This week we have a wee bit of blue-eyed soul from Down Under....
Crowded House formed in 1985 in Melbourne, Australia when two members of New Zealand band Split Enz, decided to make a go of it in a new formation. Neil Finn and Paul Hester (who sadly took his own life in 2005) and their bandmates would achieve hella success in their native countries of New Zealand and Australia as well as a few hits in both the U.S. and the U.K. Finn and Nick Seymour have been the only two constants in Crowded House, which originally recorded from 1985-1996, before taking a ten year hiatus. The band returned for five more years, took five years off, had a one off tour in 2016, and reunited again in 2019 and remain together today, hoping to release a new album next year after the pandemic put off their plans for this year. For their career, they have released six studio albums (four #1's in Australia, two in New Zealand, with all others hitting no lower than #3--plus a #12 on the Billboard 200), four live albums, and four compilations. They've also released 33 singles with two top ten hits in both Australia and the States. They have won 13 ARIA's (Australian Grammy), three of the New Zealand equivalent of a Grammy, and one MTV Award. The band's success has also resulted in numerous solo albums for its members, as well as a number of producing credits. All in all, the members of Crowded House have had a damn good run over the course of the last thirty-five years.
Fun Fact: In a survey of the greatest songs in the history of Australia and New Zealand, this week's tune finished seventh and second, respectively. Not a bad highlight for a musical career resume....
"Don't Dream It's Over" was the fourth single from Crowded House's 1986 debut LP, entitled surprisingly enough, Crowded House. The song would reach #2 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 in Canada and New Zealand (so many cool kids in Canada and New Zealand!), but surprisingly only #8 in Australia. The album hit #1 in Australia, #3 in New Zealand, and would be their biggest U.S. hit, reaching #12.
As of today, my list of songs to be featured on Friday Night Jukebox each week runs through January of 2025, and I usually have a good two years worth of songs to write about at any time. So it's a bit surprising that a couple of years back when I was jotting down tunes to be featured at the end of a year in which we faced an unprecedented pandemic, horrific economic hardship, and a Presidential candidate who has been insufferable in his whining over soundly losing a free and fair election that the last song of the year that I'd choose would be a song about...persevering through adversity. (If only I could be so prescient just once concerning a Mega Millions drawing....) Anyhoo, "Don't Dream It's Over" is a wonderful slice of pop soul, featuring an inspiring vocal from Neil Finn, some tasty lyrics, and a melody that's as sweet as a baby's first smile. And yes, it's a nice reminder that quitting isn't nearly as fulfilling as continuing that search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. As for me, I'm just going to "Hey now, hey now" my way into the hopefully good graces of 2021....
Lyric Sheet: "There's a battle ahead/Many battles are lost/But you'll never see the end of the road/While you're traveling with me/Hey now, hey now...
Enjoy:
340,000+ Dead Americans Because of Donald Trump's Incompetence
Biden: 306 EV's, Trump: 232
emaycee
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