Never Tear Us Apart

1988 single by INXS
the INXS song

"Never Tear Us Apart" is a power ballad by Australian rock band INXS, released in June 1988 by WEA as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, Kick (1987).

The music was written by keyboardist Andrew Farriss, who recorded a blues style demo; vocalist Michael Hutchence wrote the lyrics. "Never Tear Us Apart" is a ballad, written in the tempo of a modern Viennese waltz, layered with synthesizers and containing dramatic pauses before the instrumental breaks. Kirk Pengilly lends a saxophone solo near the end. According to the liner notes of Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979–1997), the song was composed on piano as a bluesy number in the style of Fats Domino. Producer Chris Thomas suggested a synth based arrangement instead.

The single reached No. 24 in the UK, and stayed on the charts for seven weeks. In the US, it reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In February 2014, after the Channel 7 screening of INXS: Never Tear Us Apart mini series, "Never Tear Us Apart" charted again in Australia via download sales. It peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart, surpassing its original peak position of No. 14 back in 1988.

A reviewer from Cash Box said that "more impassioned crooning from Hutchence elevates this song" and also praised the "searing sax solo." The Stud Brothers of Melody Maker wrote, "This pleads for passion by jump starting a cello like synth that kangaroos unhappily along until it collides with a great fairy of a saxophone which ultimately drags it to a sad demise."

The music video for the song, featuring an extended intro, was filmed in various locations in Prague along with "Guns in the Sky" and "New Sensation", all directed by Richard Lowenstein. As of December 2022, the video has a total view count of more than 93 million on YouTube from two versions, making it their most popular song on the platform.

After Hutchence's death in 1997, his coffin was carried out of St Andrew's Cathedral by the remaining members of INXS and his younger brother Rhett as "Never Tear Us Apart" was played in the background. In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", listing the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Never Tear Us Apart" was ranked number 18. In 2021, it was listed at No. 282 on Rolling Stones "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time". The song appears in Euphoria Season 2 Episode 3. During the cold open flashback, Cal dances and embraces his friend Derek to the song.

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference)United KingdomJune 1988Mercury Records, Mercury, Phonogram Inc., PhonogramAustralia8 August 19887 inch vinylWEA

The song was covered by Tom Jones for his 1999 album Reload featuring the Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia. The cover version also includes a music video.

In August 2001, a remix called "Precious Heart" was released as a single, and credited as Tall Paul vs. INXS.

INXS re recorded "Never Tear Us Apart" with Ben Harper and French singer Mylène Farmer, who wrote new French lyrics, for their twelfth studio album, Original Sin. The song was released on iTunes on 12 August 2010, and also as a promotional single to radio stations prior to the release of the album.

"Never Tear Us Apart" was recorded by British singer Paloma Faith for a television advertisement campaign for John Lewis. The advert began airing in the UK from 15 September 2012. Faith later confirmed that the song would be released as her next single on 23 September 2012. She commented "I have always loved this song and I feel honoured to sing it."

Since March 2014, Australian Football League club Port Adelaide has adopted "Never Tear Us Apart" as an unofficial anthem leading up to the opening bounce at its home ground, Adelaide Oval. It is a reference to various difficulties the club faced when trying to enter the AFL. Port Adelaide's use of the song stemmed from a trip to Anfield in November 2012 when Port Adelaide was in England to play an exhibition match against the Western Bulldogs. Seeing the Anfield crowd's rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone", Matthew Richardson, Port's general manager of marketing and consumer business, sought to replicate the pre match experience. At a meeting in mid 2013, the idea of an anthem was raised; various songs were suggested, including "Power and the Passion" by Midnight Oil and "Power to the People" by John Schumann. "Never Tear Us Apart" was suggested by Port Adelaide's events manager Tara MacLeod. It was eventually accepted, as it resonated with Port Adelaide's history: when Port Adelaide entered the AFL in 1997, it was forced to cut ties with its traditional base, the Port Adelaide Magpies, forming separate administrations and causing division amongst supporters.