Web site: Goanna > Biography . . Swift . Brendan . 16 August 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050311003251/http://test.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg . 11 March 2005 . dead . dmy-all .
  8. Web site: Senator Bob Brown, Leader of the Greens : The 80s Are Back . Havlicek . Irma . . 2010 . 19 August 2010.
  9. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
  10. Web site: Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983 . . Imgur.com . 22 January 2023.