“The Stairs” is the fifth single by INXS taken from their album X. It was only ever released in The Netherlands to coincide with the release of the Live Baby Live album and as such is an extremely rare and valuable collectors item. The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence as part of the sessions for the X album in 1990.

Michael Hutchence explained in an interview with Newsday in February 1991, that “‘The Stairs’ is the most ambitious song I’ve ever written”. The tune is about singular city life: “Building to building / street to street …”.
An extended version of the song was used by CBS-TV over the closing credits at the end of their broadcast coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics.

A re-recorded version with current lead singer of the band J.D. Fortune was released on the 2010 album Original Sin