Neil Finn and Paul Hester decided to form a new band during the Split Enz farewell tour 'Enz with a Bang'. Nick Seymour approached Finn during the after party for the Melbourne show and asked if he could try out for this new band. The first incarnation of the band, The Mullanes, formed in Melbourne in 1985 and also included guitarist Craig Hooper, formerly of The Reels. They secured a record contract with Capitol Records and moved to Los Angeles, at which time Hooper left the band. At the label's behest, the band changed its name to "Crowded House," which alluded to the cramped quarters the three members shared at an apartment in North Sycamore Street in West Hollywood during the recording of the album. They also invited former Split Enz keyboard player Eddie Rayner to join, and he produced the track "Can't Carry On" for the debut self-titled album. He initially joined them on tour in 1988 on keyboards, but had to leave for family reasons before he could be made a full member.
Bursting onto the international scene in 1987 with Don't Dream It's Over from the album Crowded House, the band seemed destined for greatness. However, despite eking out one more hit from the album, Something So Strong, the follow up Temple of Low Men failed to repeat its commercial success, despite critical acclaim. Radio had a hard time categorizing them, but within the industry they quickly gained a stellar reputation as "musicians' musicians", and outside the industry as one of the best live acts, featuring mixed setlists and improvisations. A set of three shows at one venue would often feature less than half the the songs being played more than once.
It wasn't until 1991's Woodface that the band hit international success again, specifically with the jointly written Finn brothers track Weather With You.
In fact, the album that emerged wasn't the one originally proposed. Neil had been working on a side project with his brother Tim Finn, a solo artist in his own right and former Split Enz frontman (in fact, several members had a history in Split Enz - Tim formed the band and Neil was responsible for their biggest hit I Got You, while Paul Hester was the drummer during their final days). When the record company rejected the material he'd composed for the third Crowded House album Neil asked his brother if he could use some of their songs in their place. Tim agreed, allegedly joking he would only do so if he could join the band. Whether or not Neil took this literally, Tim did indeed become the fourth member of Crowded House during the Woodface phase.
Whilst Weather With You became an international hit, particularly in the UK (where it was followed by smaller chart successes for Four Seasons in One Day and It's Only Natural), in the US, at least, history didn't repeat - a situation some put down to the choice of Chocolate Cake - a scathing attack on the American lifestyle - as the first single.
During touring in the UK, Tim was asked to leave the band. Mark Hart joined the band for their next album. Together Alone was a similar international success and the band even managed to score a minor hit in the US with Locked Out after it featured on the soundtrack for the Winona Ryder flick Reality Bites.
Shortly after, Paul Hester decided to leave, although he did return to record three new tracks for a Best Of... compilation, Recurring Dream. By 1996, however, Neil decided to fold the band, choosing instead to focus on a solo career. The band's final concert, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, was an emotional and memorable event, and has been captured on the DVD / CD Farewell to the World.
A B-sides compilation, entitled Afterglow, was released in 1999.
Paul Hester died tragically in 2005 when he committed suicide in Melbourne, Australia.
January 2007 brought a surprise announcement that Crowded House would be re-forming. Frontman Neil Finn once again linked up with Nick Seymour and Mark Hart and, after picking up Beck's drummer Matt Sherrod to replace Paul Hester, produced a new album entitled Time on Earth.
Members of the band include frontman and guitarist Neil Finn, bassist Nick Seymour (brother of Hunters and Collectors frontman Mark Seymour), drummer Paul Hester (1986-1994), Tim Finn (1990-91), multi-instrumentalist and Supertramp recruit Mark Hart (1993-), session drummer Peter Jones (1994-1996) and new drummer Matt Sherrod (2007-).
The Frenz web site launched a new Crowded House portal in 2007 where old and new fans of the band can keep up to date with news of new releases and tour plans.
