INXS Singles Ranked, 11-20

It’s kind of fascinating coming back to this list after a two year absence.  This is how I ranked these songs in 2019 and I am a little surprised by both how much I disagree with my rankings of some of these songs as well as by how much I still agree with some of the rankings.  Most of what I wrote in the prior entry was written way back then, so this is the first truly new entry in a couple of years.

Let’s get to it!

20.  The Stairs

Netherlands only single from Live Baby Live (1991), released as a single in 1991

According to Doyle:  I had not heard this song before picking up my copy of the Shine Like It Does anthology, but it quickly became one of my favorite INXS tracks.  Michael Hutchence described “The Stairs” as “the most ambitious song I’ve ever written.”  Indeed, the lyrics focus on the loneliness and lack of connection people living in cities can experience – kind of thematically similar (though very aurally different) to The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.”  While the studio version of “The Stairs” from X is also very good, but I prefer both Hutch’s slow-burn vocals and Tim Farriss’ impassioned guitar work on this live version.

Coming back to this list after two years, I was surprised that I didn’t rank this song higher.

According to Stu: Like the rest of the X album, my feelings for this song have fluctuated quite a bit over time. Because X was released almost a full three years after Kick, I was terribly excited to have new material to listen to. I listened to it on loop for weeks, and dug every moment of it.

But a few months later, I came to find the album… well… kind of meh. It’s not terrible, but now that I can look back at their whole catalog, it’s just an okay album to me.

I see “The Stairs” as a poem – not just in its lyrics, but in its structure as well. I particularly like the lines ‘The fragments and the accidents are separated by incidents’ and ‘The nature of your tragedy is chained around your neck’.

As for the non-lyrical poetry of the song, I have a love/hate relationship with it. The instrumental intro goes on for 46 (!) measures before the vocal comes in, or about 1:40 into the song. That’s a looooong time to set up the story to come, which I interpret to be about sharing the world with strangers that you see regularly, but only as you pass by each other. And quite possibly, it’s someone who lives or works in the same building.

But I also feel that the prolonged intro is what makes the song work – I see it as someone walking down a street, turning a corner and walking some more, crossing the street, entering a building, walking up the stairs, etc. It is singular and lonely in a bustling world with hundreds of other people. The repeated portions of the lyrics – ‘Story to story…’ and ‘Listened to by the walls…’ – represent the repeated daily routine, whether it’s the work you do or the path you walk to get from point A to point B.

That’s my interpretation of “The Stairs,” and I’m sticking to it.

19.  I Get Up

Non-album single released in 2003

According to Doyle:  “I Get Up” was the first new single INXS recorded and released after the death of Michael Hutchence and features New Zealand singer Jon Stevens on vocals and as lyricist.  Stevens fronted INXS from 2000-2003 and was the official lead singer starting in 2002, but he ultimately left the band because “the creativity was too slow” and he didn’t want to be touring “just playing other people’s songs.”  I think it’s kind of a shame that the partnership between INXS and Stevens didn’t last +because “I Get Up” is, in my opinion, easily the best post-Hutchence song the band recorded.  It manages to bridge the band’s classic sound with the music of the early 00’s, and I can’t help but wonder (with no disrespect to J.D. Fortune) if the band would have had greater success in that decade if they’d stuck with him.  Of course, they wouldn’t have had the brief career boost of Rock Star: INXS if they had, but still.

Anyhow, “I Get Up” has a catchy as hell chorus and if the lyrics are a bit lackluster, they’re also not especially outside the band’s ouevre.  Basically, Stevens and the band are telling you to get up (get on up) if you’re down, and Andrew Farriss provides the music to help you do that.  Oh, what could have been.

According to Stu: I only sort of like this song. It’s not that I think anything is wrong with it, but I do feel like it’s missing an element somewhere. Or maybe it’s that the team was changed up – the band as a whole with Jon Stevens replacing Michael, or the songwriting tandem with Stevens teaming with Andrew.

