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Cover of Listen Like Thieves by INXS
Cover: Listen Like Thieves

Song · INXS

“What You Need” by INXS

From the album Listen Like Thieves (1985)

“What You Need” by INXS appears on 65 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1985 and 2025. It was first released in 1985 on the album Listen Like Thieves. Its best result is #7 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1986. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #10 alternative song of 1986, #454 alternative song of all time and #33 of the '80s.

65countdowns
25stations
#7best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1985–2025years charted

Watch

INXS - What You Need (Official Music Video)

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

"What You Need" came roaring off Listen Like Thieves, INXS's 1985 album on Atlantic, and it very nearly didn't exist. The record was finished and ready to hand over when producer Chris Thomas told the Australians there was still no hit on it. With a single day of studio time left, Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence came up with this one, and Farriss later said it took almost no time at all to nail.

You can hear the deadline in it. Jon Farriss and Garry Gary Beers lock into a tough, sweaty groove, Steve Churchyard's engineering keeps it lean and punchy, and Hutchence prowls over the top like he owns the room, pure white-funk swagger with a new wave sheen.

It was the lead single in Australia and New Zealand, and in America and Europe it followed "This Time". Stateside it gave the band their first top-10 hit, climbing to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1985 53 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1985 107
1985 84 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1985 91
1986 19 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1986 107
1986 15 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 90
1986 7 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1986 10

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 33 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 320 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 316 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1989 12 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 236 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 246 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 238 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 775 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1991 484 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1992 216 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1994 291 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 155 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 392 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 299 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 288 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 108 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 384 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 453 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 921 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 226 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 460 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 873 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 1070 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 377 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 1314 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 762 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 275 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1314 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 275 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 1319 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 1318 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1043 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 1303 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 868 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 1303 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 1303 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 402 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 438 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 404 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 425 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 422 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 431 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 332 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 435 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 419 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 441 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 845 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2017 532 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2019 686 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 340 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 312 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 206 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 308 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 677 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 435 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 111 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 189 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 233 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 340 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 385 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500

Also listed as: What You need.

Charting alongside it in 1986

Best songs of 1986 →
  1. 1PanicThe Smiths
  2. 2AskThe Smiths
  3. 3Bigmouth Strikes AgainThe Smiths
  4. 4SledgehammerPeter Gabriel
  5. 5Wild Wild LifeTalking Heads
  6. 6Don't Get Me WrongThe Pretenders

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