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Crowded House — Private Universe
Album: Together Alone
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3614









Released: 1993
Length: 5:27
Plays (last 30 days): 1
No time no place to talk about the weather
The promise of love is hard to ignore
You said the chance wasn't getting any better
Labour of love is ours to endure
The highest branch on the apple tree
It was my favourite place to be
I could hear them breaking free
But they could not see me

I will run for shelter
Endless summer lift the curse
It feels like nothing matters
In our private universe

I have all I want is that simple enough
There's a whole lot more I'm thinking of
Every night about six o'clock
The birds come back to the palm to talk
They talk to me, birds talk to me
If I go down on my knees

I will run for shelter
Endless summer lift the curse
It feels like nothing matters
In our private universe

And it's a pleasure that I have known
And it's a treasure that I have gained
And it's a pleasure that I have known

It's a tight squeeze but I won't let go
Love is on the table and the dinner's cold

I will run for shelter
Endless summer lift the curse
Feels like nothing matters
In our private universe
Comments (321)add comment
 timmus wrote:

I will run for shelter, in the summer in Ithaca....



Oh no!

I hear the same thing!

It's...it's like a curse!

And I ain't ever been to Ithaca. 
Absolutely wonderful song!! One of my all time favourite songs 😍
 copymonkey wrote:

Neill Finn is a unheralded genius! Just so good.




Saw the latest incarnation of Crowded House in Vangroover a few weeks back.  Brilliant as always.  Very cool to see that his two sons are both in the band and they aren't placeholders - boys can play.  See them if you can.
 kazoo wrote:



What's up with that 'stache Neil? Kaiser Wilhelm?


Yes, that's exactly the look he was going for.
 planet_lizard wrote:

I'd shop in a supermarket that played this.


Neil Finn is one of the greatest song writers in popular music. Nuff Said.
I will run for shelter, in the summer in Ithaca....
 kcar wrote:

{#Eek}

You might want to drink only half the bottle of cough syrup next time...



 Sofa_King wrote:



What's up with that 'stache Neil? Kaiser Wilhelm?
 philbertr wrote:
"Private Universe"?   {#Redface}  I thought he was singing "Priva Tuniverse" and was wondering if a Tuniverse is where tuna are the highest life form and rule over the world....



Hehehe
Imagine, if you will, a band like Depeche Mode or Marilyn Manson covering this song...
I don't know a lot of 90's alt rock songs that end with a drummers circle 
This song is a pleasure  that I have known
Neil’s doing some great acoustic covers from his kitchen during lockdown. Do a search on YouTube and sit back and see the great man in action.
Neil Finn is a melody genius . 
 lizardking wrote:
I spent part of the summer of 2001 in Alaska, where I had hoped to be able to cleanse myself of all my bad habits (drinking, smoking and smoking) and boy was I naïve!  Let's see....stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other 21ish year olds working 6 days/week minimum and heavily encouraged to work that 7th day...and never seeing darkness...yeah....I drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney and smoked like Cheech AND Chong. 

I started a novel while I was there, entitled "My Private Wilderness" which was partly based on the feeling this song gave me.  Too bad my on-again-off-again girlfriend (the unfaithful one) got assigned to my location and went OUT OF HER WAY to get drunk and sleep with any/everyone she could.  It was so bad that I broke my contract and left after a mostly enjoyable (outside of the grueling GF situation) month in the middle-of-nowhere Alaska where even the internet didn't venture.  So much fun and yet so much misery all in 5 weeks. 

The main positives of leaving early were 1) being back in Seattle for the Mariners record 116 win season, Ichiro's "rookie" year and the All-Star game at Safeco and 2) not being stuck in Anchorage after the 9/11 attacks like my friends (and that bitch) did for days. 

Anyways...I'll always think of that dark period in my life, the month of no-darkness in central AK, with something short of glee when I hear this song.  In many ways the time I spent there was the turning point in my life, enduring pain (physical and emotional) and experiencing things that can't be done in the lower 48. 


