"Four Seasons in One Day" is a song by rock group Crowded House, released as a single in June 1992. It was co-written by

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

and brother

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...

, originally intended for their debut ''Finn Brothers'' album; however, it was moved onto the ''

Woodface ''Woodface'' is the third studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. The album was produced by Mitchell Froom and Neil Finn and was released by Capitol in July 1991. It features five singles "Chocolate Cake", "Fall at Your Feet" ...

'' project as the two projects amalgamated. The song's title references a common saying used in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to describe the city's changeable weather. The song reached number 26 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number 47 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number 68 in Canada, but was not released in the US. The song was later released on the group's greatest hits collection ''

Recurring Dream A recurring dream is a dream which is experienced repeatedly over a long period. They can be pleasant or nightmarish and unique to the person and their experiences. Common themes in recurring dreams Through psychological analyses and studies, s ...

'' and was performed at the group's farewell performance in 1996, ''

Farewell to the World ''Farewell to the World'' is a 1996 concert by rock group Crowded House, which was released on video in 1996 and on CD and DVD in 2006. The concert was recorded on the outside footsteps of the Sydney Opera House, as a charity event to raise fun ...

''. After the death of Crowded House drummer

Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for a short time in 1984, and co-founding member and drummer of the rock group Crowded House ...

, Tim Finn and Neil Finn had been performing together as the

Finn Brothers The Finn Brothers are a New Zealand musical duo consisting of brothers Neil and Tim Finn. In June 1993 both members were awarded the OBE for their contribution to music. The two brothers began making music together at a young age; later, when ...

and as a tribute to Hester, played the song in his honour at their performances. In 2005, a tribute album was created featuring a collection of Neil and Tim Finn's songs reinterpreted by female singers as the album ''

She Will Have Her Way ''She Will Have Her Way'' is a compilation album featuring female Australian and New Zealand musicians performing songs written by Neil Finn and Tim Finn ( The Finn Brothers), members of Split Enz and Crowded House. A follow up album, '' He W ...

''. "Four Seasons in One Day" was performed by Australian multi-instrumentalist

Sally Seltmann Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting nam ...

, who was known by the stage name New Buffalo. The New Buffalo version was primarily recorded in the same way as the Crowded House version; however, the song title was shortened to "Four Seasons".

Inspiration

Neil Finn wrote the song in his flat in

East St Kilda St Kilda East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Glen Eira and Port Phillip local government areas. St Kilda East recorded a population of 1 ...

, a suburb of

. The song's title references a phrase used in Melbourne to refer to the city's changeable weather. Finn explained in an interview:

Music video

This was the first Crowded House video made in New Zealand. Director Kerry Brown and producer Bruce Sheridan wanted to emphasise the surreal, fantasy elements of the song, using distinctly Kiwi imagery. Locations included beaches and dense bush on the West Coast, the plains of Central Otago and the Victorian architecture of

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the rai ...

. Scenes of an Anzac Day ceremony and marching girls also highlight the homeland setting. Brown took inspiration from

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

paintings for the psychedelic effects that were added in post-production.

Awards

In 2001 the song was voted by members of APRA as the 84th-best New Zealand song of the 20th century.

Track listings

UK 7-inch and cassette single # "Four Seasons in One Day" – 2:48 # "There Goes God" – 3:50 UK CD single # "Four Seasons in One Day" – 2:48 # "Dr. Livingston" – 3:57 # "Recurring Dream" – 3:24 (remix from "Tequila sunrise soundtrack) # "Anyone Can Tell" – 3:36 Track 2; outtake from the ''Woodface'' sessions later to be released on "Afterglow", track 3: remix version from "Tequila sunrise" soundtrack, track 4; outtake from the ''Woodface'' sessions" previously released on the "Chocolate Cake" CD single and later to be released on "Afterglow". Alternate UK CD single "

Weather with You "Weather with You" is a song by Australian-New Zealand rock band Crowded House. It was the third and most successful single released from the group's third studio album '' Woodface'' (1991), reaching top 50 in 10 countries, including the United ...

" and "Italian Plastic" were recorded at

The Town & Country Club The O Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934. History The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was close ...

, London, 9 November 1991. "Message to My Girl" was recorded live at the Birmingham Town Hall on 5 March 1992 and not previously recorded by Crowded House. # "Four Seasons in One Day" – 2:48 # "

" (live) – 6:17 # "Italian Plastic" (live) – 3:28 # "

Message to My Girl "Message to My Girl" is a song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz. It was released in January 1984 as the second single from their eighth studio album ''Conflicting Emotions''. In 2001 the song was voted by members of APRA as the 36th bes ...

" (live) – 3:05 Australian CD "There Goes God" was recorded in Maastricht, Netherlands. # "Four Seasons in One Day" – 2:48 # "There Goes God" (live) # "Tall Trees" – 2:19 Australian extended single "Italian Plastic" was recorded at the State Theatre, Sydney. "Love You til the Day I Die", "It's Only Natural" and "Four Seasons in One Day" were recorded at the

Newcastle Civic Theatre The Newcastle Civic Theatre, also known as ''The Civic'', is a heritage-listed building located on Hunter Street, Newcastle, Australia. Opened in 1929, the 1520-seat theatre is now the venue for a wide range of musicals, plays, concerts and danc ...

, Australia. # "Four Seasons in One Day" – 2:48 # "Italian Plastic" (live) – 3:34 # "Love You till the Day I Die" (live) – 4:50 # "It's Only Natural" (live) – 4:27 # "Four Seasons in One Day" (live) – 2:59

Charts

References

{{Authority control Crowded House songs 1992 singles 1991 songs APRA Award winners Songs written by Tim Finn Songs written by Neil Finn Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom Songs about Australia Capitol Records singles