"Searching" is the fourth 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...

. It was never officially released although scheduled for the UK market. 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. It is also the final single to feature original front man Michael Hutchence, who died two months after the song was released.

Trivia

The song was previewed several months before the album's release in September 1996 at the Australian ARIA Music Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...

.

Due to record company red tape, "Searching", the scheduled third single from Elegantly Wasted, was never commercially released.

According to a Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 spokesman, a minimal quantity of around 2,000 copies of each disc were pressed for promotional purposes, but upon the single's retraction all available copies were destroyed. Inevitably, a relatively small and unknown quantity of the discs had already been circulated thus making the singles very attractive collector’s items – especially as a complete set. However, most of the actual recordings and remixes have since appeared elsewhere on other promo items.

B-sides

As well as the new mixes of "Searching", the CD Singles included further live tracks from the Aspen

Aspen, Colorado

The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...

 show and two Acoustic

Acoustic music

Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...

 performances at BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 of "I'm Just A Man" and "Never Tear Us Apart

Never Tear Us Apart

"Never Tear Us Apart" is a single released by Australian rock group INXS in August 1988. It was also included on the band's sixth studio album, Kick. The music was written by Andrew Farriss, who recorded a blues-style demo and gave it to Michael Hutchence...

".

Video

The video for "Searching" was directed by longtime collaborator Nick Egan and would be the last the band worked on before Hutchence's death. "Searching" was shot in San Francisco at the end of July 1997 and was unusually set to the 'Leadstation Radio Mix' of the song, not the album version.

The narrative of the video is of the band "Searching" the streets for the girl who appears on the front cover of the 'Elegantly Wasted' album, video and single.

Track listings

CD Promo - MECP319 - Mercury/US

1. Searching (Leadstation Radio Mix)
2. Searching (LP version)

CD Promo - INXCJ30 - Mercury/UK

1. Searching (Leadstation Radio Mix)
2. Searching (LP version)

CD5 - INXCD30 - Mercury/UK (withdrawn)

1. Searching (Leadstation Radio Mix)
2. Searching (LP version)
3. Searching (Alex Reece Drum and Bass Mix)
4. Searching (Linslee Campbell R & B Mix)

CD5 - INXD30 - Mercury/UK (withdrawn)

1. Searching (Leadstation Funk Workout)
2. Searching (Live in Aspen '97)
3. Elegantly Wasted (Live in Aspen '97)
4. Need You Tonight (Live in Aspen '97)

CD5 - INXDD30 - Mercury/UK (withdrawn)

1. Searching (Leadstation Main Mix)
2. Searching (Bosch Mix)
3. I'm Just A Man (acoustic live - Radio One, May 20, '97)
4. Never Tear Us Apart (acoustic live - Radio One, May 20, '97)