INXS "Elegantly Wasted"

Michael Hutchence of INXS was in Chicago in August 1997 for shows at the Riv and UIC Pavillion to promote his new album and song entitled "Elegantly Wasted". While he was in town, he made the rounds at local radio stations including the one I worked. All afternoon, the staff kept waiting on Hutchence. His handlers  claimed traffic was bad and eventually he arrived at the radio station nearly an hour late. About three months later, Hutchence was dead. INXS continued with new lead singer Jimmy Barnes, Terence Trent D'Arby and Jon Stevens. J.D. Fortune took over in 2005 after a reality TV contest to find the next lead singer of the band. The Fortune-led INXS hit it big with "Pretty Vegas" in 2005.

Merrill Bainbridge "Mouth"

The list of Australian artists who also found success in the US is limited: INXS, AC/DC, Men at Work, and Savage Garden are some that come to mind.  Pop singer Merrill Bainbridge briefly tasted success with "Mouth" in 1996 -- nearly two years after the release of the single.

INXS - "Pretty Vegas"

It was a sign of the times.  In 2005, reality television dominated TV programming.  One such show sought to find the next singer of INXS--nearly a decade after Michael Hutchence's death.  The result was J.D. Fortune winning the contest and fronting the resurgent INXS with "Pretty Vegas".

INXS - "Not Enough Time"

One of my personal favorites from INXS was their slower-tempo "Not Enough Time".  The song brings back memories of the early days of Q101 when the station shifted from an Adult Contemporary format to Alternative.  The station quickly became the radio station of a generation.

INXS - "Beautiful Girl"

While the song was written about a homeless girl, the song wound up being used in public service announcements about anorexia.