The Gift (INXS song) explained

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

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

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

• CD single 2

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

• CD single 3

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 and cassette single

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

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[5]	27
Europe (European Hit Radio)[6]	28
Portugal (AFP)[7]	2
UK Airplay (Music Week)[8]	32

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
Australia	October 1993		EastWest
United Kingdom	11 October 1993		Mercury	[9]
Japan	21 December 1993	CD	EastWest	[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: Wicks, Todd . Gary . Graff . Daniel . Durchholz . 1998 . MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide . INXS. . Detroit . 577–578.
2. Web site: INXS. NME. 18 October 2023 .
3. Web site: welcome back and other stuff. TXT. 25 August 1993. Inxsweb.com. 29 March 2022.
4. News: Absolute Radio loses its virginity. News.bbc.co.uk. 2 September 2008.
5. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 10. 44. 30 October 1993. 21. 2 October 2020.
6. EHR Top 40. Music & Media. 10. 45. 6 November 1993. 29. 10 April 2024.
7. Top 10 Sales in Europe. Music & Media. 10. 47. 20 November 1993. 20. 2 October 2020.
8. The Airplay Chart. Music Week. 30 October 1993. 32. 2 May 2024.
9. Single Releases. Music Week. 27. 9 October 1993.
10. Web site: ギフト INXS. Gift INXS. Oricon. ja. 22 March 2024.