Everyone's a Fan of Something. Part 1: Crowded House

My favourite band ever are the long gone Crowded House. I'm not sure what you'll make of that. Most people you see only know them for "Weather With You" and their other output remains largely unknown. Until you hear them. Then everyone sort of knows of their songs. You know them but you don't who they are by. I like that. They were always my band, the one that I loved that no-one else really knew about. Sometimes its lovely to have a group or a book or a writer that feels as if it belongs to you because no-one else has heard of it/ them. Its a guilty pleasure, and it always feels like you've been cheated when you find someone else who loves them as much as you do. Anyway, the magical thing about Crowded House was the lyrics and the deliciously catchy tunes. Neil Finn has a gift for a magical turn of phrase that takes an ordinary song into much deeper territory. It seems to come so easily to him. "A muddle of nervous words could never amount to betrayal." Its so simple and yet he perfectly conveys the fear and terror of being tempted by someone else when you should be happy in the relationship you already have. there are so many examples of that in his work. Its his love songs that rally show his talents. There was a caption to a photo of him in Q Magazine the other year which said "Neil Finn: He really loves his wife." and that sums his genius up perfectly. he's in love and he can put how that feels into words. There are so many examples of this I could be here all day quoting them at you, but some of my favourites include: "I'm the one who reads your mind, sees your life in my design." "...And you find it don't add to much when you're wrapped up in a blanket of stars with the one you love." and of course my all time favourite, "I don't pretend to know what you want, but I offer love." Take that line. Its so simple and yet it sums up perfectly what its like to be in love. Well it does for me anyway. I wish I could write like that. I'm sure you all have your own band or singer who talks to you about life and how you should approach it. Neil Finn and Crowded House are mine and I'm waiting for his new album with baited breath.