A short, but really, really sweet little tune from Australia's Crowded House. You might remember them from such 80's songs as "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong". I must say, in my case, that I'm not really a huge fan. Here I have to give credit to a couple of regular readers of this blog, d-rail and eric, who were on the Crowded House tip way back in high school. They are old-school, deep-cut "Woodface" type fans, and more power to 'em.
I have a great memory of this song, and it's the sole reason I purchased it on itunes. If there's any friend of mine who likes Crowded House more than Darrell or Eric, it's my buddy Stephen. In 2002, the mysterious Merk! and I went up to Chicago in the summer to visit the town with Stephen, a Chicago native. Being the fan he is, he wanted us to go see Neil Finn play at a small club in town. Of course, we tagged along.
Have you ever gone to see a show of a band or artist with whom you're not that familiar? It's a little stange sometimes, isn't it? I had fun there, drinking beer in the really great atmosphere of this intimate club, just digging some good mellow pop music, but not going crazy or anything like the diehards around me. Then, he played this song.
I distinctly remember the crowd going quiet in an instant, and this really beautiful white light pattern from a lit disco ball lazily twirling around the dark club (I really was only drinking beer, y'all). It's not often a song really resonates with you the first time you hear it, especially live, but I was really struck by the moment here. The best part of it all? At the instrumental break at 1:46, the entire audience began to sing it in perfect pitch and harmony, and for goodness sakes they divided up the parts! One group sang the instumental melody and the other sang the rhythm! That particular moment was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had at a show.
Some other fun parts of this song - right after the aforementioned instrumental break, Finn comes back in suddenly, almost as if he's too early (2:01). I also love how he establishes that classic melody right from the get go. Seventeen seconds in, you've got it all. I like the "Smiling as the shit comes down" line at :46, because it's so jarring and unexpected in the midst of a beautiful song like this. Always gets a smile from me. The harmonies in the chorus are great too, and of couse the English geek in me loves the "seasons / weather" metaphor which is carried throughout. And to top it off, the ending of the song's a little eerie, how it just trails off with only the vocals the last couple of seconds.
I found a more recent live version too.
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3 comments:
That was a cool show, wasn't it? I did not remember this song at all until I watched the live video.
Not being a big fan of what people call "pop music", I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this show, especially how the Finnheads sent their requests to the stage via paper airplane.
It was a great show, and especially cool to share it with you guys and my childhood friends...
I got chills just reading your description. We three need to take another trip like that soon
It's a real shame that Neil Finn murdered Paul Hester in a coke fuelled frenzy for using the last of the vegamite. And now Heath Ledger has fallen victim to the same blind rage of this wee New Zealander. Somewhere Kylie Minogue cowers in fear.
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