Song · Split Enz
“Hard Act to Follow” by Split Enz
From the album Waiata (1981)
“Hard Act to Follow” by Split Enz appears on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station between 1981 and 1988. It was first released in 1981 on the album Waiata. Its best result is #38 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #38 alternative song of 1981 and #7,585 alternative song of all time.
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Tim Finn wrote "Hard Act to Follow" on his own, music and lyrics, and it turned up in 1981 on Waiata, the sixth studio album from Split Enz, the new wave outfit out of New Zealand.
The record came with an identity crisis of the best kind. Waiata is the Māori word for song and singing, and according to Noel Crombie the plan was to retitle it with a native word in every country it came out in. Only Australia played along, getting it as Corroboree, an Aboriginal term, while everyone else kept the New Zealand title. It was the same album that handed the brand-new MTV some of its very first videos that year, courtesy of "One Step Ahead" and "History Never Repeats".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 38 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 490 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
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