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Crowded House — Archer's Arrows
Album: Intriguer
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1245









Released: 2010
Length: 4:02
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Kids kissing on the floor
They make a work of art
Up on the gallery wall
They take the world apart
And no one's safe
The tension on the string
We're almost there
It's time to reign over the king

The archer fires away (Send an arrow up)
We hope to rise again (Like an invitation)
Aim high
Then the arrow comes down
Take out
The pale imitation

The whole façade is wearing thin
We'll just paper over cracks
'Til people take the power back
Moving out the cavalcade
We live to fight another day
See the arrows fly

They tempt you with a prize
Make you master of the house
You look so indifferent now
With the sucker hanging from your mouth
But you can't be safe
You can't betray your will
We're almost gone
It's time to take over the hill

The archer fires away (Send an arrow up)
We hope to rise again (Like an invitation)
Aim high
When the colours come down
Take out
The pale imitation

The whole façade is wearing thin
We just paper over cracks
'Til people take the power back
Moving out the cavalcade
We live to fight another day

See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
See the archer's arrows fade (Soon find out if we make a mark)
See the archer's arrows fade (Soon find out, leave an arrow in my heart)
See the archer's arrows fade
See the archer's arrows fade (Hey, hey)
Comments (69)add comment
Those Finns are a talented bunch...
 trogel wrote:

One of the few bands with a thousand styles within their own style. 
Always a masterclass of inventive pop music!



'pop' ? normally means 'popular' this is not a truth ... I will accept 'masterclass' in song-writing.
One of the few bands with a thousand styles within their own style. 
Always a masterclass of inventive pop music!
The older I get, the more I appreciate Crowded House.
Finn is one of the greatest songwriters that has ever walked the earth; he is in fine form on this track.
More, please!
 kiwicolorado wrote:
One of the best songs from the peak of Crowded House's output - a eclectic mix of Kiwi, Aussie and American musical influences. 

 
The peak of Crowded House's output? This is on the downward slope of their peak, for sure.
One of the best songs from the peak of Crowded House's output - a eclectic mix of Kiwi, Aussie and American musical influences. 
saw these guys in chicago in the 80's backing up john hiatt. loved them ever since!
You guys just took the words out of my mouth! Relayer wrote:
Sasha2001 wrote:
30 years into a career and you write a song this good... wow.
 
Exactly.  Strong talent after all these years.

 

Sasha2001 wrote:
30 years into a career and you write a song this good... wow.
 
Exactly.  Strong talent after all these years.
 Jonathanedew wrote:
First time I have come across this band.  I like 
 
Means you are either 6 years of age - or turn 104 next summer!
Absolutely stunning, their Genius, and Musical Gifts! This may take more listens to get into than their old stuff, but WOW, it's well worth it! 
First time I have come across this band.  I like 
30 years into a career and you write a song this good... wow.
Never followed these guys after their first album -- but I like this.  This is the only band I've ever been backstage with (Buffalo, circa 1986). I think there was beer and pretzels, but no drugs or groupies.
 rabaak wrote:
I used to hate Crowded House. But after listening to RP, I have had a change of mind.  This is very good.

 
How you or anyone else could ever hate Crowded House is simply beyond me.  Seriously, what's to hate?
Crowded house never disappoints.  Over 3 productive decades of quality music - few bands can touch that!
I used to hate Crowded House. But after listening to RP, I have had a change of mind.  This is very good.
LIke this one a lot. This is pretty solid album that's worth a listen if you were a fan of these guys back in the day.  
I'm hoping for  spike in ther ratings for the Finn boys.
Great song, bass, piano
Great song....... Great bass line...and I'm now convinced that every song with a great bass line will be played on RP.

 Nerubo wrote:
Yet another band that seems like a one-hit wonder (Don't Dream It's Over, a perfectly fine song) if you don't have Radio Paradise to set you straight.  :-D This song is growing on me, and I like "Private Universe" quite a bit.
 
Maybe Crowded House are known best for that song, but they are hardly one-hit wonders!

As Split Enz:
One Step Ahead
I Got You (#53 Billboard Hot 100)
Six Months In A Leaky Boat 

As Crowded House:
Don't Dream It's Over (#2 Billboard Hot 100)
Something So Strong (#7 Billboard Hot 100)
World Where You Live (#65 Billboard Hot 100)
Better Be Home Soon (#18 Billboard Rock)
Sister Madly
Into Temptation
Chocolate Cake (#2 Billboard Modern Rock)
Fall At Your Feet (#75 Billboard Hot 100)

I have really enjoyed their material over the past 30 or so years.  Superb melodies, tight production, and a healthy sense of humour in their videos, which were among the first to be played on the brand-new MTV in 1981.

