‘Suicide Blonde’ is the lead single from Australian rock band INXS's seventh studio album, X (1990). It was released on 22 August 1990 in the United States and on 3 September 1990 in the United Kingdom. The song reached number two in Australia, number nine in the United States, and number 11 in the United Kingdom. In Canada and New Zealand, the single peaked at number one for two and three weeks, respectively. At the APRA Music Awards of 1991, ‘Suicide Blonde’ won the award Most Performed Australian Work Overseas.
In America, this song hit the mark on Modern Rock radio, where edgy "alternative" acts were the focus. ‘Suicide Blonde’ rose to #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. ‘Suicide Blonde’ would be the final song performed live in front of an audience by Hutchence with INXS, on 27 September 1997 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before his death on 22 November 1997.
‘Suicide Blonde’ was written by INXS members Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss, after the band had gotten back together after a year-long sabbatical in 1989. The song's title originates from the night Hutchence and then-girlfriend Kylie Minogue attended the debut of the 1989 romantic drama film The Delinquents, which stars Minogue. One of Hutchence's favorite hobbies was "corrupting Kylie" because of her wholesome image. When they attended the premiere of Kylie's film, she wore an extreme look with the "suicide blonde" hair that made her unrecognizable to many.
The recording of ‘Suicide Blonde’ showed some new and older influences on INXS. Jon Farriss's drums show the influence of dance music especially the acid house sounds popular in the UK. Similarly, the blues harp intro on the track, performed by Charlie Musselwhite, was sampled rather than recorded live. The song has nothing to do with suicide, and despite the uneasy title, the band continued to perform it when they toured with other lead singers following Michael Hutchence's death by suicide in 1997.
Label – WEA
Songwriters – Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence
Producer - Chris Thomas
SONG LYRICS
[Intro]Don't you know what you're doing? (Oh)
You've got a death wish
Yeah?
Suicide blonde, suicide blonde
Suicide blonde, suicide blonde
[Verse 1]
Suicide blonde was the colour of her hair
Like a cheap distraction
For a new affair
She knew it would finish
Before it began
Woah, baby, you lost the plan
[Chorus]
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde
[Verse 2]
She stripped to the beat
But her clothes stay on
White light everywhere
But you can't see a thing
Such a squeeze, a mad, sad moment
Glory to you, glory to you, take me there
Ooh, take me there (Ow)
[Verse 3]
You got some revelation put into your hands
Save you from your misery
Like rain across the land
Don't you see the colour of deception?
Turning your world around again
[Chorus]
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde, say it
[Post-Chorus]
(You wanna make—)
(You wanna make—)
You wanna make her suicide blonde
You wanna make— (Hahaha)
Ow
[Bridge]
That's the story
Everything you wanna be
Everything you are, are
Mm-mm, yeah
[Instrumental Break]
[Chorus]
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde (Oh)
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde, yeah
[Outro]
Love devastation
You wanna make her suicide blonde
Love devastation, suicide blonde
You wanna make her suicide blonde