On the eve of the final day of polling for a federal election sure to split the opinions of Australians, INXS’ single “Never Tear Us Apart” has taken out the top spot on Triple M’s Election 300.
The result of thousands of votes in the mammoth countdown has been slowly revealed over the final week of campaigning for the election, coming to a head on Friday when the Sydney band’s 1987 song off their sixth studio album, Kick, was crowned the winner.
Speaking to Triple M’s Dangerous Dave and Gleeso, drummer Jon Farriss and guitarist Kirk Pengill were shocked by the result, saying “Get out of the house you’re kidding, that is awesome”.
They both revealed the track sounded very different early into the recording process, relying more on piano and guitars with intentions of making it “like a bluesy sort of thing” according to Farriss.
Pengill’s iconic saxophone solo and overarching strings sections only came later in production, with the guitarist noting that he “wouldn’t have practiced … (or) really even thought about” the saxophone section until he got into the booth.
“What I remember distinctly was (producer) Chris Thomas, he made me play it I reckon about 100 times and kept saying ‘Nah, do it again’,” said Pengill.
“I kept playing it and playing it until I actually got really super angry, and almost was going to throw the saxophone at him, and I did the solo and he said, ‘Got it’. You guess he just wanted that emotion, so it’s a really angry solo.”
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The song was one of 11 INXS tracks to make it onto the final list of 300, beating out Nirvanna’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long”, which finished second and third respectively.
“You’re the Voice” by John Farnham, which became the official song of the Yes Campaign for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023, squeaked into the top five behind Cold Chisel’s “Khe Sahn” in fourth.