 

Reading about your time spent in the middle of nowhere brought back fond memories of my own summer in Kenai: walking in streams so thick with salmon you could catch them with your bare hands; seeing the Northern Lights during a night fish; receiving a mix tape from a friend back in the lower 48 introducing me to "Jellyfish"; and my own romantic troubles.  Worked out okay though as we've been married 20 years now.  Thanks for sharing.
 lizardking wrote:
I spent part of the summer of 2001 in Alaska, where I had hoped to be able to cleanse myself of all my bad habits (drinking, smoking and smoking) and boy was I naïve!  Let's see....stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other 21ish year olds working 6 days/week minimum and heavily encouraged to work that 7th day...and never seeing darkness...yeah....I drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney and smoked like Cheech AND Chong. 

I started a novel while I was there, entitled "My Private Wilderness" which was partly based on the feeling this song gave me.  Too bad my on-again-off-again girlfriend (the unfaithful one) got assigned to my location and went OUT OF HER WAY to get drunk and sleep with any/everyone she could.  It was so bad that I broke my contract and left after a mostly enjoyable (outside of the grueling GF situation) month in the middle-of-nowhere Alaska where even the internet didn't venture.  So much fun and yet so much misery all in 5 weeks. 

The main positives of leaving early were 1) being back in Seattle for the Mariners record 116 win season, Ichiro's "rookie" year and the All-Star game at Safeco and 2) not being stuck in Anchorage after the 9/11 attacks like my friends (and that bitch) did for days. 

Anyways...I'll always think of that dark period in my life, the month of no-darkness in central AK, with something short of glee when I hear this song.  In many ways the time I spent there was the turning point in my life, enduring pain (physical and emotional) and experiencing things that can't be done in the lower 48. 


 

As an ex Alaskan, oh yeah, I get it. This song reminds me of the how I was getting ready to leave some soul-sucking  misery behind myself. In Central Alaska. I left a year before you arrived, Lizard King. But that wilderness, that light, that air, those mountains and rivers...
endless summer nymphicus
Nopes
 On_The_Beach wrote:

Nice post, lizardking. Glad you survived.
Mariners were so good that year, but sadly crumpled when faced with those stinkin' Yankees.


Thanks, O_T_B

What a terrible time for the Mariners to have faced the Yankees, I mean if there ever were a time when non-Yank fans would have supported them (as in EVERYONE) it had to be right after the 9/11 attacks.  PEACE and Long Live RP!!

This is a great song.  RP, please go deeper into CH's catalog.
 lizardking wrote:

I spent part of the summer of 2001 in Alaska (see full post below) . . .

 
Nice post, lizardking. Glad you survived.
Mariners were so good that year, but sadly crumpled when faced with those stinkin' Yankees.
Neil Finn singing...my mates Geoff & Vicky, their place in Melbourne; Tazzie brews, drives down to Apollo Bay, Wye River, Philip Island

I spent part of the summer of 2001 in Alaska, where I had hoped to be able to cleanse myself of all my bad habits (drinking, smoking and smoking) and boy was I naïve!  Let's see....stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other 21ish year olds working 6 days/week minimum and heavily encouraged to work that 7th day...and never seeing darkness...yeah....I drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney and smoked like Cheech AND Chong. 

I started a novel while I was there, entitled "My Private Wilderness" which was partly based on the feeling this song gave me.  Too bad my on-again-off-again girlfriend (the unfaithful one) got assigned to my location and went OUT OF HER WAY to get drunk and sleep with any/everyone she could.  It was so bad that I broke my contract and left after a mostly enjoyable (outside of the grueling GF situation) month in the middle-of-nowhere Alaska where even the internet didn't venture.  So much fun and yet so much misery all in 5 weeks. 

The main positives of leaving early were 1) being back in Seattle for the Mariners record 116 win season, Ichiro's "rookie" year and the All-Star game at Safeco and 2) not being stuck in Anchorage after the 9/11 attacks like my friends (and that bitch) did for days. 

Anyways...I'll always think of that dark period in my life, the month of no-darkness in central AK, with something short of glee when I hear this song.  In many ways the time I spent there was the turning point in my life, enduring pain (physical and emotional) and experiencing things that can't be done in the lower 48. 


{#Daisy}{#Daisy}{#Daisy}  Thanks RP 
 CyrusPaul wrote:
My favorite CH album (Together Alone)....thank you RP for finding the deep, best cuts. 
 
