"Weather with You" is a song by Australian-New Zealand

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Crowded House Crowded House are an Australian-New Zealand rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Paul Hester (drums), who were both for ...

. 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 Kingdom, where it reached number seven. At the APRA Music Awards of 1994, the song won Most Performed Australian Work Overseas. The song was intended to be part of the Finn Brothers' unreleased 1990 debut, but after Capitol Records found the recordings, they were merged with a Crowded House session to become ''Woodface''. In 1996, Crowded House disbanded, releasing a greatest hits album, ''

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, ...

'', in June of that year. "Weather with You" was made the album's first track. Later in the year, the band reunited for one final performance at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

and performed the song again, calling upon ex-member

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He is best known as a founding member of Split Enz. Finn founded the band in 1972 with Phil Judd and served as lead singer and principal songw ...

, who originally performed the song with the group, to join the group onstage. This live performance was not included on the VHS release of the concert, but it was shown on television broadcast and also appeared on the 10-year anniversary DVD entitled '' Farewell to the World''.

Background

On his website,

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for being a principal member of Split Enz and for being the lead singer of Crowded House. He was also a member of Fleetwood Mac from 2018 ...

explained:

The first day we got together, we wrote "Weather with You" and im Finnhad the title and the chorus line. 'Everywhere you go you always take the weather with you', and the opening line, 'Walking round the room singing stormy weather'. We started playing that and got the guitar riff going and wrote the whole thing on the first day, so it got off to a good start. 57 Mount Pleasant Street is a fictitious address as far as the number goes, but my sister used to live in a house in Mount Pleasant Road in Auckland and that’s what we were thinking of when we wrote the song. It was just a good contrast to the theme of the song for it to be called Mount Pleasant Street because really it was about a guy who's totally wrapped up in melancholia standing in his lounge room feeling lost.

He went on to say, "Ultimately, the theme of the song is of course, that you are creating your own weather, you are making your own environment, always."

Critical reception

Andrew Mueller from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' wrote that songs like "Weather with You" "tout pleasingly wry sentiments but are entirely bereft of any hooks upon which to hang your heart." Another music critic,

Peter Paphides Peter Paphides (born 1969 as Panayiotakis Paphides or Panayiotis Paphides) is a British journalist and broadcaster. Early life Paphides was born in Birmingham to a Greek Cypriot father, Chris, and a Greek mother, Victoria. He has an elder bro ...

, complimented the way

could write a song like this and "make it seem like a postcard from a dream." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' praised it as "splendid".

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Weather with You" was filmed after Tim Finn's departure. The video, directed by MacGregor Knox (Director of

I'm Talking I'm Talking were an Australian funk-pop music, pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me (I'm Talking song), Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be? ...

's "

Holy Word "Holy Word" is a song by Australian band I'm Talking. It was released in July 1986 as the second single from the band's debut studio album, ''Bear Witness''. The song peaked at number 9 on the Australian Kent Music Report, becoming the band's thir ...

"), features the remaining members, Neil Finn,

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 their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...

and

Nick Seymour Nicholas More Seymour (born 9 December 1958) is an Australian musician and record producer. He is the founding bass guitarist and a mainstay of the rock group Crowded House, and is the younger brother of Mark Seymour, singer-songwriter-guitaris ...

, at various beaches in

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

(including Queenscliff) driving in cars including a Fiat 600 Multipla towing a small "Sports Minor" caravanette and a Ford Thunderbird "Bullet Bird" convertible. The music video features a slightly rearranged song structure, with a chorus placed before the second verse and some of the instrumental sections shortened.

Legacy

In 2001, "Weather with You" was voted 16th-best New Zealand song of all time by APRA and featured on '' Nature's Best''.

Track listings

* UK 7-inch vinyl and cassette # "Weather with You" (single edit) - 4:17 # " Into Temptation" - 4:35 * Australian and UK CD # "Weather with You" (single edit) - 4:17 # " Mr. Tambourine Man" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

) (live) - 2:35 # "

Eight Miles High "Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn), and David Crosby. It was first released as a single on March 14, 1966. Musically influenced by sitar playe ...

" (

Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...

, Jim McGuinn and

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

) (live) - 4:50 # "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" ( Jim McGuinn,

Chris Hillman Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...

) (live) - 2:49 Note: Live tracks recorded with

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

at the Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, 7 April 1989, previously released on "I Feel Possessed" CD and 12" single. * Australian and UK alternative CD # "Weather with You" (radio edit) - 3:46 # " Fall at Your Feet" (live) - 6:59 # " When You Come" (live) - 6:22 # "Walking on the Spot" (live) - 3:23 Note: Live tracks recorded at The Town & Country Club, London, 9–10 November 1991, exclusive to this release * Belgian "Rock Torhout Werchter" CD # "Weather with You" (single edit) – 4:17 # " Into Temptation" (live) – 4:43 # "

Don't Dream It's Over "Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from ...

" (live) – 4:27 # "Recurring Dream" (original Version) – 2:59 Note: Limited edition. Live tracks recorded at

Ancienne Belgique The (''AB'') is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one of the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts. Some 300,000 pe ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium, 24 February 1992, exclusive to this release. * Dutch "Outlaw Remixes" CD # "Weather with You" (Remix full version) # "Weather with You" (Remix full version without

) # "Weather with You" (Single mix. No breakdown) # "Weather with You" (

's Edit) Note: The "Outlaw Remixes", mixed at Platinum Studios, Melbourne. Produced and remixed by The Outlaw. * Japanese CD # "Weather with You" – 4:02 # "Walking on the Spot" (live) – 4:13 # "

" (live) – 5:53 # " Something So Strong" (live) – 4:02 # "Mr. Tambourine Man" (live) – 2:35 Note: "Walking on the Spot" recorded at The Town & Country Club, London, 10 November 1991 (previously unreleased in Japan); "

" recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles, 26 February 1987; " Something So Strong" recorded at The Trocadero, Philadelphia, 24 March 1987; "Mr. Tambourine Man" recorded with

at the Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, 7 April 1989 (however, label indicates 7 July 1989 incorrectly). * US CD single # "Weather with You" (Radio Edit) - 3:46 # "Walking on the Spot" (live) # "

" (live) # " Better Be Home Soon" (live) # " World Where You Live" (live) Note: All live tracks recorded at The Town & Country Club, London, England, 9–10 November 1991. "Walking on the Spot" was previously unreleased in the US.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions and live performances

In 2001, Neil and Tim Finn performed the song during the week-long concert series that was captured on the CD/DVD '' 7 Worlds Collide''. In 2006,

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

covered "Weather with You" and used it as the namesake for his album '' Take the Weather with You''. In 2009, a re-recorded version featuring Tim, Neil and Liam Finn appeared on the Tim Finn retrospective '' North, South, East, West...Anthology''. In 2011, a recording by Hollie Smith was included on the compilation album '' They Will Have Their Way''. In 2015, the song was included in the soundtrack of the film ''

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

'' (2015).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weather With You 1991 songs 1992 singles 1990s ballads Crowded House songs APRA Award winners ARIA Award-winning songs Songs written by Neil Finn Songs written by Tim Finn Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Mitchell Froom Capitol Records singles Music videos shot in Australia Songs about weather