The Gift (INXS song)

"The Gift" is the first single released from Australian rock band INXS's 1993 album, Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. The song was written by Michael Hutchence, Kirk Pengilly, Garry Gary Beers, Andrew Farriss, Tim Farriss and Jon Farriss. Upon its release, it reached number two in Portugal, number six on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and number 16 in Australia. The music video was banned by MTV due to featuring controversial content.

"The Gift"
Single by INXS
from the album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts
Released	1993
Genre	Industrial rock^[1]
Length	5:03
Label	EastWest Atlantic Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Michael Hutchence Kirk Pengilly Garry Gary Beers Andrew Farriss Tim Farriss Jon Farriss
Producer(s)	Mark Opitz INXS
INXS singles chronology
"Beautiful Girl" (1992) "The Gift" (1993) "Please (You Got That ...)" (1993)

Music video

The music video for "The Gift" dramatises issues ranging from war and terrorism to famine and pollution with the band appearing to crash through the TV screen in anger. The video was banned by MTV owing to its use of Holocaust and Gulf War footage.^[2]

In an interview with the director and long-term collaborator Richard Lowenstein: "The video uses harrowing visuals in order to portray man's ability to create havoc and destruction. The message behind the video is to show how as viewers, we have become accepting of, and increasingly apathetic to images of gross human suffering and violence."^[3]

B-sides

The B-sides on the first of two UK CD Single releases include two remixes of "The Gift", a live version of "Heaven Sent", and a cover of Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild", which was specially recorded for the April 1993 launch of Virgin Radio in the UK.^[4]

Track listings

CD single 1 (INXCD25)

1. "The Gift"
2. "The Gift" (Bonus Beats mix)
3. "Born to Be Wild"

CD single 2 (INXCT 25)

1. "The Gift"
2. "The Gift" (extended mix)
3. "Heaven Sent" (live)

CD single 3 (Atlantic 85722-2)

1. "The Gift"
2. "Born to Be Wild"
3. "The Gift" (extended mix)
4. "The Gift" (Bonus Beat mix)
5. "Heaven Sent" (live)

7-inch vinyl and cassette single (INXS25)

1. "The Gift"
2. "The Gift" (extended mix)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[5]	16
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[6]	36
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[7]	27
Ireland (IRMA)^[8]	25
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[9]	38
Portugal (AFP)^[10]	2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[11]	32
UK Singles (OCC)^[12]	11
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[13]	6

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Australia	1993	CD cassette	EastWest
United Kingdom	11 October 1993	7-inch vinyl CD cassette	Mercury	^[14]

References

1. Wicks, Todd (1998). "INXS". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 577–578.
2. "INXS". NME.
3. "welcome back and other stuff" (TXT). Inxsweb.com. 25 August 1993. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
4. "Absolute Radio loses its virginity". News.bbc.co.uk. 2 September 2008.
5. "INXS – The Gift". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
6. "INXS – The Gift" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
7. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 44. 30 October 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Gift". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
9. "INXS – The Gift". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
10. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 47. 20 November 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
11. "INXS – The Gift". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
13. "INXS Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
14. "Single Releases". Music Week. 9 October 1993. p. 27.