Stranger than Fiction, Larger Than Life: the Finn Brothers song-by-song discussion thread

I've connected the lyric "Too good for this world" as something that people say to comfort themselves when someone passes before their time. It's this idea (if you are religious) that perhaps they were called to a higher purpose. It's not my personal belief system, but I've definitely heard that phrase before. And the idea of the unfurling wings is kind of a liberation from the earthly bounds.

 

"Too Good For This World" has been a grower for me. At first when I heard there would be a Neil/Tim song on the album I was excited to hear it, but then initially I was disappointed by its blandness. Maybe my expectations were too high and I was hoping for another Four Seasons In One Day, but once I came down off that idea and just listened to the song as part of the whole album it just sneaked up on me and I began to appreciate it more and more. Now it's one of my favourites on the album.

4/5

 

I wrote a whole diatribe about how maybe why I can’t connect with this song lyrically is because I don’t know the work it is based on, but deleted it.

In summary, I am not a big reader of fiction. Although I have been known to read a fiction source for a song I already connect with strongly, musically. (Multiple books, by multiple authors, for a couple of Calexico songs.). But I’m not going to work hard to connect with a song that doesn’t resonate strongly with me musically.

In perhaps the most ironic of ironic situations, Lindsey Buckingham released a new album yesterday that I connected with instantly, on every possible level. I saw him perform two days ago, and Neil’s Sinner was played not once but twice before/between acts! Oh the irony.

 

Funny how we share the same passion and like different things

I find Too Good For This World to be, not just boring, but actually downright irritating. Not because I think Neil and Tim ought to be able to write better material than this: I just genuinely find the song irritates me. It's by far my least favourite of their collaborations (and yes, I'm including Road to Raratonga). It's too placid to fall into my "unlistenable" category, so it gets a 2/5. But if there were any more of those wretched "hey"s in there, it would be touch and go as to whether it would even get that score.

 

I agree that "Too Good for This World" isn't really reggae; it's an island shuffle, with faint echoes of "The Land Torments the Sea." I never listened carefully to the lyrics before today, but they're quite affecting and sad, and the help to explain the somewhat mannered quality of Neil's vocal. This is another strong (but not perfect) song, and my opinion of it has grown with repeated listenings. If it's not "Weather With You," it's also better than at least a third of Everyone Is Here. The album as a whole is definitely a grower.

4/5

 

Despite @StefanWq ’s impassioned and persuasive advocacy of Too Good For This World, I still think it’s merely good. On many occasions on this thread someone’s perspective on a song has caused me to listen with a new understanding to the song. I tried with this one, and while the bridge (or is it a chorus?) is nice, the rest doesn’t sink in.

On the other hand, because I find it so unmemorable, it’s like getting a new Crowded House song every time I listen to Dreamers Are Waiting.
But it is good.

3.9/5

 

I think this is one of the definite highlights of the album. I love the shuffle groove, the vocals, and the effective sparseness. The chorus is so simple, but also more memorable & affecting than maybe any other chorus on the album in my opinion. Also, the middle 8, that also repeats at the end, is one of Neil’s best middle 8’s of the last 20 years.

If anything, this song makes me yearn for a third, maybe final, Finn Brothers album. Because to me, this song demonstrates definitively that when it comes to writing together, they still got it.

4.5/5

 

I second everything drewrclv9 said just above. Best song on the record so far. 4/5

 

Too Good For This World 1/5

I agree with the previous poster who said this was irritating. I'd go further actually and say it's downright awful, and as such is a contender for worst Crowded House song which is a real shame, because this was one song I was looking forward to hearing once I saw there was a Neil/Tim co-write on the cards.

 

I probably have gotten the most out of "Too Good for this World" compared to the rest of the record.

The meaning to me seemed to be that there's a person the singer cares so much for that if they can't be with them, they may as well fly away and just cease to be. In that case the narrative and the story of the song have a meaning that make some sense to me as opposed to so much of this record.

I enjoyed this one, I listened to it and thought now we're getting somewhere, but it's far from great and doesn't reach the dizzy heights of the past. At least that's my view, but nobody takes me seriously anyway.

4/5

 

I’m happy to hear you enjoy his new release. I’m excited to listen to it at some point soon; he’s put out some great solo material since Out of the Cradle.

 

Our votes for "Too Good for This World"

1-1
2-1
3-2
4-7
5-3
Average: 3.625

 

Today's song is "Start Of Something", written by Liam Finn and Neil Finn; produced by Crowded House. Mixed by David Boucher.

Crowded House – Start of Something Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

An early demo, credited to Neil Finn alone. was broadcast on Fang Radio on November 5th, 2019. The demo including the chorus of the song fully formed, but the verses were completely different, so I reckon those were written by Liam.

You can hear the demo at about 8 minutes, three seconds in the link below.
Fangradio Tuesday 5 November 2019 — Fangradio

 

Classic Froom/Finn idea to mash two songs together. They are different though: the verse, which I assume is Liam's has a laid-back almost West Coast (as in seventies singer-songwriter, California) vibe to it, with a bit of a down mood that echoes "Good Night Everyone."

But (Neil's) chorus just leaps out at me as something instantly catchy and optimistic and bright, from the first time i heard it on Fang Radio nearly two years ago. To me this might have made a good single because of that, but....