Archer's Arrows
Crowded House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They make a work of art
Up on the gallery wall
They take the world apart
And no one's safe
The tension on the string
We're almost there
It's time to reign over the king
The archer fires away (Send an arrow up)
We hope to rise again (Like an invitation)
Aim high
Then the arrow comes down
Take out
The pale imitation
The whole facade is wearing thin
We'll just paper over cracks
'Til people take the power back
Moving out the cavalcade
We live to fight another day
See the arrows fly
They tempt you with a prize
Make you master of the house
You look so indifferent now
With the sucker hanging from your mouth
But you can't be safe
You can't betray your will
We're almost gone
It's time to take over the hill
The archer fires away (Send an arrow up)
We hope to rise again (Like an invitation)
Aim high
When the colors come down
Take out
The pale imitation
The whole facade is wearing thin
We just paper over cracks
'Til people take the power back
Moving out the cavalcade
We live to fight another day
See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
See the archer's arrows fade (Soon find out if we make a mark)
See the archer's arrows fade (Soon find out, leave an arrow in my heart)
See the archer's arrows fade
See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
"Crowded House" is a band that has often been praised for their ability to craft thoughtful, insightful lyrics that resonate with listeners on a deep level. "Archer's Arrows" is no exception. At first glance, the song appears to be a commentary on the futility of modern life and the way we paper over the cracks in our society. The lyrics speak to the idea that we are all just going through the motions, chasing after prizes that are ultimately meaningless, and ignoring the things that truly matter. The line "Kids kissing on the floor, They make a work of art, Up on the gallery wall, They take the world apart" seems to suggest that the real beauty in life lies in the small moments of human connection, rather than in the grand gestures that we so often pursue.
The song's title and central metaphor, "Archer's Arrows," reinforces this message. The archer represents the artist, whose job it is to take aim at the problems of the world and try to create something meaningful out of them. But even the most skilled archer can miss their mark, and the arrows they fire may fade into the distance before making any real impact. This speaks to the difficulty of creating true change in a world that feels lost and directionless.
Overall, "Archer's Arrows" is a powerful and poignant reflection on the state of our world today, and the ways in which we can work to create meaning and purpose in our lives despite the chaos around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Kids kissing on the floor
Young lovers creating something beautiful in their own way
They make a work of art
Their love is their art, something worth admiring
Up on the gallery wall
Their love, like art, deserves to be displayed and celebrated
They take the world apart
Their love is so powerful that it can move and shake the world
And no one's safe
Their love can affect anyone and everyone, with no exceptions
The tension on the string
The sense of anticipation is building, something big is about to happen
We're almost there
The climax is approaching, the moment of truth is near
It's time to reign over the king
It's time to take control, to rule over the established order
The archer fires away
We take a shot at something, we aim for the target
We hope to rise again
We aim to resurrect something that was lost or forgotten
Aim high
Don't settle for less, always strive for the best
Then the arrow comes down
Our actions have consequences, both good and bad
Take out
Eliminate something, get rid of it
The pale imitation
The inferior copy, the not-quite-real thing
The whole facade is wearing thin
The illusion is about to crack, the truth will come out
We'll just paper over cracks
We'll try to hide the flaws, to pretend that everything is okay
'Til people take the power back
Until the people rise up and demand change
Moving out the cavalcade
We're leaving the parade, we're breaking away from the norm
We live to fight another day
We'll keep going, we'll keep fighting until we succeed
See the arrows fly
Witness the power and impact of our actions
They tempt you with a prize
They offer you something enticing, something that seems too good to be true
Make you master of the house
They offer you control, power over your own destiny
You look so indifferent now
You appear unaffected, you seem uninterested
With the sucker hanging from your mouth
You're being played, taken advantage of, and you don't even know it
But you can't be safe
You can't hide from the truth, you can't ignore the consequences of your actions
You can't betray your will
You can't abandon your own desires and dreams, you can't go against yourself
We're almost gone
We're running out of time, we're close to losing our chance
It's time to take over the hill
It's time to conquer the challenge, to overcome the obstacle
See the archer's arrows fade
Witness the end of our attempts, the conclusion to our efforts
Soon find out if we make a mark
We'll soon discover if our actions had an impact, if we left a lasting impression
Leave an arrow in my heart
Let our love be a testament to our passion, something that will be remembered forever
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NEIL MULLANE FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Stanton
on Mean To Me
The lyrics for this song are not correct.