I’m also not sure all six members play on the track – Andrew and Kirk may only be doing backing vocals. But maybe the point was to have a sparser arrangement.

I do like the funk and blues influences. It sounds like “I Get Up” could have been part of the Full Moon, Dirty Hearts sessions.

18. Way of the World (Max Q)

First single from Max Q (1989), released as a single in 1989

According to Doyle:  I played this this song like crazy on KTUH back in 1989.  “Way of the World” was a reasonably significant hit in Australia and New Zealand, but it looks like the only place it lit up the charts in the USA was on my radio show (I think it my show was called “Frame 37” in 1989, but I renamed it A121 in the 90’s).  I’ve always read the lyrics as being anti-Capitalism – the comparison of God to the bomb is obviously (to me at least) more a comment on how our corporate oppressors use both as tools for creating fear and control than it is a religious sentiment.  Hutchence and his Max Q collaborator Ollie Olsen recorded this album between INXS’s Kick and X.  I believe that the experience of writing lyrics with more direct social commentary led to some genuine artistic growth from Hutchence, and offer “The Stairs” (#20) as evidence.

According to Stu: INXS is a really fun band, a group you can chill to, or rock out to, or dance to, or whatever floats your boat where it comes to listening to music. But one thing that I sometimes wish they did more often is having more of a message in their songs, as was often the case of their countrymen, Midnight Oil.. About the most overt commentary in INXS’ repertoire is “Guns in the Sky.”

Max Q’s “Way of the World” doesn’t try to hide its intent; it is definitely a message song. But other than the message and Micheal’s urgent vocals, there isn’t much else I like about the track. I find it overproduced, and find the drum track particularly distracting. I’d love to hear a re-imagining of the song, whether by Ollie Olsen (the other half of Max Q) or by INXS. Producer Chris Murphy has said that he was interested in doing so, but rights issues prevented it.

17.  Don’t Change

Second single from Shabooh Shoobah (1982), released as a single in 1982

According to Doyle:  Ah, Shabooh Shoobah, how much do I still love you?  Back in 1982, Danbury area rock radio I-95 started playing this song and “The One Thing” (ranking coming soon!) all the time.  Men at Work were also popular at the time, and I remember hearing the phrase “Australian invasion” kicked around some on the radio.  In my 13 or 14 year old wisdom, I remember (and I think I’ve mentioned this before) opining that “INXS are the Rolling Stones to Men at Work’s The Beatles.”  I like to periodically revisit this sentiment to remind myself that prognostication is not in my wheelhouse.

“Don’t Change” is an iconic song for INXS and was their go-to concert closer.  To my brain, the opening keyboard riff (played, of course, by Andrew Farriss) is one of those melodies that immediately transports me back to high school (for better or worse).  I completely dig Hutchence’s vocal performance on this one, but I really go ape for the “don’t chaaaaaange” backing vocals towards the end before that last guitar chord rings and the keyboard line fades out.   Should I have ranked this song higher back in 2019?  Maybe, but wow the next 16 songs are also so good.

According to Stu: As someone who became a fan with Kick, it took a while for me to track back to Shabooh Shoobah and discover “Don’t Change”, and even longer to really dig it. Now, it’s among the three or four songs that rotate as my all-time favorite INXS song, depending on what day you ask me.

I’m a bit of a sucker for songs that layer in the parts. In this instance, it goes something like keyboard theme -> rhythm guitar -> drums -> vocal. As each layer comes in, it shapes and builds the feel of the song. I kind of feel like the opening parallels INXS’ arrival as a band. The ethereal keys feel like a spaceship is floating down. The guitar is the ship re-entering the atmosphere and the Earth’s gravity taking hold, and the drums, starting with the cymbal crash, are the craft landing on the surface. From here on out, this song rocks, with Michael’s vocal signifying the band bursting out of the ship, announcing the band’s emergence upon the world stage. And indeed, “Don’t Change” is largely considered to be the band’s first international hit.

