Must must must make a mental note

aka the obligatory post about Split Enz




Anyone who knows me IRL will tell you that I have more a slight "thing" for Split Enz and their future musical projects - among them Tim Finn's solog work, Crowded House (obvs), The Swingers (who would be vastly improved had their most-played single not become one of the most irritating ads on television) and Schnell Fenster.






If you're a collector of lyrics, as I am, it's hard to put Split Enz to one side. Notwithstanding the enormity of their success in later years (commencing, really, with 'I Got You') their lyrics have made an enormous impact on me.




Recently, some one in the blogosphere referred to Tim Finn as "the Danni Minogue of NZ music". I think this is a bit unfair to both of them. On Tim Finn's side, it's clear he has never written anything as crap as 'This is it'. And on Danni Minogue's side, even she would never have worn that much make up. And she no doubt looks better in a tank top.




Tim Finn gets a bad rap in many quarters as being the less accessible Finn brother*. What Tim Finn was able to do very early in his songwriting career was to talk to the darker side of our nature - the insecure side. When I was a teenager, Neil was the Finn who appealed, because even the least sure-footed lyrics were teamed with a relentlessly upbeat pop-jangle that stayed with you for days.




By contrast, Tim Finn's songs and lyrics tend to burrow down, and reappear when you're not expecting them. I was struck recently by the lyrics to 'Semi-Detached':



"And as for people
They're semi-detached, aren't they?
So I can't be sure
I think I heard a neighbour say
He'll amount to nothing - he's pathetic"



Similarly, I used to regard Phil Judd as the less accessible of the Finn/Judd partnership of Split Enz, but have also come to revisit that assessment. Sure, elaborate horn solos aren't for everyone, but for each quirky spoon-fill in the early Split Enz albums there are things like this:





"You act as though
You were a blind man, who is crying
Cryin’ about
All the virgins that are dying
In your habitual dreams, y’know
It seems you need more sleep
But like a parrot in a flaming tree
I know it’s pretty hard to see
And I’m beginning to wonder
If it’s time for a change

Still you try, like a fat boy
Dancing Gershwin’s blues
But you’d rather sit at home
And watch the news
And I’m beginning to wonder
If it’s time for a change”




And as I get older it's those tracks that stay with me. They were written in the days when, homesick and broke, members of the band were slowly leaving London to return to New Zealand, like emaciated evictees from the Survivor island. Fans of Crowded House should be thankful for this - it was Phil Judd's departure from the band that gave Neil Finn his break.

As an aside, the world seems convinced that the end of Split Enz meant one thing, the rise of Neil Finn. Here are some other interesting tid-bits about the future paths of the band:

1. Phil Judd (who left in 1977) went on to form The Swingers. The Swingers also featured "Bones" Hillman, who went on to become a long-time member of Midnight Oil.

2. Schnell Fenster, also a brainchild of Judd and other ex-Enzers Noel Crombie and Nigel Griggs, also featured Michael Den Elzen, who was later one of the members of Rebecca's Empire.

3. Noel Crombie, who designed costumes for the band, designed the set of ABC TV's 'Spicks and Specks'.

4. Eddie Rayner, who also played with Crowded House occasionally, produced material for the Models and the Exponents, and was also the musical director of New Zealand Idol.

Anyway, I feel like I've been working my way towards a list, so here are my top ten Split Enz songs, for this week at least.







1. 'Without a Doubt' - Dizrhythmia (1977)



2. 'Lost for Words' - Time and Tide (1983)



3. 'Titus' - Second Thoughts (1976)



4. 'Kia Kaha' - See Ya 'Round (1985)



5. 'Iris' - Corroboree (1981)



6. 'Poor Boy' - True Colours (1980)



7. 'Sweet Dreams' - Second Thoughts (1976)



8. 'Charlie' (live) - The Living Enz (1985)



9. 'What's the matter with you?'- True Colours (1980)



10. 'Time for a change' - Dizrythmia (1977)

Of all of these, 'Iris' is an enduring favourite, even though it pairs the word 'Iris' with the word "desirous". In fact, Iris has made it to my "if I ever have another child, which seems unlikely, and it happens to be a girl-child, even though it's unlikely, this could be one of the names we maybe might consider" list**.

Does anyone else out there have a favourite? And, also curious, would you name your child after a song?

* 'Fraction too much Friction', anyone?



** This is a long list. And in case you're wondering, that's about as definitive as I can be about future procreation.