Don't Change

"Don't Change"
Artwork for Australian and US releases
Single by INXS
from the album Shabooh Shoobah
B-side"Go West"
Released27 October 1982
Genre
Length4:24
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)INXS
Producer(s)Mark Opitz
INXS singles chronology
"The One Thing"
(1982) 		"Don't Change"
(1982) 		"To Look at You"
(1983)
Music video
"Don't Change" on YouTube

"Don't Change" is a song by Australian rock band INXS.[5] It was released as a single from the album Shabooh Shoobah[6] in October 1982. It has been described as the song that made the band internationally famous.[7]

Reception

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Cash Box reviewed the "Don't Change" single saying "churning rhythms and swirling guitars provide a straight ahead forward thrust for singer Michael Hutchence's philosophical pronouncements."[8]

"Don't Change" peaked at number 14[9] on the Australian Singles Charts and reached number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100[10] and number 17 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.[10]

In February 2014, after the Channel 7 screening of INXS: Never Tear Us Apart mini-series, "Don't Change" charted again in Australia via download sales. It peaked at #92 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia collection.[11]

In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Don't Change" was ranked number 28.[12]

In a retrospective review, Allmusic described the song as "one of the best rock songs of the 1980s".[1]

Music video

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The music video, directed by Scott Hicks,[13] was originally planned to be filmed on an airport runway, in South Australia, but was cancelled due to bad weather and filming took place in a nearby airport hangar.[14]

Hutchence knew Hicks, and had performed on two songs included on the soundtrack of an earlier feature film directed by him, Freedom. The two tracks, "Speed Kills" and "Forest Theme", were written by Don Walker (Cold Chisel). "Speed Kills" was Hutchence's first solo single and was released by WEA in early 1982.[14]

Uses in media and other versions

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"Don't Change" plays during the credits of the movie Adventureland and is featured on its soundtrack.[15]

The song has been covered by Brandon Flowers, The Audreys, The Bravery, Everclear, Face to Face, Goo Goo Dolls, Grinspoon, AFI, Bruce Springsteen, Lazlo Bane[16] and Limp Bizkit.[17][18][19]

Track listing

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7" single Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Don't Change"M. Hutchence, A. Farriss, T. Farris, J. Farris, K. Pengilly, G. Beers[20]4:24
2."Go West"J. Bushelman, A. Farriss, K. Pengilly[21]3:10

Charts

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Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 80
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23] 17

References

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  1. ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Don't Change - Overview". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  2. ^ Gawne, Holley (17 October 2021). "Check out 14 of the most iconic Aussie pub rock songs". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  3. ^ Sheffield, Rob (24 February 2023). "The 100 Best Songs of 1983, the Year Pop Went Crazy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 September 2023. But the Australian rockers changed minds with "Don't Change," an undeniable punk-disco anthem...
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. INXS - Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979-1997) (2001) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Dodshon, Mark (29 June 1983). "INXS back with high hopes of new hit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. ^ "INXS – a group in search of identity". The Age. Fairfax Media. 13 January 1984. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Make a date with INXS on Feb 17". New Straits Times. 10 February 1994. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 June 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  10. ^ a b "INXS – Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  11. ^ Sounds of Australia 2017 | NFSA. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Here Are The Songs That Made Triple M's 'Ozzest 100'". Musicfeeds. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  13. ^ Scott Hicks at IMDb
  14. ^ a b St John, Ed (1998). Burn : The life and times of Michael Hutchence and INXS. Sydney, NSW: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-7338-0182-X.
  15. ^ "DVD Release - Adventureland". PopMatters. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Lazlo Bane's Guilty Pleasures the 80's Volume 1". cdbaby.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Limp Bizkit have released an INXS cover on their new album". Tonedeaf.thebrag.com. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Limp Bizkit Have Taken On The Saddest, Most Sensual INXS Hit". Junkee.com. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Album review: Limp Bizkit : Still Sucks". Kerrang!. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  20. ^ ""Don't Change" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  21. ^ ""Go West" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  22. ^ "INXS Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  23. ^ "INXS Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
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