History Never Repeats

"History Never Repeats" is a single written by Neil Finn and recorded by Split Enz. It was released in March 1981 as the second single from their album, Waiata. The song remains one of their most popular.^[1] It was also used as the title of two compilation albums by the band.

"History Never Repeats"
Single by Split Enz
from the album Waiata
B-side	"Holy Smoke"
Released	March 1981
Recorded	AAV Studios, Melbourne, 1980
Genre	New wave
Length	3:00
Label	Mushroom Records
Songwriter(s)	Neil Finn
Producer(s)	David Tickle
Split Enz singles chronology
"One Step Ahead" (1980) "History Never Repeats" (1981) "I Don't Wanna Dance" (1981)

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.

The video was the 12th to be played by MTV upon its launch in 1981.^[2] In 2001 the song was voted by members of APRA as the 57th-best New Zealand song of the 20th century.

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 (Live)"
3. "What's The Matter With You (Live)"

Netherlands/Spain track listing

1. "History Never Repeats" – 3:00
2. "What's the Matter with You (Live)"

Personnel

• Neil Finn – vocals, guitar
• Tim Finn – vocals
• Noel Crombie – percussion
• Malcolm Green – drums
• Nigel Griggs – bass
• Eddie Rayner – vocals, keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3][4]	4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[5]	5
UK Singles Chart[6]	63
US Mainstream Rock[7]	33

Year-end charts

Chart (1981)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3]	49