Something So Strong

"Something So Strong" is Crowded House frontman Neil Finn's treatise on the power of love. It can make you weep and leave you cold, but it can also carry us away. Finn had been married to his wife Sharon for a few years by this point and their son Liam (who later joined the band) was a toddler. Neil certainly drew from his life experience in crafting the song, but it's not one he's cited as being intensely personal. He has a talent for hitting on universal themes in unique ways, which is what he did here. You can frame it and hang it on the wall.

This song dates back to 1984, when Neil Finn wrote it and made a demo on a tape recorder in his bedroom. He was still in the band Split Enz, but when they split up in 1985, Finn and Split Enz drummer Paul Hester formed Crowded House. They made a more refined demo of the song to shop to record labels, and found a taker in Capitol. When they made the album in Los Angeles (living together in crowded conditions that inspired the band name), their producer, Mitchell Froom, made some significant changes. Finn had been living with the song for two years by this point but he knew Froom's suggestions were good ones - so good that he gave him a songwriting credit. For Finn, it was a lesson on keeping and open mind and letting go when something better presents itself.

The song is very compact, with two quick verses, a tidy bridge ("I've been feeling so much older..."), and three repetitions of the very singable chorus: Something so strong Could carry us away Something so strong Could carry us today The whole thing runs just 2:51, which means every word has to count. It's one of the songs that earned Neil Finn many fans in the world of songwriting, as it hits a sweet spot of meaning and popular appeal.