I can imagine “Don’t Change” to be either the first song in a concert set – with the band entering while the synth intro plays – or the final encore.

16.  I Send a Message

Second single from The Swing (1984), released as a single in 1984

According to Doyle:  Our local rock radio station had played the first two singles from Shabooh Shoobah religiously back in ’82 and ’83, but when The Swing came out, they briefly played “Original Sin” (#23) before abandoning the record.  Thus, when “I Send a Message” was released as the second single, they didn’t play it at all.  I get it – they were busy moving their playlists in the direction of hair metal at the time and dance rock really didn’t fit.  A shame, however, because “I Send a Message” is a fine song that contrasts lyrics that meditate (try not to hate) on loneliness with a great upbeat melody.  I particularly love the “boing” sounds at the start, the syncopated “I miss the people” chorus and how Hutch sing/screams “she’s my only one” at the song’s climax.  I was able to listen to this song as much as I wanted because I bought the album immediately when it was released based solely on my love of Shabook Shoobah.  I have never regretted this choice.

According to Stu: A pulsing opening introduces the rather simple arrangement of “I Send a Message.” I can definitely imagine it being a fun song to bop along to at a school dance or something. Unfortunately, the point at which this song was on my radar, the point at which I started NOT feeling like a dork on the dance floor, and the point at which I was still in high school align so disparately that I never could have lived out that vision.

Though I imagine “I Send a Message” to be fun on the dance floor, I still can’t understand half of what Michael is saying without having to read the liner notes.

15.  Don’t Change (2011)

Second single from Original Sin (2010), released as a single in 2011

According to Doyle:  In my head-biopic about Michael Hutchence and INXS, the move opens with the original 1982 “Don’t Change” (#17) and closes with this reimagined version of the song from 2011’s album of self-covers, Original Sin.  Now, I know it might be a controversial choice to rate this version of the song higher than the Hutchence-fronted version, but hear me out.  If you’re familiar with the original and the band’s subsequent history, this version of “Don’t Change” is filled with 29 years of glory, pain and loss.  Band members Andrew Farriss (low voice) and Kirk Pengilly (high voice) share vocal and don’t make any attempt to sound like Hutch – which, of course, draws attention to the fact that he’s not here.  The tempo is slowed down to a contemplative crawl.  Some of the melodic elements are reimagined.  This song, titled “Don’t Change,” is significantly changed, which I read as a reflection on the fact that change is unavoidable.  Thus, this song (already lovely) takes on a load of additional meaning by it’s very existence.  I recognize that Original Sin was a divisive album among INXS’ fans, but let’s all please take a moment to acknowledge the brilliance of this cover.

According to Doyle: This version of “Don’t Change” is beautiful, and it’s impossible to frame it without considering when it was recorded. Michael had passed (though I’m sure he was still dearly missed), and the band members were all 28 years older than when they put out the infectious rocker on Shabooh Shoobah. Though the lyrics in the two versions are the same, there’s a sense that where the band was in their lives lent them a different interpretation of those words.

And really, it’s the interpretation of the whole song. Like the original version, the opening theme feels other-worldly, but is now done vocally instead of on a keyboard. But that’s about the only similarity. No longer do you feel an urgency to go anywhere or to burst upon a scene. Electric guitars don’t skitter along – they are replaced by acoustics that are comfortable strumming at their own pace. The vocals sit in the here and now instead of what lies ahead. And once again, Kirk’s sax – this time a soprano instead of the usual tenor – fits the mood with a tone that is sweet but also tinged with sorrow and hope.

I can’t say that I love this version as much as the original, but it does illustrate the band’s talent as artists with such a different perspective on the same material.

14.  Stay Young

First single from Underneath The Colours (1981), released as a single in 1981

According to Doyle:  In my opinion, “Stay Young” from Underneath the Colours was INXS’ first great single.  I hear a distinct two-tone influence – particularly in the drumming.  Almost no idea what the lyrics mean – they sound vaguely sinister, so I’m imagining it is a record company A&R person encouraging the band to try to look as young as possible so they could become more successful.  Best guess.  Indeed, they look like teenagers in the video – the only group of humans who, in the aggregate,  want to look older.  This song was their biggest hit to that date in Australia.  I did not hear it until Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979, 1997) was released in 2001, so I was 20 years late to the party.

