Better Be Home Soon

"Better Be Home Soon" Sample  is a 1988 song written by Neil Finn and performed by the rock band Crowded House. The song was released as a single in June 1988 by Capitol Records.[1][2] It performed modestly on both the American and British charts, but managed to peak at number two on the Australian and New Zealand charts. The song appeared on the album Temple of Low Men, which was later released in July 1988. In 2001, and the song was voted by members of APRA as the 33rd best New Zealand song of the 20th century. In 2005, following drummer Paul Hester's death, Neil Finn performed the song solo at the ARIA Awards while a montage of Hester's life was played in the background.

For the album by George Canyon, see Better Be Home Soon (album).
"Better Be Home Soon"
Single by Crowded House
from the album Temple of Low Men
B-side"Kill Eye"
Released12 June 1988
Recorded1988
GenreRock
Length3:07
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Neil Finn
Producer(s)Mitchell Froom
Crowded House singles chronology
"Something So Strong"
(1987)		 "Better Be Home Soon"
(1988)		 "Sister Madly"
(1988)
Audio sample
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Music video

Nick Seymour attempted to explain the concept of the video in a 1988 issue of Smash Hits. He likened it to the INXS video he worked on for Listen Like Thieves "only theirs was sort of macho." He called it a fun video with the Dickensian style clothes people were wearing. Seymour says it this way:

"Basically a film clip just makes people see things that the song's not really about. This song is definitely not about being in a theatre stuck out in the desert! It's about being home, how it's better being home.[3]

The reason why Seymour was playing the double bass for the video was because "it just looks better".[3]

Notable performances

"Better Be Home Soon" was performed by Crowded House in their 1996 charity performance Farewell to the World. As a song commonly performed by the band, this was to be expected, however the end of this version featured a country or polka style double-time feeling at the end, possibly in joking retort to some criticisms of the song when initially released that it was a bit "country-ish". They also performed it as an encore at the Sydney Live Earth concert. At the 2005 ARIA Awards program, Neil Finn performed the song as a memorial to Paul Hester.

Cover versions

Track listings

All songs written by Neil Finn. All tracks from the album "Temple of low men" except "Don't Dream It's Over" recorded at The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA, 26 February 1987.

Single release

Released in UK as 7" vinyl and in US as cassette.

  1. "Better Be Home Soon" - 3:08
  2. "Kill Eye" - 3:12

EP release

Released in UK as CD and 12" vinyl.

  1. "Better Be Home Soon" - 3:08
  2. Kill eye - 3:12
  3. "Don't Dream It's Over" - 5:55 (live)
  4. "Better Be Home Soon" - 3:08

Promotional release

Released as CD in US. Released as 12" vinyl in Brazil (33⅓ rpm one side, 45 rpm on other).

  1. "Better Be Home Soon" - 3:08

Charts
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 2
Dutch Singles Chart 31
German Singles Chart 59
Canadian RPM Top Singles 8
New Zealand Singles Chart 2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 42
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 29
U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks 18

Notes
  1. Australian Charts Database: Better Be Home Soon (12/06/1988)
  2. Bailey, Marck; Comprehensive discography Archived 2008-06-21 at the Wayback Machine of Crowded House including track listings for all albums and singles. Released 28 March 1995. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  3. Smash Hits magazine, 1988. Crowded House - making of video, page 13.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 264. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  5. "George Canyon Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
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