Don't Dream It's Over

Neil Finn wrote "Don't Dream It's Over" in a single afternoon at his home in Melbourne, initially sketching it on a piano with a simple chord progression. The song almost didn't make the final cut of Crowded House's debut album, the band had recorded sixteen tracks, and producer Mitchell Froom had to fight to keep this one on the tracklist. Froom's insistence paid off: the track became the band's signature song and a global hit.

The recording features Froom's distinctive Wurlitzer electric piano part, played through a Leslie speaker to give it that swirling, organ-like texture. Nick Seymour's bassline walks a melodic counterpoint to Finn's vocal, while Paul Hester's drum pattern stays restrained until the final chorus. The saxophone solo was played by a session musician, though the band has never publicly confirmed who. The song's bridge, where Finn sings "Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum", was added at the last minute after Finn felt the original arrangement needed a lift.

Released as the second single in October 1986, it climbed slowly. By April 1987 it had reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, blocked from the top spot by Chris de Burgh's "The Lady in Red." In Canada and New Zealand it hit No. 1. The song's music video, directed by Alex Proyas years before he made The Crow, features surreal imagery including a giant key and a floating bed. Proyas shot it in a single day at a Sydney studio, using forced perspective and smoke machines to create the dreamlike atmosphere.[edit]