Ditto, and I appreciate their whole catalog. The songs and production continue to impress after all these years.
Neill Finn is a unheralded genius! Just so good.
quite possibly the best song the Crowdies have done....if you're not familiar with this album "Together Alone", its worth checking out.  
This is really a great, well-crafted, trippy, catchy song. 
Aha...heard The House play this live at The House last month!  Unbelievable!

Sydney Opera House forecourt after Crowded House was inducted into the Aria Hall of Fame. November 2016

Nice one, Bill.  I see you played this same date 2 years back.   Love RP  {#Cheers}{#Daisy}  {#Bananapiano}
My favorite CH album (Together Alone)....thank you RP for finding the deep, best cuts. 
{#Meditate}      {#Daisy} 
 easmann wrote:

Perception and reality frequently diverge, though there are two versions of this song in the list, a studio and a live version:

24 Search Results for "Crowded House" on Radio Paradise:
Artist
Song Title
Album
Crowded House
Amsterdam
Intriguer
Crowded House
Archer's Arrows
Intriguer
Crowded House
Don't Dream It's Over
Crowded House
Crowded House
English Trees
Time On Earth
Crowded House
Everything Is Good For You
Recurring Dream
Crowded House
Fall At Your Feet
Woodface
Crowded House
Four Seasons In One Day
Recurring Dream
Crowded House
I Feel Possessed
Temple of Low Men
Crowded House
Into Temptation
Recurring Dream
Crowded House
Isolation
Intriguer
Crowded House
Love This Life
Temple Of Low Men
Crowded House
Nails In My Feet
Together Alone
Crowded House
Never Be The Same
Temple of Low Men
Crowded House
Nobody Wants To
Time On Earth
Crowded House
Now We're Getting Somewhere
Crowded House
Crowded House
Pineapple Head
Recurring Dream
Crowded House
Private Universe
Recurring Dream
Crowded House
Private Universe (live)
Farewell To The World
Crowded House
Recurring Dream
Afterglow
Crowded House
Silent House
Time On Earth
Crowded House
Transit Lounge
Time On Earth
Crowded House
Walking on The Spot
Together Alone
Crowded House
Weather With You
Woodface
Crowded House
When You Come
The Very Best Of

 
In addition to those tunes there are at least another 20 songs by Neil Finn on the playlist.
 nicknt wrote:
I do like this CH song, but why does RP play always and only this one ? Do you want to save money for the copyright royalties ?

 
I assume that RP has to pay each time it is played not just once and then they can play it again (and again) 
I also assume that I could be wrong
What say ye Bill? 
Lovely! 
Makes me proud to be a Kiwi.  Thanks.  
There are two runaways on screen, another playing on radio, I visit a runaway too.
Shame - no 12 available.
This album was recorded at friends (of friends (of friends..)) in KareKare ...  I love hearing the beach at the beginning.. think I like it even more than the music that follows.
The last few tracks have left me cold, but this is bringing me back to life. Saw Crowded House live in London a couple of times in the 90s. They were masters. This is glorious track.
 
One of their best songs ever.
This must be the version from 'The Best Of Elevator Music'.
Love hearing great
kiwi music from Canada while in nz :-).  Thanks 
Peter Gabriel flavor. Not bad
 leafmold wrote:
I bet he's writing about riding....This song always reminds me of riding my horse alone through the woods.

 
You can listen the Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn final track, called On Horseback, and you can enjoy an amazing horse ride.
I bet he's writing about riding....This song always reminds me of riding my horse alone through the woods.
 ziakut wrote:
This tune is from an album called..."Together Alone". It isn't originally from the cover showing. Both artwork are bad imo. Music is excellent.

 
The artwork for most (all?) of the albums is done by bassist Nick Seymour.
I do like this CH song, but why does RP play always and only this one ? Do you want to save money for the copyright royalties ?
Thanks for playing this again RP  {#Clap} ...love it
 ziakut wrote:
This tune is from an album called..."Together Alone". It isn't originally from the cover showing. Both artwork are bad imo. Music is excellent.

 
Together Alone
 Mari wrote:
one of the best songs ever written, so love it! thanx rp! ;)*

 


 DaidyBoy wrote:

I agree

 
yes yes it is
10
 Sp3o wrote:
Followed these guys, when they where the split ends.

