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Cover of The Swing by INXS
Cover: The Swing

Song · INXS

“Original Sin” by INXS

From the album The Swing (1984)

“Original Sin” by INXS appears on 44 radio countdowns from 11 stations between 1984 and 2026. It was first released in 1984 on the album The Swing. Its best result is #19 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #55 alternative song of 1984, #333 alternative song of all time and #295 of the '80s.

44countdowns
11stations
#19best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1984–2026years charted

Watch

INXS - Original Sin (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (INXS Videos). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Original Sin" led INXS into The Swing, their 1984 album, as its first single, and it's the record where the band's rock muscle learned to move its hips. Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss wrote it, Nile Rodgers produced, and Jason Corsaro engineered.

The groove is taut and tireless. Jon Farriss's drums and Garry Gary Beers's bass lock together, Andrew Farriss works keyboards and guitar, Tim Farriss and Kirk Pengilly add more guitar, Pengilly's saxophone cuts through the mix, and Hutchence sings lead with a sly, knowing swagger. Listen to the backing vocals and that's Daryl Hall in there.

It was their first single to reach the Australian top 10, and it went all the way to number one there early in 1984, the only time INXS ever topped their home chart. America wasn't quite ready yet: it stalled at No. 58 in the US and No. 20 in Canada.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1984 19 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1984 106

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 63 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 24 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 123 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1988 77 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) 200
1989 352 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 52 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1990 195 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 119 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 148 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1992 313 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 400 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 426 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 324 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 445 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 265 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 203 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 290 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 302 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 659 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 287 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 971 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 365 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 377 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 35 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 350 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 530 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 682 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 637 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 657 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 676 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 697 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 726 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 760 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2018 58 Triple M Triple M Ozzest 100 (2018) 100
2022 456 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2023 654 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2026 896 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound 1055

Also listed as: original Sin; Origional Sin; Oiginal Sin; The Original Sin.

Charting alongside it in 1984

Best songs of 1984 →
  1. 1Two TribesFrankie Goes to Hollywood
  2. 2Pride (In the Name of Love)U2
  3. 3RelaxFrankie Goes to Hollywood
  4. 4The Wild BoysDuran Duran
  5. 5The Killing MoonEcho and the Bunnymen
  6. 6TendernessGeneral Public

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