By Thomas Mitchell
Never Tear Us Apart by INXS has won triple j’s Hottest 100 Australian Songs countdown, coming out on top after almost 3 million votes were cast.
Released in 1987, the power ballad was nominated for four ARIA Music Awards, winning two: for Best Group and Best Video. Written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence, the song was played during Hutchence’s funeral after his death in 1997.
INXS have won the Hottest 100 Australian songs of all time with their 1987 hit Never Tear Us Apart.Credit: James Minchin
The track beat out The Nosebleed Section by Hilltop Hoods and Untouched by the Veronicas, which placed second and third, respectively. The Veronicas inclusion with Untouched is particularly impressive, given the song didn’t even hit the Hottest 100 in 2007, the year it was released.
The top 20 represented a mix of old and new, as voters’ loyalty was split between classic Australian tracks and more recent artists.
Cold Chisel went back to back at No.6 and No.7 with Flame Trees and Khe Sanh, ACDC’s Thunderstruck came 13th (they also charted with Back in Black and Highway to Hell), The Angels’ obligatory curse-a-long anthem, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again? came 12th, You’re The Voice by John Farnham nabbed No.15, while Midnight Oils’ Beds Are Burning slipped into the top 20 at No.18.
There was also space for Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition (11) and Rufus Du Sol’s Innerbloom (16).
Audiences have been voting for months to unearth Australia’s favourite song, with even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese getting in on the act, nominating The Angels’ Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again and Cold Chisel’s Flame Trees in his list.
Daryl Braithwaite’s The Horses came in at No.30, with another “end of the night” go-to, Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, ranking at 32. Powderfinger’s Baby I Got You On My Mind was a surprise early inclusion, dropping in at No.70.
Midnight Oil also popped up early, Blue Sky Mine coming in at 99 before making a second appearance with Power and the Passion at 68. Crowded House provided the first big singalong for the day thanks to Weather With You (at 69), while Silverchair’s Freak sneaked in at 72.
Typically, the Hottest 100 is an annual countdown of the best songs of the year from all over the world. But to celebrate the youth station’s 50th anniversary, triple j staged a countdown of the greatest ever home-grown tracks with audiences attending listening parties around the country.
According to triple j, more than 2.65 million votes were submitted during the voting period with the 18- to 29-year-old demographic submitting the most votes.
Kate and Melissa Mason from Leichhardt introduce seven-week-old Joey to Gang of Youths’ Let me Down Easy at Number 60.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong
That generational divide was a hot topic on social media, with some users bemused that more contemporary tracks were outperforming songs considered Australian classics. Booster Seat released in 2020 by Fremantle band Spacey Jane came in at 34, above both Treaty by Yothu Yindi (36) and Back in Black by ACDC (37).
Despite the jubilant mood around the countdown, there was a notable lack of female representation. While the Veronicas and Missy Higgins made the top five, of the 100 tracks included only 12 were either performed by or featured female artists. High-profile omissions included Courtney Barnett, Sia and Tina Arena.
Elsewhere in the countdown, despite its baffling longevity, Vance joy’s Riptide only made it to 48 in Saturday’s poll, far lower than many predicted. The 2013 hit took out the No.1 spot on the 2013 Hottest 100 and was the most streamed Australian song by Australians on Spotify in 2024. Last year, Riptide enjoyed 331 consecutive weeks in the Aria charts, despite being more than 10 years old.
There was also plenty of love for Redgum’s I Was Only 19. Recorded in 1983, the song is a first-person account of an Australian soldier’s experience in the Vietnam War.
The Hottest 100 Australian songs has not been without controversy. It comes after a decline in local artists featuring in the station’s usual annual poll.
Earlier this month, artist Ben Lee told this masthead that, while a one-off countdown to promote Australian music was a positive step, triple j should consider turning the annual Hottest 100 into a celebration of Australian-only music.
“It’s a bit of a snooze-fest, if I’m honest,” he said. “It’s not me, Missy Higgins and Powderfinger that need a leg-up at the moment. So it feels like an attempt to relive the glory days without addressing the issue.
“Triple j should give the Hottest 100 to Kyle and jackie O, let commercial radio run it nationally as a pop mainstream phenomenon and triple j’s business should be the Australian Hottest 100.”
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