 
Hehehe, peas, et al; like a fine red wine......
 jpdribbler wrote:
Great segue from Wilco's "Jesus, Etc." into this! The first seconds had me thinking "curious that Bill is playing two Wilco songs in a row", silly me... to my excuse I must say that this sounds quite Wilco-esque! I'm quite sure I confused it with "Panthers" (excellent "A Ghost Is Born" bonus track).

 
Thought it was Wilco until I flipped back to my web browser to see what was going on.

 kcar wrote:
 teapot wrote:
Neil Finn and his wife Sharon have a new project called Pajama Party. 

Free song if you sign up for email.
https://www.pajamapartymusic.com/ 

Thanks, Teapot!  
 
Yes cheers and all but its pajamaclubmusic.  Pajamapartymusic appears to be a particularlay crap dance band on myspace.
 teapot wrote:
Neil Finn and his wife Sharon have a new project called Pajama Party. 

Free song if you sign up for email.
https://www.pajamapartymusic.com/ 

Thanks, Teapot!  


 Cynaera wrote:

Stingray, I want to like you and understand you, but I've come to the conclusion that you seriously need mental help. 
 

I think that is taking it a bit too far. Ad hominem, you know?  I don't really see that here at RP and I hope not to see more of it.  You really need to lighten up a bit.  You don't have to read his posts.
I hear a little David Bowie in there.
Picked this album up last week.  It's pretty good on the surface, but I think I'm going to have to soak in it some more before I can really appreciate it.  Archer's Arrows is a catchy tune, but most of the rest of the album has a bit more depth and needs some digestion. 

Initial rating for the album would be a 7.
7 > 8
This is just plain good music. I like it!
I'd love to one day curate a museum entirely devoted to Nick's amazing ART on all his band's album covers!  And the art inside never ceases to amaze!  Long live Crowded House and RP!

 Cynaera wrote:

You realize, of course, that you are our favorite troll ........  Make of it what you will.

 

Hey Cynaera, not too long ago you told me to not feed the troll... {#Naughty} {#Wink}

(by the way, how should i pronounce Cynaera, i have absolutely no idea)
Good Music
I thought this song was just okay, and then the bridge melody blew me away!

And, I'm growing tired of this song.  Oh, well.
Every time this song plays, I swear it's David Bowie...
 scrubbrush wrote:

Your Bio says you're a "writer"?? you can't mean professionally??

Profile: Stingray

 

Joined:

Mar 20, 2005

Location:

EUROPE

Occupation:

WRITER

 

Seriously... I hope your writing rises above the incoherent blather you dribble all over these discussion boards. 

 
Stingray wrote:


You like "Private Universe".....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Quite a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?? A bit.....??

My god - you are truely stupid!
Switch to opera - you haven't the slightest clue of finest Rock-Music!

"PRIVATE UNIVERSE" plays in the BEATLES-league!

"quite a bit...!"

paaaah - people are sooooooooo ridiculous,
and in the end they argue - what the fuck,
it's all a matter of taste!

Yeah - certainly - a matter of taste!

Sometimes it's hard to take - what people are "palavering"!

Jump off a bridge - NERUBO!
 


 



At least Sringray speaks incoherent blather well. He IS from Europe ya know. Perhaps he writes in other languages besides English. How many languages do YOU speak scrubbrush?
Neil Finn and his wife Sharon have a new project called Pajama Party. 

Free song if you sign up for email.
https://www.pajamapartymusic.com/ 
oh again crowded house

Nice tune.


Your Bio says you're a "writer"?? you can't mean professionally??

Profile: Stingray

 

Joined:

Mar 20, 2005

Location:

EUROPE

Occupation:

WRITER

 

Seriously... I hope your writing rises above the incoherent blather you dribble all over these discussion boards. 

 
Stingray wrote:


You like "Private Universe".....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Quite a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?? A bit.....??

My god - you are truely stupid!
Switch to opera - you haven't the slightest clue of finest Rock-Music!

"PRIVATE UNIVERSE" plays in the BEATLES-league!

"quite a bit...!"

paaaah - people are sooooooooo ridiculous,
and in the end they argue - what the fuck,
it's all a matter of taste!

Yeah - certainly - a matter of taste!

Sometimes it's hard to take - what people are "palavering"!

Jump off a bridge - NERUBO!
 


 Sjaaks wrote:
At first listen this one didn't stand out, it kind of blended into a day's work but with every listen this one is really growing on me. Excellent song!

8
 
I was about to compose a long post, but this expresses my thoughts exactly!
 Stingray wrote:


You like "Private Universe".....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Quite a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?? A bit.....??

