INXS - ELEGANTLY WASTED

Released: March 10, 1997

Charted: UK: #20 

"Elegantly Wasted" served as the lead single from INXS's album of the same name and enjoyed significant success, particularly in Canada where it topped the charts for three weeks. Despite not charting on the Billboard Hot 100 due to commercial release rules at the time, it reached number 27 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in the United States. The song also achieved moderate success in other countries, including reaching the top 40 in Iceland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The inspiration for the song reportedly came from a night out shared by Michael Hutchence and Bono from U2.

According to INXS: Story to Story: The Official Autobiography, the line "We're better than Oasis" can be heard in the background of the song instead of "We're Elegantly Wasted". This came as a result of an incident that occurred at the 1996 Brit Awards, after Noel Gallagher said about Hutchence while accepting an award: "Has-beens should not be presenting awards to gonna-be's." Tensions between Hutchence and the Gallaghers escalated backstage when Hutchence allegedly threw a fire extinguisher at Liam Gallagher after he made some derogatory comments about his then-partner, Paula Yates.

The music video was directed by Walter Stern, a prominent English music director. Filmed over two days in January 1997, the video features the band strolling through an airport terminal, where the passengers gradually become intrigued and interact with the band members. To create the airport setting, a small set was constructed in Los Angeles, resembling the interior of a real airport, with extras portraying passengers. Additionally, the video incorporates snippets and brief clips from the album's video shoot enhancing the overall cinematic feel.