Either INXS were fans and somehow heard Wonderful Ass, or this is just one spot on strange coincidence.

Wonderful Ass was recorded in 1983, Mediate in 1987, was this song even circulating back then?

Anyway, love both the songs.

[Edited 6/17/16 17:41pm]

Strange coincidence, not unlike The Rolling Stones last 3rd of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" versus the last 3rd of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man."

leadline said:

FUNKNROLL said:

leadline said:

Either INXS were fans and somehow heard Wonderful Ass, or this is just one spot on strange coincidence.

Wonderful Ass was recorded in 1983, Mediate in 1987, was this song even circulating back then?

Anyway, love both the songs.

[Edited 6/17/16 17:41pm]

I believe Bob Dylan did the rhyming thing before both. PrinceVault.com - One section of the song is a list of verbs rhyming with "...ate": "educate", "tolerate", "negotiate", "communicate" etc. This was likely inspired by fellow Minnesota singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's song Subterranean Homesick Blues (from Bringing It All Back Home, 1965, also released as a single in 1965). . [Edited 6/17/16 17:47pm]

Intersting! Did not know that about Dylan. Good stuff.

[Edited 6/17/16 18:01pm]

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Yeah, dude, get an education in modern pop music. Dylan pulled of that trick with a very famous song back in 1965 and INXS were ripping of that tune (and paying homage to it in their video).

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Hey, bud, it wasn't Prince who was stolen from. I don't think many Prince fans here realize that the Earth actually existed before Prince came about.

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Watch these two videos and tell us again that INXS ripped off Prince. We all neeed a good laugh.

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snip

[Edited 6/21/16 12:00pm]

I feel like there are other artists that have used that video technique too. (Rhyming/throwing cards.)

http://ultimateclassicroc...ick-blues/ and https://21tattoo.wordpress.com/2007/02/17/subterranean-homesick-redux-blues/
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[Edited 6/17/16 18:04pm]

Lastly, you aren't the first fan to question this. Look for Per Nilsen's conclusion.

leadline said:

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Great feedback, thank you.

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That's what we're here for.

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Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" and R.E.M's "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" were two other songs from that time that also ripped on the Bob Dylan classic from 1965.

Cloreen said:

I don't think many Prince fans here realize that the Earth actually existed before Prince came about.

Cloreen said:

FUNKNROLL said:

I believe Bob Dylan did the rhyming thing before both. PrinceVault.com - One section of the song is a list of verbs rhyming with "...ate": "educate", "tolerate", "negotiate", "communicate" etc. This was likely inspired by fellow Minnesota singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's song Subterranean Homesick Blues (from Bringing It All Back Home, 1965, also released as a single in 1965).

Yeah, I dont know how folks don't know this tidbit. For me ,it seems standard fare. I'm not a Dylan fan by any means, but I knew the connection when I saw INXS do it in their video.

As far as Prince, it's not necessarily a totally foreign idea to rhyme some words like that. If Prince got it from anyway, it'd be Dylan. But it's also probably it just happened.

TrivialPursuit said:

But it's also probably it just happened.

[img:$uid]http://i67.tinypic.com/2v3j22e.jpg[/img:$uid]

It kind of looks that way.

TrivialPursuit said:

Cloreen said:

.

Yeah, dude, get an education in modern pop music. Dylan pulled of that trick with a very famous song back in 1965 and INXS were ripping of that tune (and paying homage to it in their video).

.

Hey, bud, it wasn't Prince who was stolen from. I don't think many Prince fans here realize that the Earth actually existed before Prince came about.

Oh no, we all know the Earth was here before Prince existed. The point in question? Whether the Earth is flat or not:

http://prince.org/msg/100/418094

You can curse me later for ruining your whole day.

RodeoSchro said:

FUNKNROLL said:

leadline said:

Either INXS were fans and somehow heard Wonderful Ass, or this is just one spot on strange coincidence.

Wonderful Ass was recorded in 1983, Mediate in 1987, was this song even circulating back then?

Anyway, love both the songs.

[Edited 6/17/16 17:41pm]

I believe Bob Dylan did the rhyming thing before both. PrinceVault.com - One section of the song is a list of verbs rhyming with "...ate": "educate", "tolerate", "negotiate", "communicate" etc. This was likely inspired by fellow Minnesota singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's song Subterranean Homesick Blues (from Bringing It All Back Home, 1965, also released as a single in 1965). . [Edited 6/17/16 17:47pm]

Exactly! Some folks need to be educated.

FUNKNROLL said:

Empress said:

lakerlaker52 said:

FUNKNROLL said:

Yeah but Prince and INXS made it sound sexy. Dylan was all "hobo". "At 98 we all rotate..."? That's NUMBERWANG!! .

"das ist numberwang"

By the way how many versions are their of Wonderful Ass, I've only heard 2.

controversy99 said:

lakerlaker52 said:

"Exactly" what are you talking about? Please elaborate on what "exactly" is similar between "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "wonderful Ass." Specific lyrics would be helpful. Or time markers in both songs highlighting similar passages. (I can save you some time here because there are no similar passages.) Hint: if your answer has anything to do with Bob Dylan's or INXS' videos, then your answer fails.

lakerlaker52 is the only person on this thread making any sense! I'm a HUGE Bob Dylan fan. Neither Wonderful Ass or Mediate sound anything like Subterranean Homesick Blues. I defy you to find the simularity of either of those songs to Dylan's crazy masterpiece. The ONLY similarities are that the INXS video is a wonderful homage to Dylan's original. That's it! Well, they're also all midtempo pop songs from the second half of 20th century, but that can be said about, oh, I don't know, maybe a million other songs. Now, Mediate and that one section from Wonderful Ass are extremely similar. It's possible but very unlikely that it's a coincidence. As lakerlaker52 notes, the cadence, rhyme scheme, and melody of the two are almost identical. I have two theories: (1) Prince added that section to Wonderful Ass for fun after he heard the INXS song, making it a 1983 song with a 1987/88 addition or (2) INXS heard a leak of Wonderful Ass and decided to build a song around it, perhaps because they were told that Prince was giving it away or something. It's just too bizarre to be a coincidence. And I can't seem to find a solid explanation anywhere.

Agree 100%, not sure why folks are so quick to make this comparison, musically they have nothing in common.

A little off-topic, but I remember when the ICNTTPOYM 12" Single came out, I saw Michael Hutchinson had engineered the Hot Thing remixes and thought INXS & Prince were working together. Of course, Michael Hutchinson is not Michael Hutchence and had nothing to do with INXS, but for a minute I thought there was a connection...

I've been listening to INXS this past week and noticed many parallels to Prince and Michael Hutchence-- both seeming very sensitive to the constant fear in our world, singing about ways to escape it.

"Disappear" by INXS (lyrics from Google Play)

Say I'm crying
I'm looking at what's on TV
Pain and suffering
And the struggle to be free
It can't ever be denied
And I never will ignore
But when I see you coming
I can take it all

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear

Say you're mine
And give yourself to the feelings that you know
I'm needing all that you can give me
All the things that you do so well
Words are healing
Sweet anticipation
Making spells as the shadows close in
Fall across all our yesterdays

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear

Say if I could
Look into myself and reason
But I could never never see
Or make sense of the dealings
Turn around
Am I looking at salvation
Make me realize all that I am
You put the light inside this man

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear