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.
Pour Le Monde
Crowded House Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the angel ascending
Like the ghost of a man
Who is tied up to the chair
And he tries to believe
That his life has a meaning
With his hand on his heart
And I wake up blind
Like my dreams were too bright
And I lost my regard
For the good things that I had
And the radio was sad
When you listen for good
In a hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
You act so nonchalant
But he is not a dog
Perform for you in the stadium
For the world, not for the war
And he won't hesitate
Though it might lead to heartache
In the nightclub Indigo
For the world, not for the war
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
When you listen for good
In the hope that comes to nothing
'Cause the liars moved in
And they believe their own dark medicine
Believing it's good
Behind their jaded eyes: a dilemma
He's the best you've ever had
He's so low you'll never know
He's the best you've ever known
He's so low you'll never know
He's so low you'll never know
(He's the best)
The lyrics to Crowded House's song Pour Le Monde express the idea that the singer is looking for meaning in his life and trying to make a positive impact on the world. He imagines a world where angels ascend and people are not tied up or trapped, suggesting that he wants to see a world where people are free to live fulfilled lives. The artist tries to believe that his life has a purpose that goes beyond personal gain, and that he can contribute to the world by using his talents for artistic expression.
However, the singer seems to be struggling to find meaning in his life, and he feels lost and blinded by his ambition. He has lost regard for the good things that he had in the past and is now disillusioned by the lies and darkness that have infiltrated the world. Despite this, he still believes that he can make a positive impact and hopes to perform for the world, not for war. The lyrics suggest that the artist is torn between their desire to be successful and their desire to use their success for a greater purpose.
Overall, the song Pour Le Monde is a reflection on the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that can sometimes feel dark and hopeless.
Line by Line Meaning
He imagines the world
He has a vision of the world
As the angel ascending
It's like an angel moving towards heaven
Like the ghost of a man
Similar to a man's spirit
Who is tied up to the chair
But unable to move from a fixed spot
And he tries to believe
He attempts to have faith
That his life has a meaning
That his existence is significant
With his hand on his heart
With a feeling of passion
Pour le monde, pas pour la guerre
For the world, not for war
And I wake up blind
I wake up not understanding
Like my dreams were too bright
As if my aspirations were too lofty
And I lost my regard
And I discarded my appreciation
For the good things that I had
For the blessings in my life
And the radio was sad
The music on the radio was melancholy
When you listen for good
When you search for positivity
In a hope that comes to nothing
In a belief that proves false
'Cause the liars moved in
Because deceivers have infiltrated
And they believe their own dark medicine
And they have faith in their own harmful cures
You act so nonchalant
You seem indifferent
But he is not a dog
But he is not a mindless follower
Perform for you in the stadium
Entertain you in a large public space
And he won't hesitate
And he won't be indecisive
Though it might lead to heartache
Although it may cause emotional pain
In the nightclub Indigo
In the Indigo night club
When you listen for good
When you search for positivity
Believing it's good
Thinking that it is beneficial
Behind their jaded eyes: a dilemma
Beneath their cynical expression lies a dilemma
He's the best you've ever had
He is the greatest you have ever experienced
He's so low you'll never know
He is so humble that you'll never realize it
He's the best you've ever known
He is the best you have ever encountered
He's so low you'll never know
He is so humble that you'll never realize it
He's so low you'll never know
He is so humble that you'll never realize it
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Stanton
on Mean To Me
The lyrics for this song are not correct.