"Don't Lose Your Head" is the third single from the album Elegantly Wasted

Elegantly Wasted

-Variations:*"Shine" does not appear on the US/Canadian edition and is not to be confused with "Shine Like It Does".*The Japanese regular edition and Australian limited edition release of the album features the bonus track "Let It Ride".-Singles:...

by INXS

INXS

INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...

. Released in Europe (Germany and The Netherlands) and Japan at the end of 1997. No official release for this in USA. The song was written by Michael Hutchence

Michael Hutchence

Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...

 and Andrew Farriss

Andrew Farriss

Andrew Charles Farriss is a rock musician , best known as the keyboardist and main composer for the Australian band INXS.-Career:...

 and recorded by the band in Dublin during the summer of 1996.

Although it was never officially released as a single in USA, INXS released "Don't Lose Your Head" as a promo tie-in with Paramount's

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 1997 film Face/Off

Face/Off

Face/Off is a 1997 action thriller film directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The two both play an FBI agent and a terrorist, sworn enemies who assume the physical appearance of one another....

starring John Travolta

John Travolta

John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...

 and Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...

. A Radio Edit version of the single was remixed by Tom Lord-Alge

Tom Lord-Alge

Tom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...

 to clean up the opening lyrics; "You wake up in the morning with a starfuck for a friend' to "You wake up in the morning with a dealer for a friend".

Trivia

According to an interview in the News of the World

News of the World

The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...

 Sunday Magazine, the lyrics for Don't Lose Your Head were aimed squarely at "Oasis

Oasis (band)

Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...

" frontman Liam Gallagher

Liam Gallagher

William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...

 who Hutchence had many disagreements with over the years.

Nicolas Cage was spotted at INXS' Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 show for the Elegantly Wasted Tour on September 25, 1997. Hutchence dedicated "What You Need

What You Need (song)

"What You Need" is a song recorded by the Australian band INXS. It is the leadoff track from their 1985 album, Listen Like Thieves. "What You Need" was the first single off the album in Australia and New Zealand, while it was in USA and Europe the second single after "This Time" and was the band's...

" and "Don't Lose Your Head" to the actor, and also climbed up to Cage's balcony during "Time

Time (INXS song)

"Time" is the third single from the 1993 album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, by Australian rock band INXS. The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence....

".

UK release

"Don’t Lose Your Head" was pressed as UK promo single but, upon Hutchence's death, it was immediately withdrawn. Around 500 copies were originally pressed but destroyed almost instantly. Although the single did appear commercially in other territories such as Japan, its purpose for the UK market was primarily as a marketing tool for the Face Off movie. Again the single continued with the band's unique UK catalogue numbering system and received the number INXDJ31. What with so few copies being pressed in the first place followed by the stock’s destruction, an extremely low quantity – estimated to be lower than 50! – actually escaped the burner, thus making this possibly the rarest INXS pressing around.

B-sides

As well as the new mixes of "Don't Lose Your Head", the CD Singles included live versions of previous hits recorded on the Promotional Tour for the Elegantly Wasted album.

Video

A performance-style video was directed by Nick Egan in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and included clips from the movie. Egan has also worked with INXS in the past on such projects as art direction and design on the "X

X (INXS album)

X is Australian rock band INXS's seventh studio album, released in 1990. It peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 5 in the United States, No. 2 in the United Kingdom, No. 5 in Switzerland and No. 10 in Sweden. The album contains four hit singles, "Suicide Blonde", "Disappear",...

" and "Kick" albums.

Track listings

CD Promo - INXDJ31 - Mercury/UK (Withdrawn)

1. Don't Lose Your Head (Radio Mix) (3:34)
2. Don't Lose Your Head (Leadstation Solid Gold Mix) (4:27)

CD Promo - MECP 283 - Mercury/US

1. Don't Lose Your Head (Radio Edit) (3:34)
2. Don't Lose Your Head (LP Version) (4:02)

CD5 - 568 039-2 - Mercury/Australia/Europe

1. Don't Lose Your Head (Radio Mix) (4:02)
2. Don't Lose Your Head (Leadstation Solid Gold Mix) (4:27)
3. I'm Just A Man (Live In Belgium, 4th April 1997) (5:11)
4. Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain) (Live In Belgium, 4th April 1997) (3:54)

CD - 568 038-2 Mercury/Europe

1. Don't Lose Your Head (Radio Mix) (3:34)
2. Don't Lose Your Head (Leadstation Solid Gold Mix) (4:27)

CD5 - PHCR-4073 - Mercury/Japan

1. Don't Lose Your Head (Radio Mix) (3:34)
2. Don't Lose Your Head (Leadstation Solid Gold Mix) (4:27)
3. Never Tear Us Apart (Acoustic Version) (2:31)
4. Elegantly Wasted (Live In Aspen 1997) (3:52)
5. Need You Tonight (Live In Aspen 1997) (3:06)
6. I'm Just A Man (Live In Belgium, 4th April 1997) (5:11)