According to Stu: I only find this song okay, though I imagine it to be much more interesting in a live set. This is another example of an earlier song where I can’t make out much of Michael is saying without looking up the lyrics.

I have always been enticed by the whispered female vocal in the instrumental. Looking up the singer, I discovered that her name is Karen Ansel from a band called The Reels. She’s now a visual effects artist for film, with some impressive credits. She was part of the team that earned an Academy Award for What Dreams May Come.

13. Disappear

Second single from X (1990), released as a single in 1990

According to Doyle:  “Disappear” was the second single from X – it was preceded by “Suicide Blonde” (coming soon) and followed by “By My Side” (#29) and “Bitter Tears” (#25).  This is one of two songs (the next is in the top ten) that pulled me back into INXS after I’d rejected them as “not cool enough.”  Much like how I’d given up on U2 until I  played “The Fly” (#31) on my KTUH radio show, I fell in love with INXS again when I first dropped the needle on this single (the 12″ single).  I was intrigued by the first set of “doo do-un doo doo,” hooked when Hutchence’s let’s fly with his falsetto and dancing when the band switched gears into the chorus.  My radio show was primarily alternative rock and hip hop, but I loved this song so much that I played it even as it became a top ten hit.  It must have sounded a little odd sandwiched between the Stone Roses and De La Soul.  The lyrics are a reflection of how horrible the world is today contrasted with how amazing it is to be in love with somebody (and to escape the world through that love).  Apparently, Hutchence was dating Kylie Minogue at the time and it is theorized the song was about his feelings for her – indeed, Minogue has acknowledged that she was the inspiration for “Suicide Blonde” as well as other songs around that time, so this is very possible.

According to Stu: As I mentioned before, when X first came out, I was all over it, and “Disappear” was my favorite song on the album. Sometimes it’s hard to describe what in a song grabs you, and I think “Disappear” is a prime example.

In fact, some aspects of the song are things that usually make me NOT like a song – extended nonsensical lyrics (the doo-do-do doo-do-do portions) and how the progression and rhythm in the chorus just jumps between two chords. Yet, I was still drawn to this song. Listening to it now, I feel like there’s some similarity to “Mystify” (which I really like), so perhaps that has something to do with it.

I also really like the lyric ‘Words are healing / sweet anticipation / making spells as the shadows close in’. I like the way that flows.

12.  Never Tear Us Apart

Fourth single from Kick (1987), released as a single in 1988

According to Doyle:  Wow, yeah, this is lower than I would have ranked this song in 2021.  I should really kick it up a spot or 12, but I’m committed to following through on what I started in 2019, no matter how nonsensical it might.  I mean, all of these ranking lists are nonsensical.  Every ranking list everywhere.  Let’s all go home and pretend this never happened.  Egads, what did I put at number 1 if not this?  I’ll be as surprised as you.

There is so much to love in “Never Tear Us Apart” – the false endings, that great bass figure after each false ending, Hutchence’s vocal, the pulsing keyboard, Jon Farriss’s drumming, and that great Kirk Pengilly sax solo.  Pengilly was always the band’s secret weapon – just when you think an INXS song has nowhere else to go, Pengilly breaks out his sax (and metaphorically bursts through the wall like this – that is a super power all great sax players have).  Best of all, the lyrics are a declaration of love but the music is filled with doomed foreboding – it sounds as if Hutch is singing them defiantly against all the obstacles to this romance.  A stone cold classic and I’m stunned this Doyle fellow ranked it outside of the top ten.

According to Stu: This song is both beautiful and odd. At the start, the string triplets set a gentle foundation, and I really like Michael’s vocal line, especially how he drops to the lower part of his register on ‘I love your precious heart’.

