SLS: Fills My Cup

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This week we are given a theme for Song Lyric Sunday chosen by the fabulous Nancy of the Elephant’s Trunk blog, aka The Sicilian Storyteller. Her suggestion is that we play a song related to weather conditions of sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, or stormy. Jim’s post How’s The Weather tells all. Nancy had a two month residency here a couple of years ago, and this feels like an amalgam of two of her themes from back then, and one of them has also featured more recently without the need for her to prompt it. The easy way would be for me to repeat one of the posts I wrote before, but where’s the fun in that?

One song came to mind immediately, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not alone in playing it today. It does, after all, cover most of the weather bases! But for once I’m not shying away from a possible repeat (sorry, Jim) and am going with this as my lead song:

And as I have taken to doing, to retain some control over the way WP formats my paragraphs, I’m again giving you a link to the lyrics from genius.com.

Four Seasons In One Day was the fifth and final single taken from Crowded House’s third album, Woodface. They are a part Australian, part New Zealand band, and their trademark has always been the beautiful harmonies which are in evidence on that track. The title references a common saying used in Melbourne to describe the city’s changeable weather, though I don’t think they have copyrighted it: we use the phrase here in the UK when we are talking about our favourite subject – the weather. We have a lot of it. And as many Aussies are descended from Brits (Ten Pound Poms, convicts) I think we could claim any copyright that might be up for grabs.

The album was released in July 1991 and was their UK breakthrough, reaching #6, though it performed less well in the US than their two previous ones, only getting to #83. It was, of course, big Down Under: #2 in Australia and #1 in New Zealand. The single wasn’t released until June 1992, by which time I think anyone who wanted this song already had it, but nevertheless it still made #26 in the UK, #33 in New Zealand and #47 in Australia, though it didn’t make the US charts. This is a lovely album that I still go back to when I’m in the mood for something soothing to listen to.

 

 

I’m giving you another tune today, which I have played before for Tuesday Tunes but not for SLS. It isn’t exactly imaginative in its lyrics, but it is such a happy sound that I just had to include it:

And if you really need the lyrics, genius.com comes to your rescue again. As Brit readers will recognise, that clip is from the long-running Top Of The Pops tv show, complete with a bit of Noel Edmonds, who was hosting that week. Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. They are just about still in existence, though only two of the seven original members are still with us: the most recent to pass away was Teddy Osei, lead vocalist on this, who died in January 2025 at the age of 87. Osibisa released albums up to 2009, and then returned with another in 2021. A couple of their early records both reached #11 in the UK Albums chart, and Sunshine Day was their best performing single, getting to #17 in January 1976. It’s happy and fun, and I’ve always rather liked it. It was the opening track on their 1975 album, Welcome Home, which made #200 in the US and #75 in Australia, though it wasn’t a UK hit. And you get an idea of how awful fashions were in 1976 from this: I got married in August 1975 and had to buy a suit that allowed for the height of my platform shoes, and which could only be worn with them. Driving was almost impossible!

That’s me done for today, and I hope you enjoyed these. Thanks as ever to Jim Adams for running the show, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes. Have fun 🤩

43 thoughts on “SLS: Fills My Cup”

    • They are fun, aren’t they.

      With the heel as well they raised me about four inches. It felt like walking on stilts!

      Crowded House were great, and this is one of their best. Glad you enjoyed these 👍

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  3. Like both tunes today, Osibisa are all about the vibe, groove, feel, whatever. The lyrics don’t really matter in the fun context. Pure music to dance and smile along to. I even did a (slow motion) boogie across the kitchen to make my morning coffee while this was on, so it works. Split Enz the band that most consider the heart of Crowded House are doing a 50 year ‘Forever Enz’ tour back here in NZ this May. (‘Charlie’ is an Enz song I rate right up there, but it’s a pretty damn dark song, not bright and happy at all.)

    The 70s- floral ties, wide belts, those half-assed silly short jerseys that stopped before the navel, flares that flap around your ankles like a fraying flag, ankle breaking boots- WHAT WERE WE THINKING???

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  6. I know Crowded House, good to hear again. The second one was new to me, love the big band sound – all those instruments melding together in bliss. I may just be dancing to Sunshine Day!!

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    • Sorry, you were in spam again! I usually get a clue that a comment is coming when I get a notification that you have ‘liked’ a post, but you didn’t hit the button for this one so I’ve only just found this!

      I’m pleased you enjoyed the songs, though. I saw Osibisa at uni, and they were as good and as much fun as you would imagine from this clip.

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    • Happy to be here, Jim. I wouldn’t miss it! I think you’ve picked a key element of many of Crowded House’s songs there: bittersweet lyrics were their speciality. I’m glad you liked Osibisa too – a fun band.

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  15. It feels like four seasons right now as in the last week we’ve had freezing rain (twice), snow, +5 dropping to -25 the next day, sunny and -15, cloudy and -2.. Oh, and not to mention the wind…
    Canada in March.

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    • Thank you, Lisa, I’m pleased you liked them. The 70s weren’t known as ‘the decade that taste forgot’ for nothing, in my view. I can’t believe what I wore back then 🤣

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  17. Thank-you for not making the obvious CH choice, as I really like Four Seasons In One Day. Like yourself I play that album when in the mood for great harmonies and lyrics, and I’m always reminded what a tremendous album it is.

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  18. Both great selections. I had of course heard of Crowded house- but this song was new to me. And your second choice Osibisa was completely new to me, but I enjoyed it too. Thank you for all the new introductions!

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    • I’m pleased you enjoyed them both. I’m not sure if the Crowded House one was ever released as a single there – info sources are unclear – so if you didn’t have the album you wouldn’t have heard it. And I thought a little bit of sunshine would be welcome 😊

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