"This Time" by INXS

Song#:  2534
Date:  11/16/1985
Debut:  91
Peak:  81
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Rock, New Wave



Pop Bits:  INXS were quite successful in their native Australia, but it was taking time to get established elsewhere. Their third and fourth albums started to get them noticed in the US thanks to 1983's "The One Thing," which made it to #2 Rock and #30 Pop. Hoping to grow their international audience, the band recorded their fifth album Listen Like Thieves. In the US and Europe, this track was selected to be the first single. While it did okay at Rock getting to #11, the song couldn't make any inroads at Pop and it fizzled after a short stay on the chart. This certainly did not set the album up for success, but luckily for them the LP's second single would turn things around.

ReduxReview:  From the "what were they thinking?" file... I mean, they had a definite hit on their hands with "What You Need," which was the first single issued out in Australia, so why on earth would they put this track out? It's a good song in a U2-ish kind of way, but it was nothing that was going to grab them a more mainstream audience. They almost blew it with this single. It could have sunk the album, but luckily "What You Need" was strong enough to overcome this false start.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Following their tour in support of the new album, the band took a bit of a break. Some band members took advantage of the time to work on other projects. Lead singer Michael Hutchence got an opportunity to star in an indie Australian film called Dogs in Space. Appropriately, he played the leader of a band called Dogs in Space. In addition to starring in the film, Hutchence would write and perform songs for the soundtrack. The movie was not a box office hit, but it did gain a bit of a cult following in later years, especially after INXS became worldwide stars.

_________________________________________________________________________________