Latest news with #ARIA
The Advertiser
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Sticky, sweaty and heaving: rapper Illy kicks off tour in regional Australia
Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick. Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick. Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Think ‘Untouched' shouldn't have been in the Hottest 100? You may just be out of touch
It's December 2014, somewhere in the days after Christmas. I'm 21 and in the passenger seat of a friend's old Daewoo, taking turns to drive it up to Byron for that year's Falls Festival. It's a stinking hot afternoon. The windows are down. We are approaching turn-offs for Forster and holding mild concerns about how our Korean chariot will handle the rest of the long trip. Its tiny back seat is packed to the brim — bags, tents, and another friend stuffed in among them. We should have left earlier, we say. Tired and sweaty, morale is sliding. Then, we hear the violins. When Untouched by The Veronicas ranked third in yesterday Hottest 100 Australian Songs Countdown, ahead of more obviously 'Aussie' classics like Beds are Burning, You're the Voice or Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, it took some by surprise. But, as someone who has scream-sung every word — including the harmonies — to the 2007 song while driving up the highway to a music festival, the placing could not have made more sense. After reaching number two on the ARIA chart as the first single off their second album, Untouched has emerged as Brisbane-raised duo Jess and Lisa Origliasso's most enduring track. Loading The song is loved by the LGBTQ community, particularly as Jess identifies as queer. As Triple J has reported, the sisters introduced Untouched as 'the national gay anthem' to a crowd of expats at Los Angeles Pride in 2019. And, on any weekend across the country, Untouched will bring the girls to a wedding dance floor. Making it through the song's four minutes and 14 seconds is an endurance event: memory, stamina and diction are all required to keep singing the right – 'or wrong, or wrong or right' – repetitious words at 177 beats per minute.
The Age
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Think ‘Untouched' shouldn't have been in the Hottest 100? You may just be out of touch
It's December 2014, somewhere in the days after Christmas. I'm 21 and in the passenger seat of a friend's old Daewoo, taking turns to drive it up to Byron for that year's Falls Festival. It's a stinking hot afternoon. The windows are down. We are approaching turn-offs for Forster and holding mild concerns about how our Korean chariot will handle the rest of the long trip. Its tiny back seat is packed to the brim — bags, tents, and another friend stuffed in among them. We should have left earlier, we say. Tired and sweaty, morale is sliding. Then, we hear the violins. When Untouched by The Veronicas ranked third in yesterday Hottest 100 Australian Songs Countdown, ahead of more obviously 'Aussie' classics like Beds are Burning, You're the Voice or Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, it took some by surprise. But, as someone who has scream-sung every word — including the harmonies — to the 2007 song while driving up the highway to a music festival, the placing could not have made more sense. After reaching number two on the ARIA chart as the first single off their second album, Untouched has emerged as Brisbane-raised duo Jess and Lisa Origliasso's most enduring track. Loading The song is loved by the LGBTQ community, particularly as Jess identifies as queer. As Triple J has reported, the sisters introduced Untouched as 'the national gay anthem' to a crowd of expats at Los Angeles Pride in 2019. And, on any weekend across the country, Untouched will bring the girls to a wedding dance floor. Making it through the song's four minutes and 14 seconds is an endurance event: memory, stamina and diction are all required to keep singing the right – 'or wrong, or wrong or right' – repetitious words at 177 beats per minute.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Surprises and upsets as Triple J reveals Hottest 100 of Aussie songs
