Into Temptation by Crowded House

Album: Temple of Low Men (1988)

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Crowded House lead singer Neil Finn wrote this song after a very memorable evening. He told Goldmine magazine: "The first few lines of it related to being in a motel in New Zealand. There was a rugby team there, and a netball team – netball's like women's basketball. And they were having a really big night in the bar together while I was playing my guitar. And one by one a lot of them paired off.

I went back to my room, and just before I went to sleep I heard a knock on the door next door, and I kind of thought it was my door. I went out to open it, and as I did, one of these netball players was knocking on this guy's door. They both sort of saw me and went 'Ooops!' and he ushered her in. And then they proceeded to get it on in the room.

Those were the first few lines: 'You opened up your door, I couldn't believe my luck.' I was kind of speculating about this guy's reaction to it. These probably sound strange, but this is actually the origin of a lot of stuff. You get them from weird places.

The chorus was to do with LA, really. When there was a big earthquake there, and people were espousing the theory that it was punishment from God for all of LA's excess and sin. So it was 'Into temptation, knowing full well the earth will rebel.' That was the origin of it. It became a song written in the first person, so it related like a personal experience. But really the origin was actually different."

Comments: 2

The Singing Sydney Bus Driver from SydneyOne of my all time favourite songs, and my favourite Crowded House song. I was fearful in a way of liking this song because the lyrics may be interpreted as a desire to have you-know-what with an under-age girl: "the cradle was soft and warm, it couldn't do me no harm" line made me feel quite uneasy. But now that I have learnt about the origins of these lyrics, I don't feel so bad. I love Paul Hester's drum-brush technique and the string section accompaniment. It makes the song's character come alive and emotive.
Martha from Knoxville, TnI was always sure it was about an affair. I was going through a similar experience before I was married.

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