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Andrew Farriss oral history excerpt: The Swing
Title:
Andrew Farriss oral history excerpt: The Swing
NFSA ID
1663831
Year
2015
The majority of INXS’ songs were written by their vocalist, Michael Hutchence and keyboard player, Andrew Farris.
After they started to experience international success with their third album, Shabooh Shoobah, they wanted to start writing songs with more depth. This resulted in their classic song from The Swing, 'Original Sin', which reached No. 1 in Australia in January 1984.
Although Michael Hutchence never fully explained the meaning behind the lyrics, they seem to touch on race and how ignorance is passed down through generations.
In this clip from an oral history recorded with Andrew Farris at the NFSA in 2015, he discusses the writing of the song as well as the backlash the band received in America at the time, due to the lyrics.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.