My god - you are truely stupid!
Switch to opera - you haven't the slightest clue of finest Rock-Music!

"PRIVATE UNIVERSE" plays in the BEATLES-league!

"quite a bit...!"

paaaah - people are sooooooooo ridiculous,
and in the end they argue - what the fuck,
it's all a matter of taste!

Yeah - certainly - a matter of taste!

Sometimes it's hard to take - what people are "palavering"!

Jump off a bridge - NERUBO!
 
You realize, of course, that you are our favorite troll, because you leave yourself wide open to all manner of jokes. You are a Steve Martin song with more vitriol and less sense. (Be obsequious, purple and clairvoyant.)  Once in awhile, you are literally coherent, but most times, you rant, rave, and break all the netiquette rules (including that very important one where you don't tell someone they are stupid, retarded, black, white, etc.)

Stingray, I want to like you and understand you, but I've come to the conclusion that you seriously need mental help.  You can't play nice with the other kids. You can't find middle-ground.  You refuse to acknowledge other peoples' comments.  Worse, you lay down a really good rant. I wouldn't be surprised to see you foaming at the mouth.

So - having said that, I don't like "Private Universe" or "Archer's Arrows," but I do love Crowded House.  And as I write this, Bill has chosen to play "Driving Me Mad" by Neil Finn (whom I adore.)  Make of it what you will.

At first listen this one didn't stand out, it kind of blended into a day's work but with every listen this one is really growing on me. Excellent song!

8
Great segue from Wilco's "Jesus, Etc." into this! The first seconds had me thinking "curious that Bill is playing two Wilco songs in a row", silly me... to my excuse I must say that this sounds quite Wilco-esque! I'm quite sure I confused it with "Panthers" (excellent "A Ghost Is Born" bonus track).

 peter_james_bond wrote:
Archer's Arrows is the second song on this fine album. The album begins with a number called Saturday Sun. Saturday Sun starts with a fantastic bass line. This bass line is muscular, it is confident, it is bold. It is masculine; with a type A personality. It's pushy, it's loud, it punches, it slugs, it leads with a left and thunders with a right. This base line chews cigars and pontificates at the center of the room - no wallflower this bass line. This bass line plays hard, works hard and drinks hard. This bass line kicks the devil's a** as it pulses, pounds and bounces; like a new lottery winner strolling down main street. This bass line throbs, it sneers, it growls; it dares you to ignore it. Even when the base line retreats into the song it doesn't go far, it lurks at the edge like a Grizzly in the forest waiting to charge. The bass line drives the song, it has control, it cracks your code and invades your senses, it breaks you down, it builds you up, it pulls you along, it pushes you up the mountain. By the end of the song this bass line has ridden you hard and put you away wet...and you couldn't be happier.
 
As all good bass lines should dammit! 

That was laugh out loud funny by the way.

 peter_james_bond wrote:
Archer's Arrows is the second song on this fine album. The album begins with a number called Saturday Sun. Saturday Sun starts with a fantastic bass line. This bass line is muscular, it is confident, it is bold. It is masculine; with a type A personality. It's pushy, it's loud, it punches, it slugs, it leads with a left and thunders with a right. This base line chews cigars and pontificates at the center of the room - no wallflower this bass line. This bass line plays hard, works hard and drinks hard. This bass line kicks the devil's a** as it pulses, pounds and bounces; like a new lottery winner strolling down main street. This bass line throbs, it sneers, it growls; it dares you to ignore it. Even when the base line retreats into the song it doesn't go far, it lurks at the edge like a Grizzly in the forest waiting to charge. The bass line drives the song, it has control, it cracks your code and invades your senses, it breaks you down, it builds you up, it pulls you along, it pushes you up the mountain. By the end of the song this bass line has ridden you hard and put you away wet...and you couldn't be happier.
 
Someone plays the bass... Quite an assortment of colorful adjectives you have there.

I wonder how the bass line of the first song of this album goes...
Archer's Arrows is the second song on this fine album. The album begins with a number called Saturday Sun. Saturday Sun starts with a fantastic bass line. This bass line is muscular, it is confident, it is bold. It is masculine; with a type A personality. It's pushy, it's loud, it punches, it slugs, it leads with a left and thunders with a right. This base line chews cigars and pontificates at the center of the room - no wallflower this bass line. This bass line plays hard, works hard and drinks hard. This bass line kicks the devil's a** as it pulses, pounds and bounces; like a new lottery winner strolling down main street. This bass line throbs, it sneers, it growls; it dares you to ignore it. Even when the base line retreats into the song it doesn't go far, it lurks at the edge like a Grizzly in the forest waiting to charge. The bass line drives the song, it has control, it cracks your code and invades your senses, it breaks you down, it builds you up, it pulls you along, it pushes you up the mountain. By the end of the song this bass line has ridden you hard and put you away wet...and you couldn't be happier.


strong words amigo. tranquillo

 
Stingray wrote:


You like "Private Universe".....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Quite a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?? A bit.....??

