Crowded House reflects on the journey behind their iconic hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
Crowded House is returning to the U.S. next week, kicking off their tour in support of their new album, “Gravity Stairs.” As the band gears up for their shows, one song still remains fresh in their minds–their iconic 1986 hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”
Neil Finn, who wrote the song, shared that it came together quickly. He recalled how the lyrics, “all my possessions are causing me suspicion, but there’s no proof,” kept him moving forward with the song.
“When you’re really locked in and you’re dreamy, you’re getting dreamy with music. If you’re keeping your ears open, surprising, wonderful things keep happening,” said Finn.
The band was formed in 1985 by Finn, bassist Nick Seymour and drummer Paul Hester. Seymour remembered hearing “Don’t Dream It’s Over” for the first time and how Finn achieved the snare sound by hitting a box of matches.
Despite their demo being passed over by other producers, Mitchell Froom, who would later become the band’s producer, was drawn to the song. The song was later a track on a cassette tape Finn had sent out, and he joked Froom was probably the only producer to listen all the way through. Froom helped the band shape their sound, and they recorded “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in one morning at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.
“You don’t go and try to analyze why. You just kiss the ground. You just say, ‘Okay. Yeah, we’ve got one. That’s great,'” said Froom.
The song quickly became a worldwide hit, reaching the top 10 in several countries and solidifying its place as the band’s signature song.
Over the years, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” has been covered by many artists, including as a duet featuring Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande. An Italian version by Antonello Venditti, titled “Alta Marea,” was also a big hit, featuring completely different lyrics.
“I let them do it and I wouldn’t now. But I let them do it at the time because I was so blown away by the idea of having an Italian version of a song of mine,” Finn said.
Perhaps the band’s most memorable performance of the song came in 1996 on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in front of 150,000 fans.
In 2018, when Finn toured with Fleetwood Mac, they performed “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” and Seymour remembered looking up and seeing a flood of lights as phones came out in the audience.
“It’s been amazing to see how many occasions that song seems to have found resonance for people,” Finn said. “It’s not deliberate, and it’s one of those beautiful mysteries and accidents of magic that music can produce every now and again, where you write something and it just—makes you feel some way.”
