Video Classics: ‘What You Need’ – INXS

INXS in 2001 (Patrick Riviere, Getty Images)

Perhaps what you need is a little dose of the ’80s today …

“What You Need” by ’80s/’90s pop rockers INXS was the leadoff track for their 1985 album, Listen Like Thieves. It was the band’s first Top-Ten single, coming in at #5.

In a potentially disheartening story for music lovers (though perhaps it confirms what many think about the pop music scene), Listen Like Thieves had been finished by the band, but producer Chris Thomas was unsatisfied. He told them the song lacked a ‘hit’, and needed one. So the band went back to the studio and quickly dashed off “What You Need”.  Keyboardist Andrew Farris remarked that the song took ‘essentially no time at all.’  They had less than 24 hours from beginning to end to produce it, and it ended up becoming the most popular track from the album.

So does this mean that ‘what the people want’ is mindless, feel-good musical pap that can be churned out automatically? Or does it mean that sometimes the best efforts come from the heart, without allowing time for overthinking get in the way? We leave it to WNEW readers to make the call.

But either way, it’s still a pretty good song.

Add your thoughts to the comments below or take a look at Video Classics past…