Australian music broadcaster Triple J yesterday revealed the results of their huge listener poll to name the 100 best Australian songs of all time – and there were a few upsets. Rock legends INXS took out the top spot with their classic ballad Never Tear Us Apart, but there were some more divisive choices elsewhere in the top 10. Coming in at second place was the Hilltop Hoods' 2003 single Nosebleed Section, a track that's now 10 x platinum here in Australia despite never actually charting in the ARIA top 50. Some in the comments section as the results were revealed on Triple J's Instagram expressed their surprise that the Aussie hip-hop act had pulled off such a high placing. Another surprise, given Triple J's indie leanings: The Veronicas' 2007 pop-dance hit Untouched has now been deemed the third-best Australian song of all time. Among those celebrating it as 'the national anthem' were those who were less enthusiastic about its placing: 'I don't get it! It's not a bad song, but seriously…. the 3rd best Australian song of all time??' asked one commenter. 'God this song sounds like a Raspberry Cruiser,' wrote another (which could be a diss or a compliment, frankly). The placing made The Veronicas the highest-charted females in a male-heavy top 100 – but they were joined in the top five by Missy Higgins, who scored a number four placing for her 2004 number one hit Scar. Rounding out the top five was another controversial entry: The classic Crowded House ballad Don't Dream It's Over. A brilliant song, sure, but as many asked in the comment section: Can we really claim it as our own when half the band (among them the man who actually wrote the song, Neil Finn) are from New Zealand? Powderfinger, Paul Kelly, Gotye and back-to-back entries from Cold Chisel rounded out the top 10. Some other surprises and notable entries, further down the list: • A couple of massive Aussie anthems made the list: John Farnham's You're The Voice at #15 and Daryl Braithwaite's The Horses at #30. • She might be our biggest pop export, but Kylie Minogue had to settle for a top 30 placing for her sole entry – Can't Get You Out Of My Head made it to number 27. • It pretty much hasn't left the charts since it was released over a decade ago, but Vance Joy's 16 x platinum monster Riptide only just snuck into the top 50 at #48. • Those who missed out: Not a single entry in the top 100 for beloved Aussie acts like Sia, Something For Kate, Troye Sivan, Madison Avenue, Tina Arena, Pete Murray, The Vines or The Easybeats. Triple J's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs – the top 100: 100. The Screaming Jets – Better 99. Midnight Oil — Blue Sky Mine 98. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Red Right Hand 97. Savage Garden – I Want You 96. Stevie Wright – Evie (Parts 1, 2, 3) 95. Spiderbait – Calypso 94. Flight Facilities – Claire de Lune (feat. Christine Hoberg) 93. The Avalanches – Since I Left You 92. ICEHOUSE – Electric Blue 91. The Whitlams – No Aphrodisiac 90. Spiderbait- Black Betty 89. Amyl And The Sniffers – Hertz 88. Angus & Julia Stone – Chateau 87. Gang Of Youths – The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows 86. Gotye – Hearts A Mess 85. DMA'S – Delete 84. The Go-Betweens – Streets Of Your Town 83. Ben Lee – Cigarettes Will Kill You 82. Peking Duk – High (feat. Nicole Millar) 81. You Am I – Berlin Chair 80. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People 79. The Cat Empire – Hell0 78. Eskimo Joe – Black Fingernails, Red Wine 77. Killing Heidi – Weir 76. The Veronicas – 4ever 75. The Church – The Unguarded Moment 74. The Waifs – London Still 73. Hilltop Hoods – 1955 (feat. Montaigne, Tom Thum) 72. Silverchair – Freak 71. Drapht – Jimmy Recard 70. Powderfinger – (Baby I've Got You) On My Mind 69. Crowded House – Weather With You 68. Grinspoon – Chemical Heart 67. Regurgitator – ! (The Song Formerly Known As) 66. Midnight Oil – Power And The Passion 65. Ocean Alley – Confidence 64. Hilltop Hoods – Cosby Sweater 63. Redgum – I Was Only 19 (A Walk In The Light Green) 62. Sticky Fingers – Australia Street 61. Chet Faker – Talk Is Cheap 60. Gang Of Youths – Let Me Down Easy 59. INXS – Need You Tonight 58. The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist 57. Bernard Fanning – Wish You Well 56. Jimmy Barnes – Working Class Man 55. The Presets – My People 54. Divinyls – I Touch Myself 53. Thelma Plum – Better In Blak 52. Missy Higgins – The Special Two 51. Matt Corby – Brother 50. Hunters & Collectors – Holy Grail 49. Ball Park Music – It's Nice To Be Alive 48. Vance Joy – Riptide 47. Goanna – Solid Rock 46. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars 45. Daddy Cool – Eagle Rock 44. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Into My Arms 43. Wolfmother – Joker And The Thief 42. Gang Of Youths – Magnolia 41. The Living End – Prisoner Of Society 40. Violent Soho – Covered In Chrome 39. Australian Crawl – Reckless (Don't Be So …) 38. Crowded House – Better Be Home Soon 37. AC/DC – Back In Black 36. Yothu Yindi – Treaty 35. ICEHOUSE – Great Southern Land 34. Spacey Jane – Booster Seat 33. Augie March – One Crowded Hour 32. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn 31. AC/DC – Highway To Hell 30. Daryl Braithwaite – The Horses 29. The Church – Under The Milky Way 28. Silverchair – Straight Lines 27. Kylie Minogue – Can't Get You Out Of My Head 26. Flume – Never Be Like You (feat. kai) 25. Hunters & Collectors – Throw Your Arms Around Me 24. Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream 23. Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl 22. Paul Kelly & The Messengers – To Her Door 21. Men At Work – Down Under 20. Angus & Julia Stone – Big Jet Plane 19. Tame Impala – The Less I Know The Better 18. Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning 17. Silverchair – Tomorrow 16. RÜFÜS DU SOL – Innerbloom 15. John Farnham – You're the Voice 14. Powderfinger – These Days 13. AC/DC – Thunderstruck 12. The Angels – Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again 11. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition 10. Gotye (feat. Kimbra) – Somebody That I Used to Know 9. Paul Kelly – How to Make Gravy 8. Cold Chisel – Khe Sanh 7. Cold Chisel – Flame Trees 6. Powderfinger – My Happiness 5. Crowded House – Don't Dream It's Over 4. Missy Higgins – Scar 3. The Veronicas – Untouched 2. Hilltop Hoods – The Nosebleed Section 1. INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
INXS's Hottest 100 win: How worlds collided for Never Tear Us Apart
An uncharacteristic ballad from one of Australia's biggest, best-selling rock bands, INXS's 'Never Tear Us Apart' long ago transcended its origins to become a bona fide anthem. But is it the best Australian song of all time? Yes, according to the 2.65 million votes in the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. The nation has spoken, and the 1987 single has been crowned the people's favourite, surpassing classics by Hilltop Hoods, Missy Higgins, Crowded House, Cold Chisel and many more in the special edition of triple j's national music poll. INXS, a beloved global sensation with more than 70 million records and 4 billion streams to their name, were always going to be a frontrunner in the countdown. The group's greatest hits compilation, The Very Best, is currently number two on the ARIA Australian Album Charts, and it's held a spot in the Top 20 for a whopping 12 years. Formed in 1977, INXS toured relentlessly, sculpted by Sydney's pub rock scene. They grew into an excellent singles band who, beginning with 1983's Nile Rodgers-produced 'Original Sin', began competing — then dominating — on an international level. Fronted by the enigmatic Michael Hutchence, INXS reached their commercial and creative peak with breakthrough sixth album, Kick. Released 19 October 1987, Kick was a blockbuster that cemented the six-piece in the coveted American market, despite the band's label initially hating the record. Atlantic Records didn't grasp the sleek fusion of pop, rock and funk, fearing Kick would alienate rock radio and fail to compete with that year's chartbusters: Michael Jackson's Bad, U2's The Joshua Tree, and hair metallers Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard and Whitesnake. Long-time INXS manager Chris Murphy said Atlantic offered him a million dollars to re-record the album. He rejected and his and the band's instincts were vindicated. Kick peaked at #3 on the US Billboard 200 (behind George Michael's Faith and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack) and reached #2 in Australia (kept from the top spot by Icehouse's Man of Colours). Its success extended to being the best-selling album in Australia of 1988, eventually going seven times Platinum at home. In America, it shifted a staggering six million units (six times Platinum) and produced four top 10 hits: 'New Sensation', 'Devil Inside', 'Need You Tonight' (the band's first and only US number one, and #59 in the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs), and 'Never Tear Us Apart'. Courtney Barnett was one of several Australian musicians who voted for 'Never Tear Us Apart' in the Hottest 100 of Australian songs, alongside G Flip, Rüfüs Du Sol, and The Veronicas. Kick came out the year she was born. "I was obsessed with the whole album," says