By Robert Moran and Annabelle Ross
We just can’t get her out of our heads.
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When she’s been prolifically gifting us hits across five separate decades from the ’80s to the present, it’s easy to take Kylie Minogue for granted. So let’s make sure we never do.
This year, the now 55-year-old Padam Padam-ed back into our hearts, reigniting the sort of global acclaim she hadn’t experienced since her halcyon Fever days at the turn of the millennium, and excitement is high for Tension, out on September 22, her first new album since 2020’s very COVID-stenched Disco. It’s prompted us to deep-dive into her discography and revisit her best (and not so best) songs in this definitive ranking. Think of it as a living tribute to our greatest ever pop star.
We’ve mostly stuck to album tracks, bar the odd essential B-side (where my Skirt heads at?) and her most iconic features. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for remixes and Christmas songs because we also have lives away from Kylie’s discography. But let the debates begin.
170: Sexercize (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
Co-written by Sia, who should be excommunicated from Australia until she apologises for making Kylie sing “let me see you sexercize”. RM
169: Beautiful (with Enrique Iglesias) (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
An autotuned ballad with Enrique: a collection of words that just scream “skip it.” RM
168: Tell Tale Signs (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
167: My Secret Heart (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
166: Heaven & Earth (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
A string of relics from what’s surely Kylie’s worst era, when she made a pivot towards Broadway belter and Disney crooner. If there’s some bravery in the attempt to try something different, it’s also a relief that it didn’t last.
165: If You Were Here With Me Now (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
A soppy duet with R&B vocalist Keith Washington. I think Kylie was making a play for the Aladdin soundtrack. RM
164: I’m Over Dreaming (Over You) (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
Is it just me or do those synth horns sound completely out of tune? How do synth horns even get out of tune? RM
163: Love At First Sight (Kylie; 1988)
Not to be confused with Kylie’s second stab at a Love At First Sight. This one needed a little less ’80s cocaine. Just take it down a notch, everybody. RM
162: I’m So High (Light Years; 2000)
Minogue’s still under the influence of love and it’s impairing her musical judgment. A forgettable wisp of fluff; filler in the form of fairy floss. AR
161: Looking For An Angel (Aphrodite; 2010)
I don’t know, “I’m waiting for my seraphim” is just a very awkward lyric. RM
160: Bittersweet Goodbye (Light Years; 2000)
As well as being an outlier on the album, this spare piano-driven ballad is a real stinker. A lullaby to yet another leaving lover, it’s less bittersweet and more bloody awful. AR
159: One Last Kiss (Golden; 2018)
I just re-listened to this two minutes ago and I’ve already forgotten it. RM
158: It’s No Secret (Kylie; 1988)
The secret? That Our Kylie’s being cheated on by some jerk of a guy. Maybe that explains why she’s yelling rather than singing (over the highest-pitched funk guitar you’ve ever heard). RM
157: I’ll Still Be Loving You (Kylie; 1988)
Kylie’s resigned coo is sweet, but that plodding guitar lick needs a hit of ’80s cocaine. RM
156: Live & Learn (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Generic dance-pop from the early ’90s. If you didn’t listen to it then, why start now? RM
155: Word Is Out (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
I appreciate Kylie trying her hand at New Jack Swing, but maybe Stock and Waterman (Aitken was out by this point) weren’t the ones to do it. Surely Teddy Riley was available? RM
Kylie Minogue’s 16th album Tension is out September 22.
