Album · Crowded House
Temple of Low Men by Crowded House
Temple of Low Men is an album by Crowded House, released in 1988. 6 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 42 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Better Be Home Soon”, on 15 lists with a best position of #10.
Temple of Low Men, the second Crowded House album, came out on Capitol in July 1988, and it's the sound of a band ducking the easy follow-up. Neil Finn wrote all ten songs in the two years after the debut, and he, bassist Nick Seymour and drummer Paul Hester cut them in Melbourne and Los Angeles with Mitchell Froom producing.
Where the first record sparkled, this one broods. The melodies are as sweet as ever, but Finn's songs turn inward, darker and more knotted, with Froom's shadowy production pooling around them and "Kill Eye" and "Into Temptation" pulling the curtains shut. The one that got away into the light is "Better Be Home Soon", a plain, aching plea. It went to number one in Australia and number two in New Zealand, and at the 1989 ARIA Awards it took Album of the Year and Best Group, "Better Be Home Soon" won Song of the Year, and Seymour's own artwork won Best Cover Art.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Temple of Low Men on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Be Home Soon | 15 | #10 | – | 1988–2025 | |
| 2 | Into Temptation | 9 | #95 | – | 1991–2023 | |
| 3 | Mansion In The Slums | 7 | #826 | – | 1999–2005 | |
| 4 | Kill Eye | 9 | #96 | – | 1988–2005 | |
| 5 | Sister Madly | 1 | #1197 | – | 2003 | |
| 6 | Never Be the Same | 1 | #1634 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.