Kylie Minogue was already a teen TV star in Australia when she hit the music scene in 1988 at the age of 20. Her first top-40 hit in the US, the bouncy I Should Be So Lucky, entered the Billboard Hot 100 the week of June 26, 1988. It wasn't a big hit, peaking at #28. However, her next song, a dance friendly cover of Little Eva's Locomotion, made it to #3 and would be her biggest US hit. But then, as her career took off internationally, she more or less disappeared from the radio airwaves on our shores.
Unlike her fellow Aussies, Olivia Newton John and Helen Reddy, Kylie never attained their level of mainstream success here. (The reason is more a commentary on her record label.) However, as her music became more dance oriented she developed a gay following. (And her videos certainly have gay men in mind.) Unlike the more hard-driving styles of Madonna or Lady Gaga, Kylie's is fizzier and more Europop. Although her live shows aren't as outrageous as theirs, nor do her songs spark controversy, they're still catchy, high energy confections with great hooks.
Her biggest worldwide smash came in 2002 with Can't Get You Out of My Head. It topped the charts around the world except in the US where it peaked at #7. I learned about Kylie's oeuvre in 2002 when I was on vacation in Australia, where I bought a double CD of her greatest hits. I now have nearly 50 of her songs on my Ipod. Here are eleven of my favorites:
- Aphrodite (2010)
- All the Lovers (2010)
- I Believe in You (2005)
- Slow (2004)
- Can't Get it Out of My Head (2002)
- Love at First Sight (2002)
- Spinning Around (2002)
- Light Years (2000)
- Especially for You (1989)
- I Should Be So Lucky (1988)
- It's No Secret (1988)
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