Never Tear Us Apart

Cover songs get such a bad reputation, but sometimes, it takes a cover to uncover the greatness of the song itself. That is the case for me with this song! I don't know if it is the opposite sex singing or the context in which this version was introduced to me, or simply the fact that I was so young when the original hit big that I never knew the song anew.

I liked the INXS record enough that I had it in my collection, but I never deciphered the situation being described therein. The fact that it was a heavy love song (that is, a song about a heavy sort of love) was all the more thought I really gave it. Until I heard this version, and then I became obsessed with both versions.

I find it amusing that so many interpret it to be star-crossed lovers meeting for the first time. To me, that observation is missing what I believe was the intention... "I was standing, you were there, two worlds collided" sounds to me like two people being together, "them doing them" (to leverage the modern "you do you" mantra), but the worlds from which each come viewed the other as a threat. Biracial couples probably encounter that a lot. Also, mixed religious couples or bipartisan couples.

I believe the lyrics were largely written by Michael Hutchence for Michèle Bennett, which is effectively a relationship between a musician and a publicist. Art meets business is not as taboo as some relationships, but still, countless artists view the business suits as the enemy, and too many suits treat artists as lowly. My point is that the lyrics "I was standing, you were there, two worlds collided, and they will never tear us apart" meant that outsiders will attack their love, providing a litany of reasons why they are not good for each other, or simply belittle their friend's choice of partners (people on both his side and her side are equally likely to be at fault).

The "I was standing, you were there" is the peaceful couple together, while "two worlds collided" are all their cynical outsiders providing reasons why they can't last.

"I told you that we could fly 'cause we all have wings, but some of us don't know why" means that we can all find partners who make us feel like anything is possible, but some people will never even attempt to go about it.

"We could live for a thousand years, but if I hurt you, I'd make wine from your tears" is intriguing. It feels less straight-forward than the rest of the lyrics. On the surface, "I'd make wine from your tears" sounds like a toast to someone else's defeat, but there's a 0% chance the intention herein was "I'll hurt you just to celebrate making you cry."

Instead, I have the two following considerations for this line:

1) If he drinks wine to feel introspective, then the line could be a lovey promise to understand the other person's feelings any time they fall out of line. That notion is supported by my pre-established idea that the "two worlds collide" are a mismatched background, so each person will have ideas that are not innate to the other. Knowing conflict will occur, the most responsible approach for the couple would be to vow to understand each other when they hurt the other (the naive approach would be to promise never to hurt each other).

2) If the couple often drinks wine together, then the line could be a lovely promise to share each other's pain, as well as glory. Honestly, this interpretation may be more direct, and I feel like it matches the rest of the lyrics more closely.