Split Enz - Dirty Creature (1982)

[nerdflanders8710]

Tim Finn was the genius behind this band.

[zindi1138]

lets go walkin around the block?!?

[milofire]

@zindi1138 well you never know who ya might meeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

[zindi1138]

@milofire hahahahahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaa

[TheNouveauxdecadence]

My utter favourite S;lit Enz track EVER!

[musikgal17]

I love Split Enz and Crowded House....Finn Brothers such amazing, creative Songwriters!!!!

[Blinkybills]

The Finn brothers would have to be one of the most consistently talented song writer combinations Australasia has ever seen. Still love em after all these years.

[ListeningSky]

I always loved the album Time and Tide, my favorite of the Enz!

[bmibiketrial]

Best split enz song - bar none

[KARENK72886]

***** sweet! 

[Cebaszojic]

Fave enz song.

[tpinaz10]

I have been listening to the Enz forever, I think I dismissed this song years ago when I first heard it. I checked it out again and love it. Maturity sure is rewarding. Split Enz are the sh*t!

[SkiBunn]

Probably my favorite song from one of my favorite bands of the 80's!

[fmallis]

Criminally underrated band. 

[voodoolady2010]

Amazing song, truely well ahead of it's time and oh so catchy. Makes me work just that little bit faster when I hear it at work.

[ROYALWAND]

it's SERIOUS DEPRESSION

I had it for Years & Years & endless Years .....

it's HORRIBLE, more worse than the name would suggest

[glamcherie69]

@ dah72007 - its about drug addiction... "dirty creature of habit"... "anyone in his right mind would stay away" Come on people.

[dteutnhg]

@glamcherie69 - from a Tim Finn interview:

[Dirty Creature is a song I wrote] when I suffered from these really terrible panic attacks. I didn't know what they were and a terrible anxiety feeling would come about every night. I didn't know anything about this condition, this clinical condition. [..] That song was basically me defending myself against this thing.

[getevilnic]

@dteutnhg Sad stuff. I always thought Tim Finn deserved every bit as much fame/fortune/recognition as everyone else in Split Enz and Crowded House. Unfortunately, it seems his temperament worked against him :(

[glamcherie69]

@ dah72007 - its about heroin addiction

[wmelgaard]

A very good first generation music video and a great song too. The whole second side of the Time and Tide album was great.

[Laras420]

if ya dont move to this song ya must be dead LOL

[allarsenmusic]

Totally love this song and Tim Finn is unbelievably handsome in this!

[terej2lle]

Nice!

[carntspell]

I`d guess it`s about a nightmare or some kind of illness, although it could be about what women think about what`s lying next to them on the second morning of their honeymoon.

[Hildovar]

Awesome song! 

[kesfree]

Love the two note piano solo. Brill

[abuzzme]

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIMES... LOVE IT.....

[dah72007]

A dumb question, I love this song, but what is it about?

[nzoz1982]

@dah72007 mental illness?

[TheFlyslip]

@nzoz1982 Right you are. Tim wrote this after a bout of anxiety and depression, and to be honest, as someone who's suffered with that kind of cr*p the better part of my life, this has to be the best song dealing with the subject, EVER.

Beyond blue need to get on this... just sayin'

[rcaddict72]

@TheFlyslip ..im surfing for music clips whilst in a deep bout right now...its about all i can do...

[TheFeztastic]

@dah72007 I believe it was about Tim's anxiety attacks, he suffered a major mental breakdown around this time which led to some interesting material and a sort of theme to the Time and Tide album.

[stevemcarthur1981]

@dah72007 I think this about the stress and mental trauma that Tim went through when he split with his wife. Six Months In A Leaky Boat on the same album is about the same thing. The songs from Time in this phase are his best

[marlysma]

@dah72007  I read once in an interview with Tim that it was about the anxiety attacks he used to get. Pretty interesting when he is such a great performer....

[marlysma]

@dah72007 I heard or read an interview in which Tim said it refers to the anxiety attacks he used to get... pretty amazing to hear that from such a great performer....

[Warthogfan]

@dah72007 Tim's battle with depression, as I understand it. So yes mental illness would cover it.

[Geedles]

Depression

[childofthemarshalsea]

@dah72007 According to Wikipedia, "Tim Finn had been suffering from panic attacks at the time, and co-wrote the song as a relief for his condition". But if you look at it more broadly, it may be about internal fears we all have.

[TheMichaelseymour]

@dah72007 Depression.

[nerdflanders8710]

@dah72007 a woman 

[chubchaser69]

@dah72007 It's an allegory about depression based on a legendary creature called the Taniwha, sort of like a whale, that lived at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of (usually) treacherous waters, that historically saved those imperiled in said waters. Google it. Great insight into NZ/Maori culture.

[Skulldini]

Musicians playing underwater ? .. That was a very imaginative and original concept for a music video in 1982 ( which was pretty nearly the inception of the whole MV phenomenon ),.. yet do these guys ever get their proper due for it ?!!

[MusicMaster74]

@Skulldini YES!! Split Enz continued for a further 2 years until the founding member Tim Finn called it a day (mind you I do believe that Finn went "solo" for a bit before recording this album back with the group). When he came back, there was a bit of conflict with little brother, Neil Finn, would he brought into a refreshed line-up in 1977. Problem was"little brother" was a better song writer and singer! Most of the true hits were in cedit to Neil.....and the proper due!

[Warthogfan]

@MusicMaster74 I much prefer Tim's quirky songs and song writing over Neil's more easy listening aproach, which he took to massive heights in Crowded House. The only Crowdies song I like is Chocolate Cake. Which had Tim's stamp all over it.

[dqdqwdqdqdw]

@Warthogfan i've been saying that for years, well said.

[Warthogfan]

@Warthogfan Yay, someone agrees with me.lol

[dovie2blue]

Oh that sound is MUCH BETTER, thanks a lot!!!!

[72jaydubs]

gotta hand it to them kiwis!! they know how to produce great acts like the enz! another classic song.

[tacticalbattledroid]

not heard this befor but im luving it';-)

[ClungeFlap]

nice - slight touch of INXS about this - which is no bad thing.

Still and "Enz" classic

[nosleep62]

let's hear it for griggs, who anchored this gem with his funky bassline and scored a co-writing credit for his efforts!

[sfstucco]

hear, hear!

[apotts60]

This song is off the "Time and Tide" album. I consider that album to be in the top 5 of th entire eighties and in the top 10 of all times. What can I say the early eighties was a magical.

[LoveHeartLogicHead]

This is all the way hard core classic rock.

A real beauty.

Thanks nzoz.

[Judus99]

Sweet! this one has much better sound quality that another posted. Thanks for posting.

[matt20092]

This was a personal song for Tim. It is about his escalating panic attacks he was suffering, before his breakdown. Honest man.

[Judus99]

I did not know that. I do see how it can be translated now you mention it though. Interesting and insightful. Thanks for that bit of knowledge.

[anitashelby]

Awesome Song!!!  5*s Thanks Anita

[aristacourt]

5 stars, havent heard it in years....thank u.

[toveksasyout33]

very nice song.looove it

[noonuspiggle]

awesome...love this band

[joe4379]

Perfect.

[abuzzme]

awesome song. thanks for posting it. brings back so many good memories of the eighties...

[jiangbaojiding]

Great job nzoz!