Top 10 INXS Songs

Feature Photo: Distributed by ATCO Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 INXS Songs list looks at a band that arrived on the scene in the early 1980s and became an instant favorite on MTV for many reasons. The first and most important reason was that INXS was releasing rock and roll records with an incredibly fresh sound. The band had a rock and roll groove all of their own, mixing classic rock, soul, and new wave behind a group of personalities that played off each other perfectly. The origins of INXS trace back to the Australian pub scene, where they began opening for Midnight Oil. INXS released their self-titled debut album in 1980 and Underneath the Colours in 1981, building a strong following in Australia before the rest of the world caught on.

Shabooh Shoobah arrived in 1982 as the band’s first album released worldwide, with “The One Thing” becoming an early MTV staple. The Swing followed in 1984 with “Original Sin,” produced by Nile Rodgers, and Listen Like Thieves became their major international breakthrough in 1985, driven by “What You Need.” Kick arrived in 1987 and became the band’s most successful studio album, followed by another major success for INXS with X in 1990. The band released Welcome to Wherever You Are in 1992, Full Moon, Dirty Hearts in 1993, and Elegantly Wasted in 1997, the final album with Michael Hutchence. Eight years after Hutchence’s death, INXS returned with Switch, their final studio album of original material, while this list focuses on the classic run INXS released from Shabooh Shoobah through Elegantly Wasted.

# 10 – Elegantly Wasted

We open our top 10 INXS Songs list with the lead single “Elegantly Wasted” from the band’s final album with Michael Hutchence. Bruce Fairbairn produced the 1997 record, and the single reached number one in Canada while also climbing to number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. There’s a fascinating twist in the chorus, where additional Hutchence vocals recorded after public tension with Oasis can be heard as “I’m better than Oasis.” That cheeky shot fits the swagger of one of the band’s last great singles with Hutchence.

# 9 – The Gift

“The Gift,” the first single from INXS’s 1993 album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, remains one of the band’s most forceful songs from the 1990s. Written by Michael Hutchence, Jon Farriss, and Kirk Pengilly, it reached number two in Portugal, number six on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, and number 16 in Australia. The song’s music video pushed the impact even further and was banned by MTV because of its graphic imagery involving war, violence, and human suffering. It showed that INXS were still willing to take chances long after their biggest commercial breakthrough.

# 8 – Heaven Sent

“Heaven Sent” was the lead single from the 1992 album Welcome to Wherever You Are. Andrew Farriss originally wrote the song as a 3/4 ballad, but when the band got involved they transformed it into the harder rock track that ended up on the record. This is what we loved about these guys because the band always sounded like everyone contributed their strengths, making the whole better. Hmmm, maybe some other organizations should think like that. I’m not saying who; you know who I’m talking about.

# 7 – What You Need

The hit single “What You Need” was released on the band’s 1985 album Listen Like Thieves. It stands as the song that, in essence, turned most people on to the great band INXS. In the United States, the song followed “This Time” and climbed to number five on the Billboard Hot 100, giving INXS their first American Top Ten hit. The rhythm, saxophone, and Michael Hutchence swagger made it one of the band’s defining breakthrough moments.

# 6 – Just Keep Walking

Long before INXS became an international sensation, “Just Keep Walking” signaled the arrival of a band with a clear sense of direction. Released in September 1980 as the single from their self-titled debut album, the track introduced their early blend of new wave, pop, and rock influences. Recorded at Trafalgar Studios in Annandale, New South Wales, and co-produced by the band and Duncan McGuire, the song captured the raw energy of a young group refining its sound. It became INXS’s first Australian Top 40 hit and set the stage for everything that followed.

# 5 – Never Tear Us Apart

“Never Tear Us Apart” was the fourth single released from Kick, the band’s most commercially successful studio album. The beautiful staccato Beatlesque strings set up an incredibly emotional vocal by the great Michael Hutchence. The song began as a bluesy piano number with a Fats Domino feel before producer Chris Thomas helped steer it toward the synth-based arrangement heard on the record. It remains one of the band’s best songs and one of Hutchence’s most outstanding vocal performances.

# 4 – Original Sin

The INXS song “Original Sin” was released as the lead single from the band’s 1984 album The Swing. The dance music and rhythmic master Nile Rodgers produced the song’s excellent groove and helped give it a crisp, danceable sound. Rodgers had come to prominence with Chic and had already produced one of the great rock and dance records of the decade with David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” Written by Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss and recorded at the Power Station in New York City, “Original Sin” marked another major step forward for INXS.

# 3 – Need You Tonight

Of all the INXS songs on this list, “Need You Tonight” is probably the most popular one. Released from the 1987 album Kick, it became the only INXS single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song later climbed to number two in the United Kingdom after its 1988 re-release. Richard Lowenstein’s “Need You Tonight/Mediate” video won five MTV Video Music Awards in 1988, including Video of the Year.

# 2 – New Sensation

Once again, we return to the Kick album on this Top 10 INXS Songs list with the killer single “New Sensation.” Andrew Farriss wrote the music, Michael Hutchence wrote the lyrics, and Kirk Pengilly delivered one of the song’s defining moments with his saxophone solo. You can’t forget the riffs he played on the track. The music video, directed by longtime collaborator Richard Lowenstein, was filmed on the roof of the Municipal House in Prague and added another memorable visual to the band’s MTV era.

Read More: Top 10 INXS Deep Tracks

# 1 – TIE – The One Thing / Don’t Change

As we reach the number one spot on our top 10 INXS Songs list, we return to the first INXS song we ever heard. Shabooh Shoobah was released in October 1982 and became the band’s first album released worldwide, while “The One Thing” became INXS’s first Top 40 hit in the United States by reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also climbed to number two on Billboard’s Top Tracks chart, while its decadent banquet-style music video helped introduce the band to a much wider MTV audience. “The One Thing” has remained our favorite INXS song throughout all these years.

“Don’t Change” closed Shabooh Shoobah and was released as a single in October 1982. It stands as one of the band’s most loved songs and became another early sign that INXS were ready to reach far beyond Australia. The single reached number 18 in Australia, number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 17 on Billboard’s Top Tracks chart in the United States. Pairing it with “The One Thing” at number one feels right because both songs captured INXS at the moment their international identity snapped into focus.