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Classic Songs
Revisited
TIM FINN
Growing Pains
written by Tim Finn
produced by Mark Moffatt and Ricky Fataar
I’m making this page June 25th, 2021, the 69th birthday of
Brian Timothy Finn, a New Zealand pop artist and band member
who goes by Tim Finn in his recording work. Happy Birthday, TF!!
This one is quite cool in that I know little to no New Zealand acts outside of Tim, and the band he formed in the mid-’70s, Split Enz. I got my first taste of Split Enz in the late ’90s, when I found their 1980 hit song “I Got You” on a very very old ’80s budget compilation. For a few years, Split Enz meandered through several different genres, trying out lots of different sounds in songs. Toward the end of the ’70s, they’d begun adhering to the overtaking quirky new wave pop realm. As lead singer, Tim’s similarly quirky-sounding voice (and accent, to non-Zealanders) matched the new wave-ish feel, helping to boost the band’s success.
I do have a copy of True Colours, Split Enz’ ’80 album with “I Got You.” I’ve also since gotten very acquainted with their 1982 hit single “Six Months In A Leaky Boat,” both of which I’ll be covering some other time. I was going to catalogue one of them here as Tim’s birthday tribute, until I remembered I also have an equally enjoyable bouncy solo tune of his, “Growing Pains.”
Tim recorded and put out solo material as well as his band work from 1983 up till 2011. (He was also briefly a member of his brother Neil’s Australian pop band, Crowded House, which had huge hits with both “Something So Strong” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”) But as for this particular song—which first appeared on his solo debut, Escapade—I actually have legendary late American Brat Pack filmmaker John Hughes to thank. Known within the rest of the ’80s for his odd and random musical selections to help narrate his films, he used “Growing Pains” in his directorial debut, 1984’s Sixteen Candles. Its title is an odd coincidence, not exactly the most common phrase in English usage, and pre-dates the beloved (American) 1985-92 sitcom of the same name starring Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron. In all likelihood, its name probably wasn’t inspired by Tim’s song... but I certainly couldn’t tell you for sure.
Have notes to add? Let me know!
YT:
1983
Lyrics
Growing pains, growing pains, always in a hurry / It remains to be seen, if it’s worth the worry / Growing pains, growing pains, always in a hurry / Ba-da da-da ba-da da-da, ba da da-da da-da da-da-dow / And I won’t regret it for a single moment / The hours I spend investigating / A way of living with no misgiving, ah yeah / x1 / And I tumble onwards, and stumble sideways / When you least expect it, there’s a major breakthrough / No way of knowing / If you’re coming or going, ah yeah / x1 / Growing pains leave no trace / They’re peculiar to the human race, whoa whoa / Whoa whoa, whoa whoa / Growing pains leave no trace / They’re peculiar to the human race, whoa whoa / Whoa whoa, whoa whoa / Growing pains, growing pains, always in a hurry / It remains to be seen, if it’s worth the worry / Growing pains, growing pains, always in the middle / You don’t want to complain, or play second fiddle / Growing pains, growing pains, always in a hurry / Ba-da da-da ba-da da-da
first release: Escapade (1983)
audio treated sample
This page was originally made on June 25th, 2021 and last edited on July 26th, 2021