154: The World Still Turns (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
You’d expect Kylie to find the ambiguity in a song about living on after a broken heart, but alas. That sax solo doesn’t help. RM
153: Give Me Just a Little More Time (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Kylie’s overenthusiastic cover of Chairmen of the Board’s Motown classic (“brrrrrrrp!“). No one needs this. RM
152: Fine (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
151: Into the Blue (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
150: Million Miles (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
149: Kiss Me Once (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
A string of generic EDM from Kylie’s least essential album (and, coincidentally, her only album on Jay-Z’s Roc Nation). RM
148: Tears on My Pillow (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
Some people love Kylie’s take on Little Anthony’s 1958 doo-wop classic. I’m not one of those people (you can keep The Delinquents, too). RM
147: Dangerous Game (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
Ever dreamed of Kylie doing cabaret? It probably sounded like this. RM
146: No World Without You (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Just Kylie’s vocals over a guitar doing jazzy chords. If you pretend she’s singing to Michael Hutchence while he’s out on tour, it’s something. RM
145: A Lifetime to Repair (Golden; 2018)
Kylie brought some fingerpicked banjo, a fiddle and some hoedown energy to her country experiment. We can only be grateful it didn’t stick. RM
144: Under the Influence of Love (Light Years; 2000)
Kylie’s lovedrunk again but a few chords borrowed from John Paul Young’s Love is in the Air can’t save this track from mediocrity – and more banal lyrics. AR
143: Let’s Get To It (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Something about this reminds me of Color Me Badd’s I Wanna Sex You Up, which sure, you go get it, Kylie. RM
142: Stop Me From Falling (Golden; 2018)
141: Love (Golden; 2018)
140: Music’s Too Sad Without You (with Jack Savoretti) (Golden; 2018)
The kind of music you might find in an Irish romantic-comedy. RM
139: Butterfly (Light Years; 2000)
Butterfly heads back to the dancefloor with uninspiring bubblegum synths, a fast tempo and some pretty wet lyrics. “You’re more than you’ll ever know/ and your love teaches me to grow.” AR
138: Radio On (Golden; 2018)
All you Kylie fans who asked for a fingerpicked alt-country ballad, I hope you’re happy with yourself. RM
137: Stars (X; 2007)
Kylie sounds oddly like her sister Danni singing Who Do You Love Now on this wishy-washy track, but it’s not a great vocal performance by the older Minogue. AR
Kylie performing in 1991, the year Let’s Get To It was released.
136: Cosmic (X; 2007)
A milquetoast pop track co-written with Eg White, who’s made magic with Adele and Florence + the Machine but failed to recreate that alchemy here. Cosmic in name only. AR
135: Nothing to Lose (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
The muted verses, where Kylie convinces herself to chase some fickle dude, are a slog. RM
134: Golden (Golden; 2018)
Someone watched a spaghetti western once, I think. RM
133: In My Arms (X; 2007)
Everything Calvin Harris touches tends to turn to gold but he doesn’t hit the mark on this track, which shifts awkwardly between dancey beats and operatic pop. AR
132: Right Here, Right Now (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Big Euro dance energy, from a Kylie who’s really feeling herself (“My desire’s getting stronger, I can’t hold back any longer,” she sings. Look, it’s not Dickinson). RM
131: Always Find the Time (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Featuring a sample from Mary Jane Girls’ Candy Man, written and produced by Rick James, this is a slick slab of ’80s funk. By no means a Kylie essential, but good enough for your ’80s dance parties. RM
130: Enjoy Yourself (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
A breezy dance track with a simple message: “Enjoy it” (“it” being your life, you depressive). RM
129: Illusion (Aphrodite; 2010)
If your Spotify algorithm still regularly plays La Roux, this song’s for you.
128: Sensitized (X; 2007)
You’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a different record when Sensitized opens with its twangy guitars and Britpoppy stylings. It feels confused, and leaves us feeling that way too. AR
127: Better Than Today (Aphrodite; 2010)
Corny in an endearing way, featuring a hoedown-y bounce that Kylie attacks with Dolly-esque enthusiasm. RM
126: Magic (Disco; 2020)
125: Last Chance (Disco; 2020)
124: Miss a Thing (Disco; 2020)
123: Where Does the DJ Go? (Disco; 2020)
122: Celebrate You (Disco; 2020)
For someone who so successfully brought disco into the new millennium, Kylie’s recent return to the genre was mostly depressing. Of course, all the blame goes to COVID. RM
121: Too Much of a Good Thing (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Kylie gets on the ’90s boom-bap bandwagon! A sample-heavy R&B track where Kylie gets lost in the mix. But I appreciate her taste. RM
120: Your Love (Fever; 2001)
Middling mid-tempo track that’s less dancefloor-focused, but still very much about L-O-V-E! She’s upside-down, she’s going around and around, it’s taking her over… you get the gist. AR
Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue sing at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2000.Credit: AP
119: I Miss You (Kylie; 1988)
“I don’t care what people say, I’m happy to be this way,” Kylie sings over a broken bongo beat. An early coded nod to her beloved queer following? No, it’s not. RM
118: Say Something (Disco; 2020)
One day we’ll all curiously revisit COVID-era music, with its “we’ve all got wanderlust in the darkest place” type lyrics. But until then: just go away, Say Something. RM
117: Supernova (Disco; 2020)
Kylie does Barbarella. RM
116: If I Was Your Lover (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
In the early ’90s Kylie and Prince struck up a friendship and the two made music together (not a euphemism). Kylie’s record label at the time, the London indie Deconstruction, rejected their collab and we got this faux-Prince concoction instead. Labels, hey. RM
115: Monday Blues (Disco; 2020)
Ever trend-hopping, Kylie adds some city-pop vibes to her disco formula. But it’s not even a top ten song about Mondays. RM
114: Rhythm of Love (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Skittering ’80s funk with a lot going on, including slap bass, a sax solo and a French spoken-word breakdown. This is maximalist Kylie, trying a bit too much. RM
Kylie Minogue in her Fever era.Credit: AP
113: Tightrope (Fever; 2001)
Fever is probably a couple of tracks overlong, and here would be a good place to trim some fat. It doesn’t sound all that dissimilar to Your Love, either. AR
112: One Boy Girl (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Goes for Janet but comes off a little blue-eyed. Hearing Kylie go “check it out!” is a bit cringe. RM
111: Heart Beat Rock (X; 2007)
Minogue is to be applauded for her forays into just about every type of pop imaginable, but the schoolyard rap here feels better suited to Gwen Stefani. AR
110: Time Will Pass You By (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
Produced by English dance band M People, and it sounds it. It’s like the dregs of Moving On Up. RM
109: No More Rain (X; 2007)
Ray of Light-era Madonna comes to mind on this gossamer pop track, produced by Greg Kurstin, that’s just a little too naff to be entirely convincing. AR
108: Sincerely Yours (Golden; 2018)
107: Shelby ’68 (Golden; 2018)
After what she did to Olivia Rodrigo, I’m surprised Taylor Swift didn’t send Kylie a cease-and-desist letter over these. You’d call it shameless if the copy-paste approach wasn’t exactly what Kylie’s career’s been built on. RM
106: Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) (Aphrodite, 2010)
It’s a meeting of Melbourne megastars, with Kylie collaborating with local sisters and EDM superstars Nervo. I can imagine this going off at the, um, Sidney Myer Music Bowl? (sorry, I don’t know Melbourne’s landmarks). RM
105: Speakerphone (X; 2007)
Kylie did disco long before Madonna did, but Minogue seems inspired by Madge’s pitched up vocals on Confessions On a Dancefloor here, and it sounds a little derivative. AR
104: Aphrodite (Aphrodite; 2010)
It’s big and dumb in the same way as a Gwen Stefani schoolground chant, but Kylie’s playful vocals almost sell it.
103: I Don’t Need Anyone (Impossible Princess; 1997)
Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield and Nick Jones co-wrote this generic pop-rock ditty that feels out of place amongst so much daring and inventiveness. AR
102: Please Stay (Light Years; 2000)
Once again Kylie’s pleading with a lover in this so-so pop track fuelled by sprightly flamenco-flavoured guitars, hand claps and 4/4 beats aimed for the dancefloor. AR
101: Where the Wild Roses Grow (Murder Ballads; 1996)
I can understand why Kylie might’ve felt the desire to try something subversive with Nick Cave, but this song’s annoying. RM
Kylie Minogue in 2007, the year she released album X.Credit: AP
100: Secrets (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
A Stock, Aitken and Waterman fave, recently revived as a Lip Sync for Your Life challenge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. RM
99: Step Back in Time (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
I can’t really get behind a song that starts with a chant like “I wanna F-F-U, F-U-N-K” and then spends three minutes nostalgically listing ’70s dances like “the bus stop”. But the hiphop production, still novel for Kylie at the time, salvages it. RM
98: Your Disco Needs You (Light Years; 2000)
Co-written with Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams, this high camp moment – those horns! that chorus! – really should have been a Eurovision contender, complete with the naff section en Francais. AR
97: Closer (Aphrodite; 2010)
Kylie does dark, sexy Italo disco. It never hits its climax, but maybe that’s the point. RM
96: Live a Little (Golden; 2018)
There’s a nostalgic bent to this electro-country song that lends it some gravitas, coming as it does so deep into Kylie’s career. But you couldn’t pay me to dance to it. RM
95: Nu-di-ty (X; 2007)
Minogue is vocodered beyond recognition on much of this track, another Madonna-esque R&B-leaning number loaded with plenty of sass but not nearly enough of the real Kylie. AR
94: After Dark (Body Language; 2003)
Kylie tips her hat to Prince, another influence on Body Language, with the funk guitars that promisingly open this track, but it stays stuck in cruise control. AR
93: Dancefloor (Fever; 2001)
A cheesy but inoffensive commercial house number and Minogue’s umpteenth ode to cutting a rug. Lovers and dancing will prove to be the defining themes of Kylie’s career. AR
Kylie Minogue sings during the Scissor Sisters performance at the Glastonbury Festival 2010.Credit: Reuters
92: Dreams (Impossible Princess; 1997)
The idea of ostensibly having it all but still feeling unsatisfied resonated with Kylie, who named this album after Billy Childish’s 1994 novel, Poems to Break the Hearts of Impossible Princesses. AR
91: Jump (Impossible Princess; 1997)
Australia’s Rob Dougan had recently had a monster hit with Clubbed to Death when he co-wrote and co-produced this downtempo trip-hop ballad, bolstered by Minogue’s strong singing and intriguing lyrics. AR
90: Koocachoo (Light Years; 2000)
Sounding ripe for the Austin Powers soundtrack, Kylie channels her inner gogo dancer on this swinging ’60s number, co-written by the brilliant Johnny Douglas, who co-produced George Michael’s Fastlove. AR
89: Everything is Beautiful (Aphrodite; 2010)
A brooding pop-ballad with a heavy swinging beat and subtly catchy hook, co-written by the keyboardist from Keane (insert shrug emoji). RM
88: Sweet Music (Body Language; 2003)
Winking at her late former flame Michael Hutchence (“new sensation, new sensation”), this swaggering track is polished, but feels a bit busy sonically. AR
87: Loving Days (Body Language; 2003)
Another track where Kylie is luxuriating in the bliss of a new relationship, this slowie is based around circular blobs of murky bass and sumptuous strings and concludes with a fine vocal breakdown. AR
86: I Was Gonna Cancel (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
You’d think a collaboration between Kylie and Pharrell Williams would be mind-blowing, but this overworked slice of Daft Punk-ish French-electro at least has its charms – like that crazy opera sample and Kylie singing, “Everything is clearer than a mirror is to woman just the same as a dog is to man”. What? RM
85: Dancing (Golden; 2018)
Oh nothing, just Kylie trying her hand at some more Swiftian country dance-pop. She even throws in a bit of Nashville twang in her vocals. There’s nothing Kylie won’t try once. RM
Kylie Minogue in 2014.Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
84: If Only (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
Co-written and produced by pedigreed hitmakers Ariel Rechtshaid and Dan Nigro, it’s an intriguing banger – melancholy and dramatic and driven by a Kate Bush-like vocal performance from Kylie. RM
83: Feels So Good (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
A spacious staccato song that finds Kylie in desperate yearning mode. But maybe it just sounds good on Kiss Me Once because it comes right after Sexercize. RM
82: Count the Days (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
A sort of blue-eyed version of Evelyn Champagne King’s classic Love Come Down, and just as catchy. For ’80s funk completists, it’s worth a rediscovery. RM
81: So Now Goodbye (Light Years; 2000)
Landing somewhere between disco and loungey house music, So Now Goodbye is a defiant kiss off to a lover who’s had one too many second chances. AR
80: I Guess I Like It Like That (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Big tent acid house featuring a shameless sample of 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This? I guess I like it! You can picture Kylie joyfully going off with the e’d out kids at the Hacienda circa 1990. RM
79: Through the Years (Impossible Princess; 1997)
The pace is slowed right down on this languid, jazzy trip-hop number about time wasted on a failed relationship, with subtle bursts of sax that go large towards the song’s end. AR
78: Look My Way (Kylie; 1988)
Is it a crime if a burgeoning ’80s pop star wants her own version of Madonna’s Into the Groove? No, of course not. An early example of Kylie’s trend-chasing tendencies, and we should all approve. RM
77: Love Boat (Light Years; 2000)
Evoking a vintage summer holiday in Saint-Tropez, Love Boat kicks off the bossa nova-flavoured middle section of Light Years, with Minogue cutely flexing her (pretty decent) French. AR
76: Wouldn’t Change a Thing (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
You’ve gotta love an ’80s pop song that overuses the hip-hop stutter effect: “Ah-ah-ah-I wouldn’t change a thing!” The chorus, both uplifting and naive, is deceptively catchy. RM
Kylie Minogue in 2018, the year Golden was released.Credit: AP
75: New York City (Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection; 2019)
Just a stupidly fun B-side, featuring a sample from Mylo’s enduring Drop the Pressure. RM
74: Especially For You (Ten Good Reasons; 1989)
Which side of the road do you land on: Kylie’s duet with Jason Donovan, or Kylie’s duet with Nick Cave? I mean, there’s only one correct answer. RM
73: Never Too Late (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
You can already picture the feathers in Kylie’s future after listening to this soaring disco number. Not just a throwback, the energetic breakdown points to Kylie’s burgeoning interest in Euro house. RM
72: Things Can Only Get Better (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
No, it’s not ~that~ Things Can Only Get Better, but it’s still got something to offer – and that’s mainly big house synths and a classic uplifting message: “Be proud of yourself!” RM
71: Sexy Love (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Carly Rae Jepsen listens to this one a lot. RM
70: Unstoppable (Disco; 2020)
Muted ’80s funk but Kylie’s squeaky adlibs make it fun, like Donna Summer on helium. RM
69: Automatic Love (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
Another slinky number from Kylie’s sexiest period. This one’s worth it for the ’90s tech innuendo: “I didn’t feel you enter in my main menu, but every time I touch the key the screen is showing you.” RM
68: Like A Drug (X; 2007)
Kylie goes back to the club on this sleek electropop cut, sounding not unlike something Alison Goldfrapp or Toxic-era Britney Spears might’ve come out with. AR
Kylie Minogue at Glastonbury in 2019.Credit: Neil Hall
67: Give it To Me (Fever; 2001)
The weak links on Fever are still pretty strong, like this funky, sex-positive jam where Kylie is not at all shy about communicating her desires,“like I want it.” AR
66: Les Sex (Kiss Me Once; 2014)
“We could call it… les hand on les leg,” sings Kylie. And somehow it could still be a bit cheesier. RM
65: I Love It (Disco; 2020)
Dua Lipa wishes she got disco strings and a horn section this luxurious. RM
64: Where is the Feeling (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
Kylie’s love of Chicago house legends like Larry Heard and Frankie Knuckles comes through on this slick seven-minute jam, produced by UK trio Brothers in Rhythm. It feels like a glimpse of the disco-pop to come. RM
63: Disco Down (Light Years; 2000)
Snippets of robotic vocals open this Moroder-esque Eurodance track with lyrics that are alternately kitschy and perfect: “Why’d you leave to find yourself/ I can’t dance with no one else.” AR
62: Love Affair (Fever; 2001)
The Eurodance stylings here feel better suited to Light Years than Fever. The chorus is winning, however – a sugar rush of driving acid squiggles, vocal layering and filtered synths. AR
61: Giving You Up (Ultimate Kylie; 2004)
A super-fun swirling B-side built around grinding synths and a spoken-sing delivery that gives it a ’90s Britpop throwback vibe. RM
60: Someday (Body Language; 2003)
Green Gartside of Scritti Politti – a huge influence on Body Language – lends his reedy vocals to this lysergic, ambling track with strange percussion flourishes. AR
Kylie Minogue performs during Global Citizen Live in London in 2021.Credit: Getty Images Europe
59: Say Hey (Impossible Princess; 1997)
This stormy late-night track is loaded with clubby synths and finds Kylie at her most coyly suggestive – “Don’t want to disturb you, but I must/ Just to say, ‘Hey’,” she murmurs. AR
58: Chocolate (Body Language; 2003)
Kylie adopts a slinky, sexy cadence and helium-like vocal treatment on this quiet storm jam where she compares her love addiction to chocolate. Co-written by heavyweight Karen Poole. AR
57: In Your Eyes (Fever; 2001)
Built around a glittery stomping kick, this calls back to the beginning of Disco Kylie (“is the world still spinning around?/spinning arounddddd,” she purrs) and some Nile Rodgers-inspired flourishes. AR
56: I Still Love You (Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi) (Kylie; 1988)
The sort of wistful pop which, 35 years on, still feels like Kylie’s bread and butter. Today, it would kill in a mix next to some Carly Rae (maybe listened to at 1.5x speed). RM
55: I Should Be So Lucky (Kylie; 1988)
Released in December 1987 when Kylie was just 19, the peppy overproduction masks a melancholy yearning (“I’m dreaming that you’re in love with me like I’m in love with you”). Those diva-ish adlibs at the end are hilariously thin, but that’s just part of the charm. RM
54: More More More (Fever; 2001)
So saucy it should almost have an R-rating, More More More is hitched to an agreeable house beat and sets the tone for what will be Kylie’s raciest album yet. AR
53: Promises (Body Language; 2003)
Co-written and produced by legendary Jamaican artist Kurtis Mantronik, this breezy, shimmering pop track makes lemonade out of a failed relationship. AR
Kylie Minogue, performing in Sydney in 2022.Credit: Jessica Hromas
52: Fever (Fever; 2001)
This quirky pop song features a nice key change at the chorus and makes a better fist of describing the kind of infatuation that invades every waking thought. AR
51: All the Lovers (Aphrodite; 2010)
Elegiac electro-disco built on a soaring squiggly hook, like Kylie suddenly got into MGMT. It’s a compliment. RM
50: Too Far (Impossible Princess; 1997)
The most misunderstood and underappreciated album of Kylie’s career kicks off with this sultry fever dream. Underpinned by some ’90s breakbeats, it’s one of the few tracks written entirely by Minogue. AR
49: Raining Glitter (Golden; 2018)
Easily the highlight of Kylie’s country experiment. Like Fleetwood Mac discovered disco. RM
48: Cupid Boy (Aphrodite; 2010)
A massive EDM festival banger, this one produced by Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia. Kylie’s vocals twist and turn delightfully. RM
47: Some Kind of Bliss (Impossible Princess; 1997)
The album’s biggest hit, lead single (against Kylie’s wishes) and Britpoppiest moment was co-written by members of the Manic Street Preachers and finds Minogue languorously extolling the benefits of mindfulness. AR
46: Limbo (Impossible Princess; 1997)
This is the track Minogue wanted used for the lead single, a rocky slice of electronica that encapsulates the overall vibe of the album much better than Some Kind of Bliss. AR
45: All I See (X; 2007)
This track has the bubbly, bouncy energy of an infatuated teenager, which is why, despite its extremely catchy groove, it feels like it doesn’t quite belong to Kylie. AR
44: Red-Blooded Woman (Body Language; 2003)
This R&B-flavoured cut (think Timbaland and Justin Timberlake) finds Kylie in seductress mode and features the indelible lyric “you’ll never get to heaven if you’re scared of getting high.” AR
43: Kids (with Robbie Williams) (Light Years; 2000)
Definitely one of the strongest tracks on Light Years, even if it feels like an ill fit. Unfortunately, Williams’ voice is much louder in the mix than Kylie’s. AR
42: I Feel For You (Body Language; 2003)
She’s definitely nodding to Chaka Khan here but Kylie also turns this song into entirely her own thing, aided by spritely piano bursts and noodling bass. AR
Kylie Minogue performing earlier this year.Credit: Getty Images
41: Obsession (Body Language; 2003)
Channelling ’90s hip-hop divas like Brandy and Monica, Kylie layers her own vocals to sound like bandmates. That the results are not cringeworthy is quite an achievement. AR
40: Dance Floor Darling (Disco; 2020)
A sprightly ’80s dance-pop banger that’d fit so neatly next to Lizzo on your “getting ready to go out” playlist. RM
39: Real Groove (Disco; 2020)
This is Minogue restating her disco credentials against current stars in the genre like Dua Lipa (who, coincidentally, appeared on the remix). “I saw you dancing with somebody, looking like me and you/ She know how to party, but nothing like me and you,” Kylie sings, brushing the pretenders away. RM
38: Turn It Into Love (Kylie; 1988)
Proof that Kylie’s been doing Euro-disco since the very beginning. The chorus is the sort of earworm you’ll suddenly find yourself repeating every time you turn a tap, a doorknob, etc (“Turn it! Turn it!“). RM
37: Cowboy Style (Impossible Princess; 1997)
Before Madonna’s Ray of Light and Music was Cowboy Style, Minogue’s delightfully strange, vaguely Celtic jaunt featuring violins, squelchy bass stabs, a stunning back-end breakdown and some Bjork-ish yelps. AR
36: Fragile (Fever; 2001)
A balladic interlude that works, aided by ethereal synths, breathy whispers, judicious use of strings. Co-written by Rob Davis, who had a hand in most of Fever’s best songs. AR
35: Slow (Body Language; 2003)
Having rinsed the disco genre on her previous two albums, Kylie explored new genres on Body Language including the minimal synthpop of Slow, one of her own favourite songs. AR
34: Breathe (Impossible Princess; 1997)
A sexy, lean electropop cut co-written by Soft Cell’s Dave Ball, Breathe aims for the heavens and largely succeeds by way of blissful, pillowy chords and Minogue’s nuanced, affecting delivery. AR
33: Got To Be Certain (Kylie; 1988)
A swinging singalong track about knowing the right time to lose one’s virginity. They should play this in high schools. RM
Kylie in her Padam Padam era.
32: What Do I Have to Do (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Who can fault Kylie’s full embrace of ’90s UK acid house? Not I. The football stadium samples backing her add some nice Britpop atmosphere. RM
31: 2 Hearts (X; 2007)
Kylie’s comeback album following her treatment for breast cancer finds her still willing to experiment, and the jolly art-pop of 2 Hearts is a success. AR
30: Can’t Beat the Feeling (Aphrodite; 2010)
The closer on Kylie’s infectious EDM album is great upbeat dance-pop, full of love and joy and cowbell and a vocoded breakdown that harks back to Daft Punk – and Kylie nails it. RM
29: Burning Up (Fever; 2001)
Opening with lilting guitars that make way for a gotcha pop of disco synths, this bait and switch repeats throughout to delicious effect, while the vocodering adds extra intrigue. AR
28: Tension (Tension; 2023)
Another new track made for TikTok virality, as if hearing Android Kylie chant “Oh my god, touch me right there” isn’t its own reward. RM
27: Falling (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
Written by the Pet Shop Boys but given the acid-house treatment by UK producers Pete Heller and Terry Farley, it’s another showcase of Kylie’s exquisite taste and ability to challenge her listeners’ expectations. RM
26: Wow (X; 2007)
The most energetic track on this record and by far the most fun, there are disco spangles, an ecstatic chorus and bright synths – all commonly found on Kylie’s best tracks. AR
25: Light Years (Light Years; 2000)
Moroder’s influence is felt again in this lyrically silly but still great space disco track. The chorus, where Kylie goes a little Donna Summer, is especially effective. AR
24: The One (X; 2007)
I’m reminded of Goldfrapp – those breathy vocals, the chilly, circular synths – on this effervescent, play-it-again track that should’ve been a much bigger hit, frankly. AR
23: Drunk (Impossible Princess; 1997)
There’s more than a touch of Bjork to this renegade rave number, a frenetically paced confection of psytrance synths, Broadway-ready pizzazz and intriguing vocal layering. Brothers in Rhythm strike again. AR
22: Surrender (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
A sultry trip-hop exercise highlighting Kylie’s reinvention to mature artist. It’s a mesmerising performance, so sexy that I can imagine Jocelyn from The Idol doing it. You’ll need a cigarette by the end of that spoken-word breakdown. RM
21: Secret (Take You Home) (Body Language; 2003)
Another playful romp that packs a lot of surprising detours into its 3:16 running time. The mid-track schoolgirl rap and crunching synths are especially fun. AR
20: Too Much (Aphrodite; 2010)
Produced by Calvin Harris with fat Euro-house stabs and a ridiculously catchy chorus, another underrated banger from Kylie’s EDM era. You can’t play it just once. RM
19: Still Standing (Body Language; 2003)
There’s a distinctive ’80s feel to the wonderfully inventive Still Standing, at once recalling both Peter Gabriel and Prince. An underrated gem and testament to Kylie’s versatility. AR
18: Hand on Your Heart (Enjoy Yourself; 1989)
A near-perfect marriage of forlorn heartbreak, extremely peppy production and a typically huge singalong chorus. If those ’90s house synths in the bridge don’t make you start doing the running man, something’s wrong. RM
17: The Loco-Motion (Kylie; 1988)
Kylie’s debut single – a cover of Little Eva’s 1962 hit – is a surprisingly gritty sex track built on chugging synths and girl-group harmonies, and Kylie sings it knowingly (not coyly). How did this not scandalise people back in the ’80s? RM
16: Did It Again (Impossible Princess; 1997)
Production duo Brothers in Rhythm (progressive house producer Dave Seaman and Steve Anderson) co-wrote a few tracks on Impossible Princess including this pop-rock earworm, with “Indie Kylie” in self-flagellating mode. AR