 

You mean Split Enz - split ends is something to do with bad hair. Split Enz is good hear!
Followed these guys, when they where the split ends.
 Mari wrote:
one of the best songs ever written, so love it! thanx rp! ;)*

 
I agree
Great song, why don't you play sometime the live version? Much more emotive (It is included in teh 2nd CD of the greatest hits album)
"Highest branch on the apple tree was my favourite place to be"

yes Yes  YES   ......    all time fav thank you Bill for playing this one

                 Crowded House are sensational


{#Roflol}{#Bananasplit}{#Clap}
 ziakut wrote:
This tune is from an album called..."Together Alone". It isn't originally from the cover showing. Both artwork are bad imo. Music is excellent.
 
It does appear on the Recurring Dream compilation, which is where the artwork is from. You're correct that it's originally from Together Alone.

RP has also previously played the alternate "acoustic mix" version, which appears on Afterglow (as I discovered when I originally went to iTunes to purchase the track {#Smile}) and which is also excellent — even more haunting, if that's possible.
WonderLizard wrote:

Does it speak Klingon?

 
Does it look like E bovvers?
one of the best songs ever written, so love it! thanx rp! ;)*
 MackStar wrote:




 
Does it speak Klingon?
 philbertr wrote:
"Private Universe"?   {#Redface}  I thought he was singing "Priva Tuniverse" and was wondering if a Tuniverse is where tuna are the highest life form and rule over the world....

 
And the King is named "Priva".
king 
 philbertr wrote:
"Private Universe"?   {#Redface}  I thought he was singing "Priva Tuniverse" and was wondering if a Tuniverse is where tuna are the highest life form and rule over the world....

 

yes its true, Tuna are the highest life form downunder
 ziakut wrote:
This tune is from an album called..."Together Alone". It isn't originally from the cover showing. Both artwork are bad imo. Music is excellent.

 

And I believe "Together Alone" was a reference to the Finn Brothers' classic inability to get along.
 coloradojohn wrote:
I just love how they take that eerie Pink Floyd-like beginning and spin such an enigmatic song around some truly haunting beats...and I agree with the previous poster, that it so strongly evokes past times in life...for me it will always be a nice little bay-side fish-grill, beer and sake party around my awesome little super-charged Subaru 4-WD near the town of Anamizu in the surreal Noto Peninsula of West-Central Japan...we had the back open and the speakers jamming this tune...by the time this song came on, it was pitch dark all around and then we all noticed that the star-shine silhouetting the coastal mountains on the water was as incredible as the music!  

 

Wow.....love your post...
From an 8 to a 9 on this beautiful spring morn........
Okay, okay. I'll give in. I like this.

Or is it just that the hook hooks me?

It has that minor key thing, like Don't Fear the Reaper, or Break on Through to the Other Side.


Great track. I'd like to hear more from this dark and inspiring album. There are many great tracks there.
 maxmox wrote:
EVERYONE (MOSTLY) IN MY VILLAGE  LIKES THIS

 


Ä° love the sound of this track
EVERYONE (MOSTLY) IN MY VILLAGE  LIKES THIS
 Stingray wrote:


Woooow - feels like drivin' with you!
(I'm coming only, if you stop playing this damn FLOYD tape!)

 
Can't oblige you there my friend.... Floyd is ALWAYS part of the journey....
This is very nice, never heard it before...Don't know if I'd  like to find myself singing it on the way to work on Monday.


Haka
 HazzeSwede wrote:

Awsome surround sound...yes it is...try the 320 stream on a 5.1 system ! {#Music}
 
Real audio snobs prefer stereo.
I just upped my rating to 8 (from 7). Maybe I shouldn't drink so much.
wow this caught my ear...purchasing now.
 melissakennedy wrote:
it's amazing how the right song can bring back such a strong feeling of what a former time in life felt like.
 
So well put and so true.
RP doesn't play enuf wimpy tunes, they have to reach into vaults for more, tiresome
This tune is from an album called..."Together Alone". It isn't originally from the cover showing. Both artwork are bad imo. Music is excellent.
 jmsmy wrote:
It's nice too hear a REAL dog in the background.
 
