Hey, here is the story
Forget about the troubles in life
Don't you know, it's not easy
When you gotta walk upon that line

That's why
You need
That's why
This is what you need, I'll give you what you need

Don't you get sad and lonely
You need a change from what you do all day
Ain't no sense in all your crying
Pick it up and throw it into shape

That's why you need, oh that's why
This is what you need, I'll give you what you need
This is what you need, I'll give you what you need
This is what you need, I'll give you what you need
I'll give you what you need

Hey you, won't you listen?
This is not the end of it all
Don't you see is a rhythm
I'll take you where you really need to be
I'll take you, I'll take you where you want to be
That's right, I'll take you


Lyrics submitted by typo

What You Need Lyrics as written by Andrew Farriss Michael Hutchence

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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What You Need song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I think it's about saving someone from themselves and getting away from their daily mundane troubles and the like...

    Thia007on November 23, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    INXS are the best aussie band ever.... and this is their best song

    dlewis16on October 06, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yep, i'd say that me, dlewis16 and long_live_inxs are the only cool people in this place, simply because we have commented on the bets INXS song out there. congrats to us.

    DefinitelyJoshuaon December 11, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I freaking LOVE this song!! Everytime it comes on I just have to get up and dance!!

    live4musicon March 26, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I can't believe that this song has only 4 comments. This song f*****g rocks!

    alexvickerson May 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I heard Michael say this on a concert, his intro was literally "This song is about sex"

    bingajon February 23, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    What you need is a good rock beat when you are down.the groove or rhythm will transport you to nirvana.pick it up and throw it into shape means if your depressed,it's up to you to get yourself out of it by putting away your problems for a minute and just dance to Inxs.

    captlafl69on October 05, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This really reminds me of the song "Bring it on Home" and is far from the same genre, but I think I got the jist of the song when I found this one. I know the pop INXS, but will have to take a listen to this one and only because the words are very complimentary to the theme I have been feeling for a bit. I would like to hear though, "just pick it up and throw it my way" instead of "throw it into shape." Yeah, I think so. And after where he says "where you really need to be" I feel he should say...with me!

    driftingdreameron June 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The producer/manager told them they needed a hit song for the album “Listen Like Thieves”. The band’s effort to make one, resulted in the lyrics of this song.

    “That's why You need That's why This is what you need, I'll give you what you need”

    rledauxon November 05, 2020   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    A vague reference to god, claiming that religon is ideal for people who are stuggling in life and in need of guidance.

    long_live_INXSon May 08, 2005   Link

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