“Never Tear Us Apart” is perhaps INXS’s most famous ballad, a dramatic waltz with synthesizer strings and an iconic saxophone break. The song is about an intense romantic connection between two people that feels like it will last forever.
The National have recorded a cover for Songs for Australia, an album of covers to raise money to fight the Australian wildfires and aid in the recovery. For their version, The National strip out the sexiness of the original, replacing the synth strings with a driving beat and replacing Hutchence’s romantic lead vocal with a solemn double-tracked vocal. The iconic sax break is replaced by a full horn section and a guitar solo. The cover climaxes with thumping onslaught of instruments which will no doubt sound good live. In their hands, the song is a call for unity between two cultures in the face of a devastating crisis.
Buy ‘Songs for Australia’ here. All money goes towards wildfire relief.
