What are Kylie Minogue’s 50 biggest Australian chart hits?
You’ve been buying Kylie Minogue singles for 31 years now Australia. Now on the eve of her 50th birthday, we’ve got ARIA to rank her 50 biggest selling singles — and there’s a few surprises
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KYLIE Minogue turns 50 on May 28. Since her first single Locomotion in 1987, Minogue has now released a remarkable 72 singles and scored 10 Australian No. 1 hits, putting her just behind Elvis (12) and Madonna (11) for solo act with the most chart toppers. Here’s Kylie’s 50 biggest selling songs on the ARIA chart — the public have spoken.
1. Can’t Get You Out of My Head
No. 1 for three weeks from September 9, 2001
Kylie’s biggest single came 14 years into a career already filled with global hits. Can’t Get You Out of My Head became her first song to sell one million copies in the UK and has now sold five million copies globally, hitting No. 1 in more than 40 countries around the world and No. 7 on the US chart. It was written by Cathy Dennis, who was a popstar in the late 80s at the same time Kylie’s career took off, and Rob Davis, from 70s glam rock band Mud. They offered the song to S Club 7 and Sophie Ellis Bextor who both turned it down before Kylie got her hands on it.
2. Locomotion
No. 1 for seven weeks from August 24, 1987
Originally a hit in 1962 for Little Eva (babysitter for the song’s writer Carole King, then covered by Grand Funk Railroad in 1974, Minogue recorded her version in early 1987. When an early version was rejected by most record labels in Australia, Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Records took on the song as a one-off move away from their usual rock. After being remade by a UK producer, it became the highest-selling Australian song of the 1980s. Minogue then remade the song with UK hit team Stock Aitken Waterman and it reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in the US.
3. I Should Be So Lucky
No. 1 for six weeks from February 1, 1988
After Locomotion’s Australian success, Minogue was sent to London to work with Stock Aitken Waterman. Pop legend has it they didn’t know who she was and squeezed in a recording session with her the day before she was due to fly back to Melbourne to resume work on Neighbours. An employee at the record label would often say ‘I should be so lucky’ if he was asked if he had a boyfriend, the phrase sticking in Stock Aitken Waterman’s mind. The song was her first UK No. 1, went Top 30 in the US and launched decades of ‘Lucky’ references.
4. Confide in Me
No. 1 for four weeks from September 18, 1994
Minogue had left Stock Aitken Waterman and signed to ultra-hip dance label Deconstruction. Confide in Me was the first taste of the partnership — an epic, odd pop song unlike anything she’d done to date. The song won over many Kylie haters, got played on Triple J and has since been covered by Tame Impala and Missy Higgins.
5. On a Night Like This
No. 1 for two weeks from September 11, 2000
Originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora in 1999 and then Greek singer Anna Vissi in 2000, this song came from the team who’d just had an international hit with Cher’s Believe. Minogue’s version was almost identical to Pandora’s, with the song’s writers believing it was a hit in waiting that just needed the right singer. It’s since become one of Minogue’s most recognisable — and popular — hits.
6. Spinning Around
No. 1 for one week from June 19, 2000
Another song with an interesting pedigree. 80s pop star Paula Abdul wrote it for a planned comeback album. When that didn’t happen it wound up with the team who were relaunching Kylie on Parlophone in 2000 after her indie phase in the 90s. The song had a vintage disco feel, the video had Kylie shoehorned into gold hot pants that cost less than a coffee and her career was reborn with a No. 1 in Australia and the UK.
7. Slow
No. 1 for one week from November 3, 2003
2001’s Fever became Kylie’s biggest selling album, thanks to Can’t Get You Out of My Head. The follow up album, Body Language, didn’t quite capitalise on the momentum, by moving into American-influenced R & B sounds. The first single, however, is a sultry, minimal electronic moment that has been called Kylie’s most subversive No. 1 by critics.
8. Got To Be Certain
No. 1 for three weeks from July 31, 1988
Stock Aitken Waterman wrote this initially for Mandy Smith, famous for dating former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman when she was still a teenager. They reclaimed it for Kylie’s first album, it became her third consecutive Australian No. 1 — and the first single to ever debut on top of the ARIA chart. The video was filmed in Melbourne, with Kylie walking along the Yarra and sitting on a very bumpy carousel at Luna Park.
9. In Your Eyes
No. 1 for one week from January 21, 2002
Kylie formed a songwriting partnership with the team behind Spice Girls hits including Wannabe. This song, the follow-up to Can’t Get You Out of My Head, is one of their collaborations. The video for this dress is in the Australian Music Vault.
10. 2 Hearts
No. 1 for one week from November 10, 2007
Kylie’s tenth — and most recent — No. 1 in Australia. This was her first single after coming back from battling breast cancer and threw a glam rock twist into her usual pop sound.