Barnett, who covered Kick in its entirety in late 2012, for Melbourne-based Pure Pop Records, with naught but voice and guitar. "So many great songs, but I think ['Never Tear Us Apart'] is so epic and dramatic and a great love song. I think that makes it feel really timeless." Among Kick's muscular grooves and arena-ready sing-alongs, 'Never Tear Us Apart' is the power ballad, with the emphasis on power. But it began life as an even stranger outlier in the band's catalogue: a swaggering, up-tempo number in the vein of old-fashioned rockabilly sensation Gene Vincent. "I wanted to do something that was very different from what we were doing before," keyboardist-guitarist and songwriter Andrew Farriss said in a 2024 'Behind The Scenes' video. "In fact, when Michael first heard what I was doing, he laughed … I don't think he took it all that seriously." But the frontman took Farriss's cassette demo and grew to love what he was hearing. In a break between touring and back in Australia, "he came around to my little apartment," says Farriss, who had transposed the music to piano. "[Michael] put the lyrics on it [and] worked out the melody, which I think is fantastic; the way it's really understated." Even so, when the band got into the studio to record Kick, Farriss was still unsure if the ballad was going to make the cut. British producer Chris Murphy was adamant it had to be on the record, remembers Farriss. "But I think he was uncomfortable with an electric or acoustic guitar, or even piano, playing like that… He said, 'have you got a string sample or something?'." Farriss did: the Emulator II Marcato strings, a keyboard preset made ubiquitous in the 1980s via songs by Madonna, The Smiths, The Cure and more. Hutchence was already an iconic 1980s sex symbol, but 'Never Tear Us Apart' works so well because he plays to his tender side. He isn't the smouldering rock star, he's the wounded lover, bringing necessary levels of drama in a career-best vocal performance. This is a man you believe could make wine from your tears. And he conveys that sense of tortured romance — the melancholy, and the triumph — in just two short verses and a chorus. "He had the ability to say a lot in a very short space of time," says Farriss. "And I think that communication is evident in 'Never Tear Us Apart'. It goes straight to people's hearts. They want to own it." Ambling at a steady 97 beats per minute in the uber-common key of C Major, 'Never Tear Us Apart' is in the waltz-like time signature of 6/8, which enhances one of its key features: The dramatic silences. The first (at 48 seconds) leads to the twangy, Spaghetti Western guitar break into the second verse. The second (at 1:49) was used to theatrical effect in concert, where lead guitarist and elder Farriss brother, Tim, would stretch out the silence to whip crowds into a frenzied anticipation. "He stops it for as long as he likes," Hutchence deadpanned in a 1987 interview. "We can go have drinks and sit down for a while." This second break leads into another of the song's distinguishing elements: Kirk Pengilly's saxophone solo. Blustering, borderline-erotic, instantly hummable — it lasts only five bars but provides an added climax to the song. Live, Pengilly would often "wander off into the audience and find a spot to do the sax solo," Hutchence recalled. "And we never see him again." Hutchence experienced plenty of high-profile romances in his life, including Kylie Minogue, Danish supermodel Helena Christensen, and TV presenter/wife of Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof, Paula Yates, among them. But the lyrical inspiration for 'Never Tear Us Apart' was actually Michele Bennett, his pre-fame girlfriend who — even after splitting in 1987 — remained Hutchence's dear friend and confidante during the height of his fame. She also introduced Hutchence to filmmaker Richard Lowenstein, who cast the frontman in his 1986 cult classic Dogs In Space and became a long-time INXS collaborator, directing 15 of their music videos. That included 'Never Tear Us Apart', shot in Prague during winter, a universe removed from the sunny beaches of Sydney, using the Czechoslovakian capital's architecture and landmarks as a romantic backdrop to their tear-jerker. "That was shot in the old town centre, it's so beautiful there," Hutchence remarked in a behind the scenes video commemorating the song's 35th anniversary. "One thing about communism is it's kept most of the buildings intact. It's like a medieval city." At the 1989 ARIA Music Awards, 'Never Tear Us Apart' won INXS Best Group and Best Video, and was a staple of MTV overseas, amplifying Michael Hutchence's magnetic star power. "He was a cross between Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison," MTV video jockey Alan Hunter told Billboard. Famously, Hutchence's career was tragically cut short. He died by suicide in 1997, at age 37, at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sydney's Double Bay while his INXS bandmates were in rehearsals for another tour. The last person to speak to Hutchence alive? His old flame, Michele Bennett, who received a distressing phone call from the troubled frontman and unsuccessfully attempted to meet him at his hotel room. There was no response, so she left a note with reception. Hutchence's body was discovered by a hotel maid the next morning. An accomplished film and TV producer (whose credits include 2000 hit Chopper and music videos for U2, Prince, Silverchair and Foo Fighters), Bennett didn't speak publicly about Hutchence's death until 2019 documentary Mystify, directed by mutual friend Lowenstein. The filmmaker often felt that if Hutchence were to ever settle down, it would have been with Bennett. "I always felt that, after everything, he'd go back and marry Michele and have a baby with her," Lowenstein told The Independent in 1998. The only INXS song played at Hutchence's funeral, as his casket was carried out of St. Andrew's Cathedral, was 'Never Tear Us Apart', its already emotive words forever given added weight and bittersweet resonance. When triple j's Hottest 100 first shifted to an annual format in 1993, INXS's commercial dominance was beginning to wane, struggling to detach themselves from the 80s, the era that made them icons. As such, INXS have never previously appeared in the annual poll. Some voters in the Hottest 100 of Australian songs may have been aware of this fact, wanting to vindicate one of Australia's all-timers in our country's most famous music poll (similar to The Veronicas anthem 'Untouched', reaching #3, marking their Hottest 100 debut). Then again, the majority of voters probably had no idea INXS have never made the Hottest 100 before. The biggest voting demographic for 'Never Tear Us Apart' were people aged 18 — 29 (42 per cent of the song's vote), but the track's popularity across all age groups is what rocketed it to the top. Where most other songs were only popular with a single demographic, 'Never Tear Us Apart' had cross generational appeal. It had a higher-than-average vote in ballots from people of all ages. For example, it's the only song to feature in the top five of both men under 30 and the #1 song choice for women aged 46 — 55. Mothers and sons love INXS! So, how did a song approaching its 40th anniversary resonate so broadly with people of all ages? Cultural impact and longevity. INXS's catalogue has been a go-to soundtrack choice in plenty of film and TV moments over four decades, from Law & Order SVU and One Tree Hill to the 2004 director's cut of cult indie hit Donnie Darko. Most significantly, INXS served as an important story thread in HBO series Euphoria, exploring the 1980s-era adolescence of Cal Jacobs (played by Eric Dane) and his best friend Derek (Henry Eikenberry) in season two. Specifically, 'Never Tear Us Apart' is used in full in a cold open where the pair's friendship blossoms into a queer romantic exploration, a moment that leans into the tender, feminine side Michael Hutchence expressed in the song. Music supervisor Jen Malone used INXS as her "jumping-off point" to soundtrack these flashback sequences and introduced younger audiences to legacy artists. The five INXS songs used across Euphoria season two enjoyed a resurgence as the show's young audience discovered, and embraced, their music. Spotify streams of 'Never Tear Us Apart' enjoyed a 22 per cent boost in the month following the series finale. "I think that Euphoria is an element of music discovery," she told Variety in 2022. "And to be able to introduce some of the Gen Z audience to this amazing music is so exciting. More recently, 'Never Tear Us Apart' was featured in the A24 erotic thriller, Babygirl, thanks to INXS fan Nicole Kidman. The song scores a particularly steamy montage between Kidman's powerful CEO Romy and young intern Samuel (Harry Dickinson) in the office. When director Halina Reijn used it early in production, she knew no other song would better suit the scene. "I call A24 and I'm like, 'We need the rights to this