With 1987's 'Never Tear Us Apart', INXS unleashed upon the world a love song that resonates to this day and presented for most of us a first look at the real fairytale city that is Prague.
Now, to celebrate their 35th anniversary, INXS revisit their iconic song and stunning music video with a timeline featuring behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and interviews with late frontman Michael Hutchence.
Speaking at the top, INXS co-songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist Andrew Farriss recounts the song's origins. These instrumental stabs were originally carved into the guitar, which he played in a “very bluesy way”. When Hutchence first heard the song, he “laughed,” Farriss explains. “He thought it was funny, because for us it was so different.”
Hutchens changed his mind. He took the demo tape, lived with it, crafted the lyrics and melody. A hit was born.
Director Richard Lowenstein had shot footage of Prague's medieval architecture on black and white 8mm film. The juxtaposition of these images of Prague and the great song by INXS was accidental. In a moment of calm.
The band was in the studio watching the rushes as the song poured out of the control room. It worked.
The video, which has more than 100 million views on YouTube, was filmed in freezing conditions in Czechoslovakia, a world away from Sydney's beaches.
“The spirit of the people there is fantastic, that's what I love, it really makes you appreciate what you have so much,” comments Hutchence in the five-minute behind-the-scenes video, which Advertising sign exclusively premiere below. The singer loved the country and its history, although so much has changed in those three and a half decades.
INXS is no longer an active band. Hutchence is no longer with us, dying in 1997 aged 37. Then in November 1989 the Velvet Revolution while leading to the end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Five years after filming, the country split into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Lowenstein's music video captured a moment before the rest of the world caught on. Today, the Czech capital is a hot-spot for tourists, a destination for stag and hen parties.
“There were a lot of barriers to getting film in Prague at the time,” says INXS saxophonist and guitarist Kirk Pengilly. Advertising sign via email. However, “being able to cinematically use the city's beautiful, romantic architecture and landmarks as a backdrop was incredibly special and fitting for this song. Our week-long stay allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the city's charm and culture.”
“Never Tear Us Apart” is a gem in the INXS catalog, from one of the band's most successful albums, Kickwhich peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The third single from Kickpeaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is one of four tracks from the LP — along with “New Sensation,” “Devil Inside” and “Need You Tonight” — to reach the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 ( the latter hit No. 1).
Last year, the surviving members of INXS — Garry Gary Beers, Pengilly and brothers Andrew, Jon and Tim Farriss — reunited in central Sydney for a show of four billion combined streams. “Never Tear Us Apart” alone has notched more than 850 million streams across all platforms.
Check out the behind-the-scenes video below.
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