My god - you are truely stupid!
Switch to opera - you haven't the slightest clue of finest Rock-Music!

"PRIVATE UNIVERSE" plays in the BEATLES-league!

"quite a bit...!"

paaaah - people are sooooooooo ridiculous,
and in the end they argue - what the fuck,
it's all a matter of taste!

Yeah - certainly - a matter of taste!

Sometimes it's hard to take - what people are "palavering"!

Jump off a bridge - NERUBO!
 


Lilting, lovely. Ideal cure for working over Christmas blues.
I think this is the only song on their new album I have enjoyed. 8.
 Nerubo wrote:
Yet another band that seems like a one-hit wonder (Don't Dream It's Over, a perfectly fine song) if you don't have Radio Paradise to set you straight.  :-D This song is growing on me, and I like "Private Universe" quite a bit.
 
You are missing the big picture, my friend. Neil Finn has been around for about 30 years and to call one of his bands a one-hit wonder is just silly.

 Nerubo wrote:
Yet another band that seems like a one-hit wonder (Don't Dream It's Over, a perfectly fine song) if you don't have Radio Paradise to set you straight.  :-D This song is growing on me, and I like "Private Universe" quite a bit.
 

You like "Private Universe".....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?
Quite a whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?? A bit.....??

My god - you are truely stupid!
Switch to opera - you haven't the slightest clue of finest Rock-Music!

"PRIVATE UNIVERSE" plays in the BEATLES-league!

"quite a bit...!"

paaaah - people are sooooooooo ridiculous,
and in the end they argue - what the fuck,
it's all a matter of taste!

Yeah - certainly - a matter of taste!

Sometimes it's hard to take - what people are "palavering"!

Jump off a bridge - NERUBO!
CH had their heyday with "CHOCOLATE CAKE" and "TOGETHER ALONE"

Neil Finn will always be a giant,
still..., true is also they are aging!

And it is hearable!
Aging means - losing their genius-touch (see Sting and others!).

So sad - really sad!

Crowded House 2010 is just a bad copy of previous times!
Unfortunately!

Yet another band that seems like a one-hit wonder (Don't Dream It's Over, a perfectly fine song) if you don't have Radio Paradise to set you straight.  :-D This song is growing on me, and I like "Private Universe" quite a bit.
Love this one from the new album. Lovely lyrics and music.
Right at sunset, with some low clouds reflecting red off the Columbia, on the lawn in the Vineyard at McMenamins Edgefield on a buttery soft Western Oregon summer evening.

Neil still kills in concert.



Hey all you listeners!!!....This song is an example of a tune that may not grab you right away...but it has real longevity. It grows on you and then you're hooked. This whole album is a bit less poppy than previous...but it just means you won't sick of it so soon. It has real staying power...true longevity. I still like this and I bought it over four months ago.
Man, RP hasn't even gotten to the good songs on this album yet.  I really need to get to uploading...
Good and even better album.
Excellent! I just placed my order for the Deluxe album and DVD set to Amazon from the Radio Paradise link! {#Smile}
 lmic wrote:
Thought it was Death Cab for Cutie—or Muse! Not groundbreaking, but definitely up-to-date. Nice.

 
I'd think that those bands probably owe a debt to Crowded House rather than the other way around.  At any rate, this is an excellent recording.  They are also touring right now, so if you like them at all do try and get out to see them.  The show that I went to was a lot of fun and Neil and the rest of the band made the audience feel like they were a part of it all I think.  I'm sorry to read the post below {#Arrowd}, my experience was quite different and the sound was excellent.


I'm really liking the new album. There are two tunes, (this is one of them the other is Amsterdam) that I have been stuck in my head for days. We saw them in Victoria BC on their latest tour. It was a great concert but too loud for my tastes (either that or I'm getting too old). They played the Royal Theatre, a relatively small theatre with great acoustics but they were so loud we couldn't hear the vocals.
OK, guess I'll be the first to comment. (OOPS... guess it's third.) Have been a longtime Crowded House fan (did anyone see them perform at the Live 8 concert a few years back? That was pretty cool...).

Anyway, I'll have to give this album a listen. Always nice to hear something new from Neil Finn and friends.


This sounds great.  Very fresh for a bunch of older guys...
Thought it was Death Cab for Cutie—or Muse! Not groundbreaking, but definitely up-to-date. Nice.