Who hasn’t belted out Tina Arena’s ‘Chains’ on a summer road trip?

Now part of the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia collection, ‘Chains’ became a career-defining moment for Tina upon its release in August 1994. The song reached No. 4 on the Australian charts, No. 6 in the UK, No. 20 in Canada, and No. 38 in the USA, cementing her place on the global stage.

Alongside the second single, ‘Sorrento Moon (I Remember)’, ‘Chains’ helped propel Tina’s album Don’t Ask to become one of Australia’s highest-selling albums, winning multiple ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year.

The visuals of the music video for ‘Chains’ reflect the song’s smoky dance beats and powerhouse vocals with a striking narrative. Tina, playing a spurned lover, sits in a darkened, cloth-covered apartment, shedding her bitter past by removing the coverings and discarding items tied to her pain. As light pours in, she dances joyfully, finishing with a confident smile at the camera.

The song’s enduring popularity continues, with re-releases in 2015 featuring Jessica Mauboy and the Veronicas, a disco-inspired ‘S&M Remix’ in 2019, and a 30th-anniversary reimagining in 2024 by Melbourne dance duo SHOUSE.

Listen to an excerpt from a February 1995 radio interview on Sydney’s MIX 106.5 where Tina Arena describes the mixed emotions she felt when she first heard ‘Chains’ on the radio.

Watch Tina Arena's first and last appearances on Young Talent Time.

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