Mediate
by INXS

Album: Kick (1987)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Mediate" is best known as the song that comes on after "Need You Tonight" in the video and on the Kick album. The song is a poem INXS keyboard player/guitarist Andrew Farriss came up with and set to music. The entire lyric is words and phrases that end in "-ate" ("fabricate," "liberate," "atomic fate"...). We counted 50 different "ate" words.
  • At the suggestion of producer Chris Thomas, the band decided to segue "Need You Tonight" into "Mediate" when they realized both songs were at the same tempo. They recorded them back-to-back, so it seemed ordained.

    There is a rich tradition of song segues, with The Beatles ("Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" into "With A Little Help From My Friends") and Led Zeppelin ("Heartbreaker" into "Livin' Lovin' Maid (she's just a woman)") among the acts that have done it.
  • The video shows lead singer Michael Hutchence revealing the lyrics on cue cards, tossing each one aside as the next line comes in. This is an homage to the Bob Dylan video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues," which he made in 1965 with director D.A. Pennebaker.

    This video was combined with the "Need You Tonight" video and aired together (they are separated on YouTube because more views = more $). They were both shot by Richard Lowenstein, a fellow Australian who cast Hutchence in his 1986 movie Dogs In Space.

    In September 1988, while INXS were at the peak of their powers, the "Need You Tonight/Mediate" video took home five MTV Video Music Awards, including Video Of The Year and Viewer's Choice.
  • As he did on "Need You Tonight," Andrew Farriss programmed a Roland 707 drum machine to create the basic beat. He kept both songs at the same beats per minute, which is why they meshed together so well.
  • Musically, this song contrasts a steady funk beat with ethereal keyboard sounds in the style of Brian Eno. Combined with the quasi-rapping of Michael Hutchence, it gets your attention.

Comments: 1

  • Susan from Illinois Need You Tonight/Mediate together are great! I wish radio stations still played them back-to-back. Love the videos back-to-back also!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.