Finn is said to have decided to become a musician at the age of 12 and throughout his school years performed in hospitals and prisons, as well as at home gatherings. In 1976 he formed a group known as After Hours with Mark Hough, Geoff Chunn and Alan Brown. The following year, in 1977, Finn was invited to London to join Split Enz, the band formed by his elder brother, Tim Finn. Split Enz broke up in 1984 and Neil Finn formed a new band, Crowded House, with several other Australian and New Zealand musicians.
Crowded House had a string of hits over the next 10 years, releasing four albums and culminating in a concert in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Finn went solo after this, releasing several albums as well as two albums with his brother Tim (Finn Brothers).
In 2007, Finn re-united Crowded House and released a new album, Time on Earth, and the band began a world tour. In 2010, another new album, "Intriguer", was released and coincided with another world tour.
In 2012, Finn recorded the track "Song of the Lonely Mountain", which was featured in the end credits of the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey".
Souvenir
Neil Finn Lyrics
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You won't like the answer
Get up off your chair
There's nothing for you here
Where the guests like souvenirs
They play with you till you're all worn out
Back where the guests like souvenirs
It's a uniform of choice
Count yourself lucky
That you don't write the software
Where the guests like souvenirs
They play with you till you're all worn out
Back where the guests like photographs
They hope you had a good night
Loosen up your tie
Make the viewers cry
I cannot pretend to cry
Memorise by heart
Every single part
There's nothing for you here
Where the guests like souvenirs
They play with you till you're all worn out
Back where the guests like souvenirs
They hope you had a good night
Neil Finn’s song “Souvenir” is a powerful commentary on the superficial and transient nature of fame, the media, and modern society at large. The lyrics are cutting and incisive, with Finn’s skillful use of metaphor painting a bleak picture of a world where people are used up and discarded like cheap souvenirs.
The opening lines “Don't ask the question, You won't like the answer” suggest that the truth about the shallowness of contemporary celebrity culture is too hard for most people to bear. The phrase “get up off your chair” is a call to action, urging listeners to break free from the constraints of a society that values appearances over substance.
The line “Where the guests like souvenirs, they play with you till you're all worn out” speaks to the idea that people are disposable commodities - products that are consumed and discarded once their usefulness has run out. The use of the color blue to describe a prison uniform is evocative, highlighting the idea that people are trapped in a cycle of superficiality and celebrity worship that is ultimately suffocating.
Overall, “Souvenir” is a poignant and lyrical critique of modern society, written with insight and sensitivity.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't ask the question
Avoid asking questions as the answer might not be what you want to hear
You won't like the answer
The answer to a certain question might be unpleasant to you
Get up off your chair
Move, take action, don't stay idle
There's nothing for you here
The current situation/ environment is not beneficial/ suitable for you
Where the guests like souvenirs
Referring to a place where people only care about collecting memories/ mementos of a place/ event rather than truly living in the moment
They play with you till you're all worn out
People in that place might use and abuse you until you're exhausted physically and emotionally
Prison colour blue
The color blue is associated with prisons and detention centers, representing limitation and confinement
It's a uniform of choice
Choosing to wear blue or anything that might limit your freedom could be a conscious decision dependent on the situation at hand
Count yourself lucky
Consider yourself fortunate or grateful for not having to do a task or be in a certain situation that someone else is in
That you don't write the software
Appreciate that you don't have to deal with the technical side or the nitty-gritty of a project, which can be difficult to understand or execute
Where the guests like souvenirs
Referring to people who only value collecting memories/mementos of a place/event rather than fully experiencing it
Back where the guests like souvenirs
Returning to a place where the emphasis is on material goods rather than living in the moment
They hope you had a good night
The guests want to hear that you enjoyed yourself or had a good experience, regardless of whether that's true or not
Loosen up your tie
Relax, let go of your professional persona, and be yourself
Make the viewers cry
Evoke an emotional reaction or connection from the audience by being authentic and genuine
I cannot pretend to cry
I cannot fake an emotional reaction or connection as it goes against my beliefs or values
Memorize by heart
Commit to memory, be familiar with it, and know it inside and out
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTINA ROSENVINGE, ALEJANDRO NUEZ MAGARZO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind