It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs
Michael Hutchence is one of the greatest frontmen in rock history. He was the band’s persona. The co-songwriter. The lead vocalist. The spokesperson. And everything about the way he performed, partied and lived his life with the pedal to the metal said he was a rock star – all the way to his death. Like a Gen X version of Jim Morrison. I think people in the States forget how prolific INXS was. They had a steady stream of great tracks from ‘82 with Shabooh Shoobah all the way through ‘92 with X. “Don’t Change” is the song most remember from Shabooh Shoobah, but my favorite from that album has always been “The One Thing”.
Tim Farriss’ guitar riff might be the most memorable element of the song, but it’s his brother Andrew’s masterful work on the keyboards and Kirk Pengilly’s explosive sax solo that differentiate the song, that make it a bit unexpected. Pengilly, in particular, looks and sounds like he’s having a fit while seemingly revving up his sax and pushing it to its absolute limits. The lead vocals from Hutchence is a study in versatility. In the verses he slings the lyrics around with his signature machismo, but then he inverts this approach in the chorus with a nearly catatonic approach. “The One Thing” is a song that pushes and pulls you relentlessly in its new wave splendor.
“Cut the night just like a razor. Rarely talk and that's the danger.”