"I Walk Away" is a song written by Neil Finn, and originally recorded by Finn's group Split Enz. It was released in September 1984 as the lead single from their tenth and final studio album See Ya 'Round, and was a chart hit in New Zealand and Australia.
| "I Walk Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Split Enz | ||||
| from the album See Ya 'Round | ||||
| Released | September 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop, rock | |||
| Length | 3:49 | |||
| Label | Mushroom Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Finn | |||
| Producer(s) | Jim Barton, Split Enz | |||
| Split Enz singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Finn's next group, Crowded House, re-recorded the song for the North American version of their self-titled debut album of 1986. (See Ya 'Round was not issued in the U.S., and therefore the song "I Walk Away" was new to U.S. audiences.) "I Walk Away" was not included on the original Australian/NZ release of Crowded House, but all later re-issues of the album in all countries include "I Walk Away" as a standard track. The Crowded House version of the song is slightly rewritten from the original Split Enz version, and features a different verse.
Finn sings both the Split Enz and Crowded House versions of "I Walk Away", and Paul Hester (who was a member of both groups) was the drummer on both.
Reception
editReviewing the Crowded House version, Junkee said, "There's something zeitgeisty about this one — it feels like U2 at their hungriest, propulsive and urgent in its delivery. Hester puts on a showcase of tension and release, while Seymour holds down the low-end and Finn executes some truly underrated guitar work."[1]
Track listing
edit12" vinyl
edit- Side A
- "I Walk Away (Extended Version)"
- Side B
- "Doctor Love"
7" vinyl
edit- "I Walk Away" 3:49
- "Over Drive" 3:43
Personnel
edit- Neil Finn - vocals, guitar
- Eddie Rayner - keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Noel Crombie - percussion
- Nigel Griggs - bass
- Paul Hester - drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 45 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] | 13 |
References
edit- ^ David James Young (17 June 2021). "The Evolution Of Crowded House In 15 Essential Tracks". Junkee.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 288. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
- ^ "Split Enz – I Walk Away". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 November 2020.