10. Something So Strong
[youtube]jXArBZItqGc[/youtube]
Crowded House’s second American hit is still one of their most popular songs. Something So Strong debuted in 1986, peaking at #7 on the US charts. You gotta love the song’s video, which starts with the band vamping on Smoke On The Water.
9. Nobody Wants To
[youtube]Pw3Br7JuQwI[/youtube]
Time On Earth, CH’s latest album, features a few slow-tempo numbers. The best of the batch is the bittersweet Nobody Wants To. We could only find a shitty audience-shot video of the band playing the song, so we’re also sharing this video of some geek playing his own version of the tune we found on YouTube.
8. Locked Out
[youtube]Aq645z7qfp8[/youtube]
Crowded House has never been a band known for writing hard-rockin’ songs. The thing is when Neil Finn wants to write a rocker, he certainly can. Take 1994’s Locked Out, a clever ditty about love and love lost. Enjoy this crazy video, which features the band’s current lineup with the exception of drummer Paul Hester who passed away in 2005.
7. Better Be Home Soon
[youtube]XIY_UVmHI0Y[/youtube]
One of the most beautiful tunes in Crowded House’s catalog is Better Be Home Soon off of 1988’s Temple of Low Men. Better Be Home Soon shows off the wide range of Finn’s songwriting. In the video above Neil plays the song solo in tribute to his fallen comrade, Paul Hester.
6. Don’t Stop Now
[youtube]vv7N_OHNFtE[/youtube]
Last summer Crowded House returned to the scene by releasing their first single in over 10 years, Don’t Stop Now. Don’t Stop Now features Beatles-esque harmonies, intense lyrics and a quirky xylophone line that works brilliantly in the framework of the song.
5. Four Seasons In One Day
[youtube]C0ATdyqZxdw[/youtube]
Neil Finn got his start playing music with his brother Tim in the band Split Enz. After a few Crowded House albums the Finns started collaborating again, and one of the songs they came up with was Four Seasons In One Day. They had originally planned to release the track on a Finn Brothers album, but it wound up making the tracklist of 1991’s Woodface. The song is written about Auckland, New Zealand; a city where you can experience four seasons over the course of 24 hours.
4. When You Come
[youtube]8-MIH843Y_c[/youtube]
Another great track off of Temple is the timeless When You Come. Only Neil Finn can write such a deep love song, without getting overly cheesy. While this song didn’t receive much play in the States, it did very well in Australia and New Zealand. Maybe if they would’ve come up with a decent video the song would have gotten the attention it deserves.
3. Pineapple Head
[youtube]bDTcStSN2dk[/youtube]
Believe it or not Crowded House actually kicks out some nice jams in a few of their songs. Pineapple Head is one of the songs that takes a life of its own on some nights. At the show that was filmed for tonight’s episode of Artists Den the band took the song out a bit before segueing into the Hebrew folk song Hava Nagila. That’s why we’d love to see Pineapple Head make the cut.
2. She Called Up
[youtube]G8VRYW—1I[/youtube]
I have no qualms declaring She Called Up my favorite song of 2007. I just can’t get enough of the catchy lyrics; the masterful weaving of the electric piano, clavinet and synthesizer parts; and Finn’s soulful delivery. Live, the band often extends the intro often adding elements of Beatles’ songs or The Specials’ Ghost Town.
When Crowded House’s record label decided to release She Called Up as a single, they ran into a problem. The band was in the middle of their world tour, and was therefore unable to film a video. Neil Finn made a call to his old elementary school to ask if the school’s students could help with the video. Check out the brilliant video for She Called Up to see how they used the kids.
1. Don’t Dream It’s Over
[youtube]VHjT3CHvg-c[/youtube]
Some Americans think of Crowded House as a one-hit wonder thanks to the immense popularity of Don’t Dream It’s Over. The song was a massive international hit, particularly in the U.S. where it reached the #2 slot in 1987. Twenty years later the song still gets played in films, televisions shows and classic rock stations across the world. Even though Crowded House has an extensive catalog of classic songs, they’ve embraced Don’t Dream It’s Over as their signature tune playing it at nearly every show they’ve played since 1987.
One Response
Seeing Crowded House play in Sydney in November was one of the highlights of my year and one of the best concerts I’ve seen. Neil is amazing. Unfortunately, we don’t get Ovation in DC. Damnit.
DL