Awsome surround sound...yes it is...try the 320 stream on a 5.1 system ! {#Music}
I just love how they take that eerie Pink Floyd-like beginning and spin such an enigmatic song around some truly haunting beats...and I agree with the previous poster, that it so strongly evokes past times in life...for me it will always be a nice little bay-side fish-grill, beer and sake party around my awesome little super-charged Subaru 4-WD near the town of Anamizu in the surreal Noto Peninsula of West-Central Japan...we had the back open and the speakers jamming this tune...by the time this song came on, it was pitch dark all around and then we all noticed that the star-shine silhouetting the coastal mountains on the water was as incredible as the music!  
Thank you BIll...just what I needed! {#Cheers}
it's amazing how the right song can bring back such a strong feeling of what a former time in life felt like.

12

PS

Just wanted to write that I am proud that no

RP-voter gave this magnificent song a 1.

Then I saw it....!


 philbertr wrote:
"Private Universe"?   {#Redface}  I thought he was singing "Priva Tuniverse" and was wondering if a Tuniverse is where tuna are the highest life form and rule over the world....
 
{#Eek}

You might want to drink only half the bottle of cough syrup next time...
"Private Universe"?   {#Redface}  I thought he was singing "Priva Tuniverse" and was wondering if a Tuniverse is where tuna are the highest life form and rule over the world....
Nice song, but I've heard it rather a lot lately.
More new stuff please! 
Nice!
 xkolibuul wrote:
10 10 10.  Gorgeous, atmospheric song, right down to the Solomon Islands drums.  Anyone thinking this is supermarket music is simply not thinking at all.
 

or they're too hungry to think straight!
Music to dreams.
 tutakea wrote:
absolutely awful. cheap music for supermarkets
 
awsome you mean{#Jump}
10 10 10.  Gorgeous, atmospheric song, right down to the Solomon Islands drums.  Anyone thinking this is supermarket music is simply not thinking at all.
 tutakea wrote:
absolutely awful. cheap music for supermarkets
 



Best you tune to another radio station!
This was somehow just what I needed today. Thanks. 
never gets old. love it.
 tutakea wrote:
absolutely awful. cheap music for supermarkets
 
you from NZ by any chance?
 tutakea wrote:
absolutely awful. cheap music for supermarkets
 
I'd shop in a supermarket that played this.
absolutely awful. cheap music for supermarkets
My favorite CH song.  Brilliant melody
Atmosphere, baby! Atmosphere! Yep...this is GOOOOD!
Wish they had a "Like" button.. 
Yeah, if they would only blow something up in the middle somewhere ...
 
Papernapkin wrote:
A little too 'sensitive' for me.
 


"In our private junipers"?
BEST SONG THE BEATLES NEVER WROTE!

ANOTHER 10!
A little too 'sensitive' for me.
It's nice too hear a REAL dog in the background.
Excellent song and excellent band. 9
 megaboogieman wrote:
Nice! I like the drums and the pipes!
 
{#Clap}{#Bounce}
Neil is well worth the effort to seriously investigate; despite CH's deserved sucess, he is well under-rated IMHO. Fabulous singer/songwriter, and an awesome rythme guitarist to boot............
Go you good thing!

Nice! I like the drums and the pipes!
Nice pipes!
Nice, I like the drums.
 ckcotton wrote:
Ahhhhhh 

reminds me of driving in the convertible in San Diego... top down...... sun shining.... smell of the Pacific in the air......

 
 

Woooow - feels like drivin' with you!
(I'm coming only, if you stop playing this damn FLOYD tape!)

Ahhhhhh 

reminds me of driving in the convertible in San Diego... top down...... sun shining.... smell of the Pacific in the air......

 
Seven people voted this song to be a "1"!

10, I say!


Us Africans were treated to a few Crowded House concerts last year. My partner and I travelled many hours to Johannesburg to go and see them... It was worth every kilometer. They have a stunning stage presence. Get to see them if they are in your neck of the woods.
The Very Best of Croweded House is no longer availabe! There is a new The Very Very Best of Crowded House on mp3 now! The price just keeps going up! Great group and sound. Loved the Finns together!