Diamond Sun
Recording Artist: Glass Tiger
Writers: Jim Vallance
Alan Frew
Date Written: Pending
Albums: Diamond Sun (1988)
Best Of Glass Tiger: Air Time (1993)
Charts: #13 - The Record (Canada) / September 12, 1988 (16 weeks on the chart)
Awards: 1989 - Juno Award, Single of the Year (note: this is awarded to the recording artist, not the writer)
2004 - Socan Classics Award for more than 100,000 Canadian radio performances
Audio:
Pending
 
Alan Frew: vocals
Al Connelly: guitar
Rene Worst: fretless bass
Jim Vallance: keyboards, drum programming
 
Produced by Jim Vallance.  Recorded by Paul Northfield at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec and by Jim Vallance at Distorto Studios, Vancouver.  Mixed by Ed Thacker at Phase One Studios, Toronto.
Cover Versions:
Pending
Comments:
This song was written with Glass Tiger vocalist Alan Frew in my Vancouver studio. The lyrics and music were inspired by Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress leader, jailed in South Africa for more than 30 years for attempting to overthrow the minority white government (he'd not yet been released from prison when we wrote the song).

I think Alan and I may have fallen into the same trap Adams and I fell into, post-Amnesty, post-Live Aid, post-Tears Are Not Enough ... we believed, as mid-1980s songwriters, that we had to say something of political and social importance.  Furthermore, we actually thought we could get away with it, sneak it past the fans who really just wanted "silly love songs", to quote Paul McCartney.  

Glass Tiger's "Diamond Sun" and Bryan Adams' "Into The Fire" (the albums) both suffered from the same miscalculation, and we paid for it dearly with significantly diminished sales and airplay.
Lyrics: When they came to this land
We gave our friendship
Gave them our hands
But it was never to be
Oh! You must bow down
They said, "Fall to your knees"

Oh! Diamond sun has to burn
Oh! Are we never to learn

Love gives life and life is love
But what have we done

We have walked on this earth
Since the first star was shining
And the moon had its birth
But as with the shadows
Of lonely trees
We are in bondage
But are hearts are still free

Oh! Diamond sun has to burn
Oh! Are we never to learn
Still diamond sun has to burn
Oh! Are we never to learn
Still diamond sun has to burn

In my heart I believe
Someday the sun will shine
And you shall be free
And bless our children as they're
Put to the test
You'll hear the heartbeat
Of a nation's unrest