"Sister Madly" is a 1988 song by rock group
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...
. It was released as the third single from the group's second album ''
Temple of Low Men
''Temple of Low Men'' is the second studio album by New Zealand-Australian rock band Crowded House, released by Capitol Records on 5 July 1988. The three band members, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Paul Hester, recorded the album in Melbourne and ...
'' in New Zealand, and as the fourth single from the album in Australia.
The song contains a solo by guitarist
Richard Thompson.
This song was featured in the movie ''
The Sum of Us The Sum of Us can refer to:
*'' The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together'', a 2021 best-selling political book by Heather McGhee.
*''The Sum of Us (play)'', a 1990 play by Australian writer and director David Steve ...
'' with New Zealand actor
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
as he is jogging at the beginning of the film.
Live versions
A live version of the song later appeared on Crowded House's Special Edition Live Album that accompanied selected copies of the group's greatest hits compilation ''
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 ...
'', however it was not included on the main compilation. This performance goes over 6 minutes long because the group lost the beat, had to stop, made jokes about how they wouldn't remember the incident in the next 5 minutes and to compensate,
Neil Finn started improvising lyrics.
It was also performed at the group's farewell concert ''
Farewell to the World''. On that version, Neil Finn states during the introduction, "This is a song about waking up in a room with my sister having nightmares!".
Reception
Junkee
Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...
said, "Seymour executes a career-best walking bassline, and the trio’s three-part harmonies are impeccable. Of particular note, however, is once again Hester’s jazz brushes – somehow, he always knew just how to make a snare drum positively sizzle."
Track listings
''All songs by
Neil Finn except "
Something So Strong
"Something So Strong" is a rock song written by Neil Finn and Mitchell Froom and performed by Crowded House for their eponymous debut album (June 1986). The track was released as the album's fifth and final single in April 1987. The single pe ...
" by Finn and
Mitchell Froom. All tracks from the album "Temple of Low Men" except "Something So Strong" recorded live at King Biscuit Flower Hour, The Trocadero, Philadelphia, 24 March 1987...''
UK 7" vinyl
#"Sister Madly" – 2:52
#"Mansion in the Slums" – 3:46
Australian 7" vinyl
#"Sister Madly" – 2:52
#"Love This Life" – 3:35
CD single and 12" vinyl
''Released in UK.''
#"Sister Madly" – 2:52
#"Mansion in the Slums" – 3:46
#"Something So Strong" - 4:02 (live at King Biscuit Flower Hour, The Trocadero, Philadelphia, 24 March 1987)
Chart performance
Release history
Notes
{{Crowded House
Crowded House songs
1989 singles
Songs written by Neil Finn
Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom