Songoftheday 8/7/23 - Thought that I was going crazy just having one of those days, didn't know what to do then there was you...

"Love At First Sight" - Kylie Minogue

from the album Fever (2002)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 5

Today's song comes from Australian-born international pop star Kylie Minogue, whose frustrating lack of success in America was temporarily assuaged with her comeback top ten hit "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" in the spring of 2002, months after it hit big around the globe. During that time, Kylie released the song "In Your Eyes" as the second international single. The song topped the chart in Australia and Romania, and made the top ten in the Czech Republic (#2), the United Kingdom (#3), Greece (#3), Hungary (#4), Poland (#5), Ireland (#6),Spain (#7), Italy (#7), Finland (#7), and Switzerland (#8).

For the follow-up to "Can't Get You..." in America, and third worldwide, the bouncy "Love At First Sight" was released. Written by Ash Howes, Richard Harrington, and producers Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher, the lyrics have Kylie subtly admitting she was ready to give up on love before this fortuitous meeting. It definitely gives the butterflies in the stomach feeling (which I can empathize with) that goes with the joyful mood of the production. With a punchy production from Ruff and Jam, Kylie found herself back on the radio, but I admit my heart is still at first listen with the original single mix...

"Love At First Sight" became Minogue's fifth, and as of right now, most recent top-40 hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in September of 2002. On the radio, the song went to #10 on the Mainstream Top-40 airplay chart, and #36 on the dance/R&B-leaning Rhythmic format. The remixes of the track, done by the Scumfrog among others, helped the song earn her second #1 on the Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the single topped the chart in Greece, and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom (#2), Australia (#3), Romania (#3), Canada (#5), Denmark (#6), Hungary (#6), Poland (#6), Spain (#7), Ireland (#7), Croatia (#7), Czech Republic (#7), Italy (#8), and New Zealand (#9). At the Grammy Awards in 2003, Kylie received her first Grammy nomination, for Best Dance Recording, losing to Dirty Vegas for their "Days Go By".

A final single, "Come Into My World", came out later that fall. In America, the song popped on to the Hot 100 at #91, while peaking at #20 on the Dance Club Play list. Around the world, the single made the top ten in Australia (#4) and the UK (#8). Minogue won the Grammy, her sole one to date, for Best Dance Recording.

A year later, Kylie returned with her next album, the lite electro-funk leaning Body Language. The lead single from the record, "Slow", placed at #91 on the Hot 100 (so far her most recent appearance), even though it got to #35 at Mainstream Top-40 radio. The song did take a week at the top of the Dance Club Play chart, and returned Kylie to the top in the UK, Spain, Australia, Denmark, and Romania. A second offering, "Red Blooded Woman", also made the British top ten at #5, while topping the new Dance Airplay list in Billboard and peaking at #24 on the American dance club play chart. That was followed by the sensual "Chocolate", which claimed a third British top tenner at #6. The Body Language album just missed the top-40 on the Billboard 200 sales tally at #42.

In 2004, Kylie put out her Ultimate Kylie compilation, which had two new tracks on it. One of them, "I Believe In You", got to #3 on the American Dance Club Play chart, #4 on the Dance Airplay list, and top ten across Europe and Down Under. It was nominated for the Dance Recording Grammy, which went home with the Chemical Brothers for "Galvanize".

During the extensive Showgirl tour in that time, Minogue was diagnose with breast cancer, which interrupted the worldwide string of shows as well as recording until she finished treatment successfully. Kylie came back triumphantly with the Showgirl: Homecoming to finish, then in 2007 released her next album, X, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Electronic/Dance Album, which went to Daft Punk for their Alive 2007 record. She scored three more top ten hits in Britain, though in America they really tried to push her presence with the soul infused "All I See" featuring rapper Mims. However it didn't make an impression except in the clubs, where it hit #3 on the Dance Club Play chart. Also, the much better "Wow!" went to #19 on the American dance airplay list.

Kylie played up to her fervent LGBTQ fanbase with her Aphrodite album, which came in at #19 in the Billboard 200, her highest rank on the tally after Fever. Four singles from the record went to #1 on the Dance Club Play chart in the U.S. with "All The Lovers", "Get Outta My Way", "Better Than Today", and "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)". Another massive tour followed with most of the world experiencing an arena show featuring water fountains like it was Las Vegas. She was also featured on the Taio Cruz single "Higher", which also topped the dance chart, and went all the way to #13 on the Mainstream Top-40 radio chart in America, yet never placed on the Hot 100. Kylie also put out a one-off single, "Timebomb", which went to #31 in the UK, and topped the American dance club chart in 2012, and repeated it the following year with another stand-alone, "Skirt".

After some stints as a judge on The Voice in the UK and Australia, Minogue returned to music herself in 2014 with the Kiss Me Once album. which came in at #31 on the Billboard 200. The lead single "Into The Blue" hit #12 in the UK, and again topped the American dance chart. But then she left most of her music labels and management, releasing only a Kylie Christmas set in the mid-2010s (though her take on "Santa Baby" is one of her biggest streaming hits of all time). But she wasn't totally absent, being featured on another pair of #1 American dance hits by Giorgio Moroder with the sublime "Right Here, Right Now" and NERVO, Nile Rodgers, and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters on "The Other Boys".

Signing with BMG Worldwide, and taking the trip to Nashville, inspired Kylie to record her Golden album, which arrived in 2017. The cathartic first single, "Dancing", placed her back in the British top-40 at #38, while again topping the American Dance Club Play chart. Three years later, she found herself quarantined like all of us, and what came out of it was the ultimate party record to relieve us from the pandemic, Disco. The set came in at #26 on the Billboard 200.

Most recently, Kylie's been riding high with her 2023 single "Padam Padam", which topped the American Dance Airplay chart this past week, and made the top ten in the UK at #8. Her upcoming album Tension is set for a September release, and she's going to start a Las Vegas concert residency in November.

(10/10)

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Here's the "Ruff & Jam" mix that was promoted to US radio...