“The One Thing” by INXS was released in July 1982 as the lead single from their third studio album, Shabooh Shoobah. Co-written by Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss, the track marked the band’s breakthrough in the United States, becoming their first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at No. 30 in 1983). After their previous label, Deluxe Records, failed to secure international interest, the band self-financed a recording session at Paradise Studios in Sydney with producer Mark Opitz to showcase their potential. The success of the single convinced WEA Australia to sign INXS in July 1982, leading to distribution deals with Atco Records in North America and PolyGram in Europe.
The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Soren Jensen, featured the band in a decadent feast with models and valium-fed cats. As INXS’s first video to air on MTV, it received high rotation in 1983, significantly boosting the band’s visibility and chart performance in the US. The track also reached No. 14 in Australia and No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Tracks chart.
After their previous label, Deluxe Records, failed to secure international interest, the band self-financed a recording session at Paradise Studios in Sydney with producer Mark Opitz to showcase their potential. The success of the single convinced WEA Australia to sign INXS in July 1982, leading to distribution deals with Atco Records in North America and PolyGram in Europe.
[Verse 1]
Well, you know just what you do to me
The way you move, soft and slippery
Cut the night just like a razor
Rarely talk, and that’s the danger
[Refrain]
It’s the one thing
You are my thing
[Verse 2]
You know your voice is a love song
It’s a cat call from the past
There’s no ice in your lover’s walk
You don’t look twice, ’cause you move so fast
[Refrain]
It’s the one thing
You are my thing
[Sax solo]
[Verse 3]
You’ve got a dozen men behind you
You’ve got dead flowers on the floor
You’re too pretty in the daylight
It keeps them coming back for more
[Refrain]
It’s the one thing
You are my thing
It’s the one thing
You are my thing
It’s the one thing
You are my thing