But “Never Tear Us Apart” also has one of the strangest transitions of any hit song – the break when the strings end, leading to the bass phrase and then tom-tom beat. There were a number of banquets and proms that used this as a theme song, but I can’t imagine dancing to it. I mean, the first verse and chorus are absolutely lovely, and VERY slow-dancible in the 12/8 meter. But that break and bass/tom-tom transition? How do you dance to that?

There are probably some people who LOVE the break/transition. But for me, it’s so weird!

There are other really wonderful things about the song, though. In particular, I’d say Michael’s vocal on ‘but some of us don’t know why’ and Kirk’s sax solo. The tone of his horn fits so well with the feel of the song – it’s brassy but still very sweet. It may be my favorite sax part he’s played.

A side story: back in the ’90s, a local classic rock station used to pick up the Mark & Brian show from Los Angeles’ KLOS to fill morning drive time. Besides being DJs, they’d do comedic bits and sometimes have bands do interviews and performances at their studio. Their studio had some kind of small venue that fit – I don’t know – 20 or 30 people. So they had a contest to identify an INXS song from a small clip to be one of the people invited to a mini concert at their studio.

Even though I was in Hawai‘i, I was willing to fly to LA to do this, and tried calling in to the station at dark-ass-thirty in the morning (because of the time difference). Alas, I never got through to even try. The clips were each about two seconds long, but that’s a long clip if you’re familiar with the band’s material. I had no problem identifying the songs from those clips.

One of the callers was a woman who told Mark and Brian to “play number 8”. I guess she didn’t understand that the point of the contest was to guess something unknown, not to tell them what to play for her to guess. There was some back-and-forth for a bit, but in the end, M&B relented and played “Never Tear Us Apart” (track #8 on Kick) and let her ‘win’ tickets to see INXS perform at their studio. I’m guessing that that was her and her partner’s song.

It still riles me up that she got to see them play such an intimate performance and I was never even able to get through the phone line.

Side-side note: that performance is believed to be the last recording before Michael’s passing.

11.  To Look At You

Third single from Shabooh Shoobah (1982), released as a single in 1983

According to Doyle – When I picked up Shabooh Shoobah in 1982 or 83, I had a very different relationship to music than I do now.  Specifically, I had a very different relationship to albums.  It was kind of a pain to lift the needle from a track I didn’t immediately care for and move it to the next track with accuracy.  I was very protective of my records, so I would often sit through songs I didn’t like in order to protect them from scratches and skips.  One of the positive side effects of this was that I had to be patient and listen more carefully to everything.  Reader, I skip songs like crazy now.  Don’t like a song after two notes?  Skip.  Just kind of want to hear something else?  Skip.  Mistake a song for a song I don’t like?  Skip, reconsider, then commit to the mistake.

Anyhow, I listened to the whole of Shabooh Shoobah at least a hundred times back in the day.  The reason this is significant is two fold.  First, I only really remember the four singles despite how many times I listened to the whole record and my purported love for it.  Second, local radio only ever played “The One Thing” (coming up) and “Don’t Change” (#17) so if I hadn’t listened to the whole record, I never would have gone nuts for “To Look At You.”  It’s a moody piece of new wave synthpop that wouldn’t have been out of place on an Ultravox record.  Hutchence’s vocals take on a hint of that nervous, anxious edge that was so popular back in the early 80’s (though ultimately, he sounds just as confident as ever on the “what is the name to call” choruses).  This song was written entirely by Andrew Farriss (a rarity on INXS albums).  I still consider this my own private INXS song and feel a little weird sharing it with all of you.

According to Stu: As much as I like Shabooh Shoobah, I never got into “To Look at You.”  There isn’t anything that grates me about it; I just find it uninteresting.

Coming Soon:  Doyle’s Top Ten

INXS Singles Ranked – 61-65 – 51-60 – 41-50 – 31-40 – 21-30 – 11-20 – 1-10