song.'," Reijn told the Reel Blend podcast in 2024. "[A24] tried it but it was a hard no [from INXS' people]. I didn't sleep for a week. I tried every other song but nothing worked. As is typically the case with any enduring Aussie anthem, 'Never Tear Us Apart' also has a strong sports connection. Just ask any Port Adelaide fan — it's been the club's unofficial anthem for more than a decade. Pears supporters regularly hold club scarves, emblazoned with the track name, high above their heads as the song rings out across Adelaide Oval; a pre-game tradition that began in 2014 when the team moved its home ground from Alberton Park to Adelaide Oval. When the idea was first pitched, "I was quite overwhelmed," Andrew Farriss told ABC Overnights in 2024. "What really struck me, firstly, there's no one performing on the oval, it's the audience endearing themselves to [the] song… and it's gone into Australian culture. That part hit me quite hard…" The song continues to resonate with audiences new and old alike, and it's been covered countless times by artists from across the musical spectrum. Tom Jones and Natalie Imbruglia performed it as a duet in 1999. English DJ Tall Paul delivered a thumping remix, titled 'Precious Heart', in 2001. The National recorded a rendition for an Australian bushfire fundraising compilation in 2020. Closer to home, both Allday and True Live covered 'Never Tear Us Apart' for triple j's Like A Version. Dua Lipa — whose hit 'Break My Heart' interpolated INXS's 'Need You Tonight' – performed the song during the Sydney leg of her Australian tour earlier this year. First nations pop sensation The Kid LAROI covered the song at the 2024 NRL Grand Final, surprising the crowd and his own mother. Reflecting on LAROI's performance, Farriss told ABC Overnights: "One of the most endearing and surprising things of all is that we, INXS, I don't think any of us really imagined that 30 or something years later, we'd even be relevant. "It just amazes me still, after all these years, that especially the younger generation of people embrace what INXS did at the time." "Only the band members would ever know what it's like to be INXS," Jon Farriss told triple j. "Being on stage, being the only people to actually see what it looks like with all the people's reactions and how beautiful it is." But that perspective was so treasured precisely because of the band's audience, across time and around the world. "Over the years, the songs do take on their own sort of energy and power, which is really bequeathed from the audience, and it's out of our hands. Once we design and record it, it's sort of takes it and the people choose to do what they want with it." 'Never Tear Us Apart' is a song that has truly stood the test of time, a testament to a band at the peak of their powers, and the seemingly ageless appeal of their charismatic frontman. "Michael would be so proud of how much longevity some of the songs we wrote together have really had," Andrew Farriss told ABC in 2024. "I can't believe it." Farriss fondly remembers the "person that I met in high school when we were teenagers. That's the person I often think about. It's not the uber-famous megastar" who earned the respect and admiration of peers like Tom Jones, Mick Jagger and Bono. "I don't think of it like that." 'He's not here… to enjoy a lot of the flow-on, as years have gone on, and I miss him.' Farriss is right. There are millions of memories embedded in just three minutes of music. And you only need scour the comments section of any INXS content to see innumerable fans sharing fuzzy tales of the tune scoring deeply personal moments of triumph and tragedy alike, late-night pub sing-alongs and private revelries. The same could be said for many of the iconic songs in the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. Just ask anyone that went through the punishing task of culling their shortlists down to just 10 tunes from across Australian music history — and there's literally tens of thousands of Hottest 100 voters you could quiz. Ultimately, the main takeaway from that difficult task is that it wasn't really about competition, it was about revisiting — and celebrating — the vast scope, scale, and quality of music this county has produced. It's about realising 'how bloody great is Australian music!?' INXS sit atop the countdown, but all 100 songs — and many more that didn't make the cut — contain countless memories, milestones, and meaning. And nobody could never, ever tear that apart.
