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.
People Are Like Suns
Crowded House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What kind of fool imagines love
With all this going on
Stars burning in the empty sky
And the city is aflame
With a million lights
And they come and they go
In the blink of an eye
Science will enable us to hear
To be crystal clear
To make diamonds in the shifting sand
Better take all the love that you got in a single hand
And they come and they go
In the fullness of time
People are like suns
They are burning up inside
People are like suns
Breathing into life
All that's good in us
To saints become
And they come and they go
Yeah they come and they go
People are like suns
People are like suns
And we'll go out tonight
Set the town alight
All fade into white
The song People Are Like Suns by Crowded House is a beautiful and insightful representation of the complexities of human emotion and the fleeting nature of love. The opening lyrics, "Sweet madness it must be wrong. What kind of fool imagines love with all this going on" suggest that despite the chaos that surrounds us in the world, we still have the capacity for love. The city is described as "aflame with a million lights" which could be seen as a metaphor for the burning passion and desire within each of us.
The lyrics "Stars burning in the empty sky" and "People are like suns" suggest a connection between ourselves and the universe, tying into the idea that we are all connected and part of something larger than ourselves. The second half of the song takes a more hopeful turn, with the lyrics "And we'll go out tonight, set the town alight. All fade into white" suggesting that despite the fleeting nature of love and life, we should live in the moment and cherish the time we have.
Overall, People Are Like Suns is a moving and poetic examination of the human experience and our place in the universe. It reminds us to embrace love and live in the present moment, even when the world around us is full of chaos and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet madness it must be wrong
The idea that love can exist amidst the chaos and uncertainty of life is crazy to some.
What kind of fool imagines love
Only a foolish person believes that love can survive in such turbulent times.
With all this going on
During such challenging times, it's hard to imagine love still exists.
Stars burning in the empty sky
Amidst the emptiness of the world, there is still beauty to be found in the stars.
And the city is aflame
The city, with its many lights, gives the illusion of being on fire.
With a million lights
The city is bright and beautiful, with many lights illuminating it.
And they come and they go
People are fleeting, just like the lights of the city that disappear in a blink of an eye.
In the blink of an eye
Time passes quickly, and people come and go in a flash.
People are like suns
Like the sun, people are capable of warmth, light and energy.
Science will enable us to hear
Advancements in science and technology will allow us to hear things we never thought possible.
To be crystal clear
The advancements in science and technology will clear up the ambiguity we face in life.
To make diamonds in the shifting sand
Science and technology will allow us to create valuable things amidst the instability and change of life.
Better take all the love that you got in a single hand
In such an unpredictable world, it's important to hold onto the love we have with both hands.
And they come and they go
People are fleeting and come and go like the blink of an eye.
In the fullness of time
In time, everything has its end, and people have their time before they disappear.
People are like suns
Just like the sun, people are full of energy and brightness, but this energy is temporary, and they will burn out.
They are burning up inside
People feel passionate and energized about life but also feel the pain and frustration that comes with living in a difficult world.
Breathing into life
People have the power to create and grow just as we breathe.
All that's good in us
People have the potential for goodness and greatness in them.
To saints become
Some people have the ability to turn into someone we put on a pedestal such as a saint.
Yeah they come and they go
People have a fleeting existence in the world, and they come and go like the blink of an eye.
People are like suns
Like the sun, people have temporary energy and brightness but will eventually burn out and disappear.
And we'll go out tonight
We will venture out into the world tonight.
Set the town alight
We will bring life and energy to the town, just like the lights in the city.
All fade into white
Eventually, everything comes to an end and fades away into nothingness.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Stanton
on Mean To Me
The lyrics for this song are not correct.