"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by the Australian rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was written by band frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from the album.
The song, described by AllMusic as a "majestic ballad",became the band's biggest international hit, reaching No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in April 1987. "Don't Dream It's Over" was also a great success in Finn's native country of New Zealand, where it peaked at Number 1. It also topped the charts in Canada, while in Australia it peaked at No.8. In Continental Europe, it reached No.6 in Norway, No.7 in the Netherlands, and No.13 in Germany.
In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrated its 75th anniversary by naming the Best New Zealand and Best Australian songs of all time, as decided by APRA members and an industry panel. "Don't Dream It's Over" was ranked second on the New Zealand list and seventh on the Australian list.
Nick Seymour said at the time of release, "You think the song is gloomy? The record's about not giving up hope and succumbing to the effects of the mass media and consumerism, but there's an over-riding positive view in all our songs."
New Zealand artist Stan Walker began performing a Māori language version of the song while touring as support act for Beyonce in 2014. In June 2017, Walker performed a bi-linguage version of the track on television. Walker said "I sing it anywhere in the world because I feel it connects me back to home, and what it means, and I get to share that with the world and it is a world-class song." In 2019, Walker recorded the Māori language version of the song with Seth Haapu for his EP Faith Hope Love, titled "Moemoeā".
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Don't Dream Its Over" was ranked number 65.
Music video[]
The music video for the song was created by Australian film production company Meaningful Eye Contact and was directed by Alex Proyas. It was filmed in Sydney at an abandoned theatre in Balmain. The video features some surreal special effects such as household objects – including shattering crockery – and film reels that float in the air, with lead singer Finn playing a guitar and walking through the same house during different time periods while his bandmates are either performing household chores or playing various backing instruments. It was nominated for Best Group Video, and Best Direction at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards, and earned the group a Best New Artist award.