Six Months in a Leaky Boat

"Six Months in a Leaky Boat" is a song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz. It was released in May 1982 as the second single from the group's eighth studio album, Time and Tide. The title is a reference to the time it took pioneers to sail to New Zealand (hence the reference to Aotearoa and The Tyranny of Distance - a history by Geoffrey Blainey), and a metaphor that refers to lead singer Tim Finn's nervous breakdown.[1]

"Six Months in a Leaky Boat"
Single by Split Enz
from the album Time and Tide
B-side"Fire Drill"
ReleasedMay 1982
GenrePop, rock
Length4:21
3:48 (edited version)
3:14 (US edited version)
LabelMushroom Records
Songwriter(s)Tim Finn, Split Enz
Producer(s)Hugh Padgham, Split Enz
Split Enz singles chronology
"Dirty Creature"
(1982)		 "Six Months in a Leaky Boat"
(1982)		 "Never Ceases to Amaze Me"
(1982)
Music video
"Six Months in a Leaky Boat" on YouTube

The song became a top-10 hit in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, going on to be voted the fifth-best New Zealand song ever in the 2001 Australasian Performing Right Association list.[2] Its chart performance was less successful in the United Kingdom, owing to its release during the Falklands War. Despite being recorded prior to the outbreak of the conflict, some in Britain considered the song to be veiled criticism of the war with Argentina.[3] The song was consequently removed from many radio play lists in the United Kingdom, including the BBC,[4] since it was considered that references to leaky boats were inappropriate during the naval action in the war.[5]

At the 1982 Countdown Music Awards the song was nominated for Best Australian Single.[6][7]

Music video

The video shows band members dressed in nautical gear, and Māori artists performing traditional Māori poi dance.

Track listing

Australian/NZ 7" single

  1. "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" (edited version) - 3:53
  2. "Fire Drill" - 3:53

US/European 7" single

  1. "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" - 3:05
  2. "Make Sense of It" - 3:30

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 2
Canadian Singles Chart[9] 7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 7
UK Singles Chart[11] 83
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles[12] 104
US Cash Box Top 100[13] 81

Year-end charts
Chart (1982) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14][15] 18

Covers
  • "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" was covered by Australian indie rock band Little Birdy, and appears on the 2005 compilation album She Will Have Her Way. They also played the song during their set at the Sydney Sound Relief concert.
  • Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles covered this song on their album/video, It's a Wiggly, Wiggly World, with Tim Finn singing back up and appearing in the video, but with the lyrics significantly altered to be about Captain Feathersword.

Legacy

The song was voted the 5th best New Zealand song of all time in 2001 by members of APRA.

The song was used as the funeral song for explorer, environmentalist and sailor Sir Peter Blake, sung by Tim Finn with acoustic guitar, at Blake's service.

References
  1. Ostrander, Ken (April 26, 2012). Time and Tide - Split Enz. super groovy delicious bite
  2. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. "Split Enz". New Zealand History. New Zealand Government. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. "Split Enz". New Zealand History. New Zealand Government. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  4. NZ Herald Staff (2007). "Banning songs not a rare occurrence for the BBC". NZME Publishing Limited. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  5. The Q Encyclopedia of Rock Stars by Dafydd Rees and Luke Crampton, Dorling Kindersley 1999, page 938
  6. "Australian Music Awards". Ron Jeff. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  7. "Final episode of Countdown". 1970scountdown. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. "RPM Canadian Charts". Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  10. "Split Enz – Six Months in a Leaky Boat". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  11. "UK Singles Chart". Official Charts. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  12. Whitburn, Joel (1998). Bubbling Under Singles & Albums (1998 ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wis., U.S.A.: Record Research. p. 190. ISBN 9780898201284.
  13. "Cash Box Top 100, 19 June 1982". tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  14. "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 434. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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