History Never Repeats


"History Never Repeats" was a single written by Neil Finn and recorded by Split Enz for their 1981 Waiata album. The song remains one of their most popular. The video was the 12th to be played by MTV upon its launch in 1981. In 2001 the song was voted by members of APRA as the 57th best New Zealand song of the 20th century.
The guitar bridge in this song, played by Neil Finn, was originally featured in an old Phil Judd song, "Bergen Aan Zee". The band only played the latter song live.

Track listings

Australasian release

  1. "History Never Repeats" - 3:00
  2. "Holy Smoke"

    International release

Released in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal with different artwork and track listings.
;UK/Portugal Track Listing
  1. "History Never Repeats" - 3:00
  2. "Shark Attack "
  3. "What's The Matter With You "
;Netherlands/Spain Track Listing
  1. "History Never Repeats" - 3:00
  2. "What's The Matter With You "

    Charts

Chart Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart#4
New Zealand Singles Chart#5
UK Singles Chart#63
US Mainstream Rock#33

Personnel