Neil Finn's songs of ascension

Take 5

Neil Finn is one of our greatest living songwriters. In Split Enz and Crowded House, solo and in his collaborations, his tunes have become the soundtrack to our lives.

I’ve been chasing Neil to Take 5 for the TV series since the beginning, and finally he said yes. Even better, he invited us to film at his own studios. Roundhead, a pale green building on an Auckland street that has seen some incredible music history go down.

Bunker down in the basement of Roundhead, as Neil Finn shares the DNA of his songwriting heart, and the music that soars for him.

• David Bowie – ‘Quicksand’
• Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata No.8 “Pathétique” in C minor, Op. 13, 2nd Movement: Adagio cantabile (performed by Arthur Rubinstein)
• Split Enz – ‘Time for a Change’
• The Beatles – ‘Across the Universe’
• Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – ‘Summertime’