The lyrics seem to have been crafted around this contrast in mood: a sad/happy song about endings and beginnings.

I really like the key change that leads to the second chorus, it happens in quite an unusual, arty place and then something happens -- what? A deft change of time signature? A couple of extra bars added? There's like this moment that feels elongated and psychedelic. Very cool, some Brian Wilson level subtlety there.

But I also ultimately feel like the song is over and done too quick -- melodically inspired, for sure, both verse and especially chorus, but overall it kind of leans on the old "She Goes On" sound from Woodface, in my opinion, down to the slidey, chiming guitars and brief interludes of vocal harmony and pattering near-bossa nova groove.

It sounds beautiful , but feels like a work of craft and kind of emotionally empty.

An early favorite, but it is the kind of song that wears a little thin.

3.5/5

 

Start of Something is one of my favourites from the album. I love the languid intro and mellow verse. I also like how the musical setting and melody contrasts with the much sadder subject of the verses. And yes, Lance is right: the chorus is uplifting in the same way that "classic" CH songs used to be. They rise up out of a beautiful verse and just soar. Sure, it became something of a cliche that I can understand Neil wanted to distance himself from but its lovely to revisit that formula, even just this once.

4/5.

 

Start of Something is the best song on the album for me, absolutely gorgeous bittersweet pop song with chiming guitars, extra little fills to lift the song as it progresses and masses of washing ahhhs and harmonnies. The drums are typically low key for this albums, but whereas sometimes I wish they had more oomph, on this track, I think they work fine. Another strong song on this fine second side run.

Going to back to what Lance was saying about how different musicians could change the sound and often wonder how the much missed Paul would have changed the sound of the album.

 

The verses remind me of generic indie Americana music (I'm out of my depth with this comparison...) and are a bit pedestrian and forgettable but the chorus is definitely worth sticking around for, and the transition from verse to chorus and the nice bit after the second chorus

 

I really like Start of Something , the compositional elements are there, but I think it somehow could have been even better. I suspect Liam had a big hand in the production here, but trying to make it sound like a cross between a Froom production and Together Alone. It has the usual Liam production shortcoming: the song sounds the same all the way through. The breakthrough Brian Wilson moment is the only time the song reaches the heights the song deserves. (It's possible that shortcoming is actually the loathed, current mixing/mastering technique of squashing everything.)

The arrangement of the song sounds to me like what the quieter songs on Together Alone might have sounded like had Mitchell Froom produced the record. I especially am thinking of parts of Nails In My Feet. Several references to Together Alone have been made during the Dreamers are Waiting discussion, I need to go back and listen to that fangradio episode. Crowded House - Album By Album: Together Alone — Fangradio

4.3/5

 

From the raw yet promising Fangradio demo, I'd envisaged Start Of Something with a full band as a catchy Something So Strong style strummy pop song. I was floored then to find it transformed into a wondrous South Pacific ballad. The instrumentation, particularly the guitar work, is utterly gorgeous throughout. That unexpected key change is a rare work of beauty and gives me shivers every time.

It may be a little simplistic lyrically and lacking in depth, so it's possible I may tire of it over time. However in my measured exposure to it thus far, I absolutely love it, so it would be churlish not to give

5/5

 

The Start of Something: Thematically, this song is so similar to Don‘t Dream It’s Over. That is a good thing. The lyrics are straightforward and great. And I love the two of them harmonizing. I find this song boring though. 2/5.

 

Start of Something

Finally! A song I love on this album. (The only one, sadly. )

This is gorgeous in every way. The music, especially the guitar sound, which is somewhat reminiscent in some ways of 1964 Beatles and Mark Hart’s style simultaneously. (!). The singing is spine tingling and goosebump inducing. Neil and Liam complement each other perfectly here. And the lyrics are ones I can build some kind of connection to.

Now what do I hear in this song that is missing for me in the other ones that so many of you love, but leave me cold? That is the big, unanswerable question.

4.5/5

 

"StartMy goodness, those harmonies. "Start of Something" is gently gorgeous. It has two small problems, I think. First, the rhyming of "makeup" and "breakup" is early-'60s-level stuff; it brings me up a bit short every time every time I encounter it. Second, the song is too short--I want more (which, frustrating as it is, is better than the song overstaying its welcome). But, again, those harmonies. They are at least as good as (though different from) Neil and Tim. They blend together nearly perfectly. For me, they make this the best song on the album.

4.5/5

 

The second half of this album seems to slow down/mellow out so much that I couldn’t remember individual tracks initially. But this one, heard out of sequence, is just beautiful. And hey, “Break Up to Make Up” is one of my all-time favorite songs, so I’m not going to ding Neil for leaning on that old idea/rhyme. This is the kind of beauty I rarely hear anymore in new music.
4.8/5

 

Start of Something 3/5

It's another song on this album which is fine. At this point in the album they all blend into each other in their mediocrity.

I find it interesting that people are comparing songs on this album to TA, which is something I've actively tried to avoid doing becase TA is a masterpiece and it doesn't seem fair to judge these songs against that. To me it feels like comparing Usain Bolt to a sloth with a bad hip; it would be deeply unfair to even put them in the same race to begin with.

 

My take on it is that Liam is striving for the level of Together Alone, and coming up short.