Released November 1991 Recorded 1991 Length 4:56 | Format 7", CD single Genre Alternative rock Label Atlantic | |
"The Stairs" is the fifth single by INXS taken from their album X. It was only ever released in The Netherlands to coincide with the release of the Live Baby Live album and as such is an extremely rare and valuable collectors item. The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence as part of the sessions for the X album in 1990.
Contents
Michael Hutchence explained in an interview with Newsday in February 1991, that "'The Stairs' is the most ambitious song I've ever written". The tune is about singular city life: "Building to building / street to street ...".
Andrew Farris spoke about the track in an interview with Spin in 1990, explaining that the song "deals with people in highly urbanized environments not communicating. We should have town squares like they used to have where people go to these little socially instituted environments where it's fashionable. Personally, I don't think fashion and trends are really going to solve the world's problems."
The song was used by CBS-TV over the closing credits at the end of their broadcast coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics.
A re-recorded version with current lead singer of the band J.D. Fortune was released on the 2010 album Original Sin
B-Sides
The B-sides are the studio version of "The Stairs" from the X album and "The One Thing (Live)", also taken from the Live Baby Live album.
Track listing
Tracks:
- "The Stairs" (Live)
- "The Stairs" (LP Version)
- "The One Thing"