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.
Hole In The River
Crowded House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the land of the living to the air and sky
Left her car by the river left her shoes beside
Through the thorns and the bushes I hope she was...
Dreaming of glory
Miles above the mountains and plains
Free at last
We were touched by a cold wind, my father and I
The sound of desperate breathing her fear inside us all
She was coming to see him but something changed her mind
Drove her down to the river
There is no return
There's a hole in the river where a memory lies
From the land of the living to the air and sky
She was coming to see him
But something changed her mind,
Drove her down to the river
There is no return
In Crowded House's song Hole In The River, the singer sings about a tragic incident where his auntie dies and leaves a hole in the river. The lyrics suggest that the auntie may have taken her own life, as indicated by the lines "Left her car by the river, left her shoes beside." The singer expresses sadness and confusion over the incident and thinks about her as she moves on to what he believes is a better place, "From the land of the living to the air and sky."
The lyrics also suggest some guilt on the part of the singer's father, who was likely close to the auntie. The lines "We were touched by a cold wind, my father and I, the sound of desperate breathing her fear inside us all" suggest that they were with her at the time, perhaps trying to dissuade her from taking such a drastic step. The image of the auntie being "driven down to the river" suggests that she may have felt unable to escape some sort of problem or situation in her life.
The chorus of the song provides a glimmer of hope amid the tragedy: "Dreaming of glory, miles above the mountains and plains, free at last." While it is unclear what exactly the singer means by "dreaming of glory," it suggests the idea that the auntie may have found some sort of release or freedom from her problems in death.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a hole in the river where my auntie lies
My auntie's resting place is where the river has a hollow space in it.
From the land of the living to the air and sky
Leaving behind the world of living, she ascended to heaven.
Left her car by the river left her shoes beside
She abandoned her vehicle and footwear by the side of the river.
Through the thorns and the bushes I hope she was...
Journeying through a difficult path, I wish she was able to find peace.
Dreaming of glory
She envisioned a life of excellence.
Miles above the mountains and plains
She imagined herself to be soaring high above the peaks and the meadows.
Free at last
Finally, she was able to liberate herself from her miserable life.
We were touched by a cold wind, my father and I
Me and my father experienced a chilling breeze.
The sound of desperate breathing her fear inside us all
As we heard her gasping breath, we all became scared.
She was coming to see him but something changed her mind
Initially, she planned to meet him but ended up altering her decision.
Drove her down to the river
Eventually, she drove her vehicle to the river.
There is no return
Sadly, there is no turning back from what happened at the river.
There's a hole in the river where a memory lies
The place where a memory is buried is where the river has a cavity.
From the land of the living to the air and sky
From a world of mortals to the realm of celestial beings.
She was coming to see him
She planned to meet him.
But something changed her mind,
However, she had a change of heart.
Drove her down to the river
She drove herself to the river.
There is no return
Sadly, there is no way of undoing what had transpired at the river.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, PFIVE Entertainment Mexico
Written by: EDWARD RAYNER, NEIL MULLANE FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Stanton
on Mean To Me
The lyrics for this song are not correct.