15: Where Has the Love Gone (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
A real hidden gem. Helmed by UK house music producers Pete Heller and Terry Farley, it’s a proper journey across its eight-minute runtime – a sultry breakup track with attitude, atmosphere and ambition. RM
14: Padam Padam (Tension; 2023)
The universe-conquering song of the year, and the year was barely halfway through. RM
13: Come into My World (Fever; 2001)
The bouncing synth invokes Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, but this feels more narcotised thanks to arpeggiating flute synths in the chorus that send the song skywards. AR
12: Skirt (Skirt EP; 2013)
“And then my skirt came… down, down, down” sings Kylie on this spectacular, abrasive, sublime dubstep banger. It makes you wonder what might’ve happened had Kylie met Sophie. RM
11: I Believe In You (Ultimate Kylie; 2004)
Featured as a new single on Kylie’s 2004 greatest hits compilation and built around a gurgling synth loop, it’s one of those tracks that highlights Kylie’s peerless taste and sophistication. RM
10: Finer Feelings (Let’s Get To It; 1991)
Kylie’s first single not to break the Top 50 in Australia, because Australia just wasn’t ready. A dark, slinky, provocative song about her sexual desire with a bizarre earworm of a chorus. So underrated. RM
9: Put Yourself in My Place (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
A perfect pop ballad. It’s evocative, wistful and melancholic, but boasts a huge rousing chorus and what might be Kylie’s rawest vocals ever, full of force and feeling. I could listen to this on repeat for hours, and I have. RM
8: Get Outta My Way (Aphrodite; 2010)
Big tent EDM with infectious kiss-off energy from Kylie: “I’m about to let you see, this is what’ll happen if you ain’t giving your girl what she needs!” So good, turn it up loud. RM
7: On A Night Like This (Light Years; 2000)
The soaring Europop of On A Night Like This landed an extremely strong one-two punch to kick off Light Years and marked a sharp pivot from Impossible Princess’s “Indie Kylie”. AR
6: Confide In Me (Kylie Minogue; 1994)
The real start of Kylie’s ambitious alt-period (or as the UK press disparagingly called it: “Indie Kylie”). Built on a trip-hop beat and an ominous violin hook, it’s unlike anything else in Kylie’s discography. Iconic. RM
5: Better the Devil You Know (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Supposedly written about her relationship with Michael Hutchence at the time (who’s gonna argue against the mythology?), it’s a classic. Kylie strains to rise above the wall of sound production (stuttering synths, piano fills, soaring strings and harmonies), lending the song’s resigned desperation (“I’ll take you back again”) the proper spirit. RM
4: Shocked (Rhythm of Love; 1990)
Stock, Aitken and Waterman’s masterpiece? Perhaps. A fat bassline and heavy electro beat makes way for acid squiggles, a huge guitar riff, even cowbell, in a track that builds and builds and builds. Kylie’s delivery is flawless and that chorus is perfect. RM
3: Spinning Around (Light Years; 2000)
Originally co-written by Paula Abdul and intended for her album, this irresistible, spangly disco track instead launched Kylie’s halcyon era, as did the gold hotpants she wore in the music video. AR
2: Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Fever; 2001)
Deservedly topping the charts in 40 countries, the “la la la” song made Kylie a star in the US and will still fill any dancefloor it’s played on. AR
1: Love at First Sight (Fever; 2001)
Fever’s first big wow moment is this — a euphoric track, inspired by French filter house, that finally captures the kind of giddy love that Kylie’s previous songs failed to. A perfect pop song. AR
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