11. Especially For You (with Jason Donovan)
No. 2 for six weeks from December 19, 1988
Stock Aitken Waterman had signed both Kylie and Jason on the back of their popularity in Neighbours. The pair was secretly dating in real life and when one UK retailer told Stock Aitken Waterman they’d order 250,000 copies of a Kylie and Jason duet, which didn’t actually exist at that point, they decided they should write one. It remains popular and in 2015 finally tipped over the one million sales mark in the UK. It was kept off No. 1 in Australia by The Beach Boys’ Kokomo.
12. Where the Wild Roses Grow (with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
No. 2 for one week from October 30, 1995
Kylie Minogue was introduced to Nick Cave by her boyfriend Michael Hutchence. Several years later he’d offer her a song for his album Murder Ballads where she’d play a woman he kills with a rock. Recorded in Melbourne, it became the most successful Bad Seeds song to date. In another move no one saw coming Minogue joined Cave to sing the track at the Big Day Out in 1996.
13. Love at First Sight
No. 3 for one week from June 3, 2002
Another collaboration with the team behind Wannabe, this is one of Kylie’s favourite Kylie songs and has been a fixture in every tour since it was released. Minogue recorded a totally different song with the exact same title for her debut album. It reached No. 2 in the UK and Top 25 in the US, where it was the follow-up to Can’t Get You Out of My Head.
14. Hand on Your Heart
No. 4 for three weeks from May 22, 1989
The first single from Kylie’s second album, this became her third UK No. 1 but stalled at No. 4 in Australia. The song’s lyrics about heartbreak saw it covered in bleak style by Swedish artist Jose Gonzalez, which became a Top 30 UK hit.
15. Better the Devil You Know
No. 4 for one week from July 19, 1990
A major turning point in Kylie’s early career — she escaped the shiny and smiley clutches of the Stock Aitken Waterman hit factory to film the video at home in Melbourne, and includes racy scenes in the arms of a near-naked man and wearing a ring belonging to her new boyfriend — Michael Hutchence. It reached No. 2 in the UK, and is Nick Cave’s favourite Kylie song.
16. Come Into My World
No. 4 for one week from November 4, 2002
Written by the same duo behind Can’t Get You Out of My Head, who were no doubt asked to make lightning strike twice. As well as having a striking video with multiple Kylies, it won Minogue her only Grammy, for Best Dance Recording, in 2004.
17. Step Back in Time
No. 5 for 1 week from December 10, 1990
Stock Aitken Waterman wrote Kylie a party jam that namechecks dance classics Blame It On the Boogie, Bus Stop and The Hustle.
18. Wouldn’t Change a Thing
No. 6 for one week from August 28, 1989
Second single from Kylie’s second album, it reached No. 2 in the UK and featured the kind of cheesy video she’d later rebel against. The song hasn’t featured in a tour since 2001.
19. I Believe in You
No. 6 for one week from November 29, 2004
Minogue wrote this song with her friends the Scissor Sisters, it was released as a new track on the singles compilation Ultimate Kylie in 2004. It wound up being nominated for a Grammy and reached No. 2 in the UK — she has had 11 songs peak at No. 2 in that market, as well as seven No. 1s.
20. Put Yourself in My Place
No. 11 for one week from January 16, 1995
Recorded in New York, this ballad peaked at No. 11 in both the UK and Australia but didn’t connect with the US market. The video features a Barbarella-inspired Minogue floating in a spaceship, eventually removing her spacesuit to be naked except for a blanket that conveniently flies past her.
21. All the Lovers
No. 13 for one week from June 25, 2010
Lead single from the Aphrodite album, this electro anthem fared better in the UK (No. 3) than in her homeland. The video was filmed in downtown LA by Taylor Swift’s director Joseph Kahn and features Minogue climbing to the top of a human pyramid of frisky models in underwear.
22. Kids (with Robbie Williams)
No. 14 for one week from October 30, 2000
Robbie Williams had been asked to write several tracks for Kylie’s Light Years album and kept this one up his sleeve as a duet. They’ve only sung it together a handful of times, with Bono and Dannii Minogue stepping in as guests on Kylie’s comeback Showgirl Homecoming Tour in 2006.
23. Did It Again
No. 15 for one week from December 8, 1997
Written with the team from Confide in Me, this takes a very different direction — a Blondie-influenced pop rock track that also missed the UK Top 10, peaking at No. 14. The song featured a video where four different Kylies, dressed from various phases of her career, fight each other on screen.
24. Please Stay
No. 15 for one week from December 11, 2000
Around that time Ricky Martin was having success, so this was Kylie’s record label trying to tap into the Latin market with some flamenco guitar. Fans were surprised it was selected to be a single although it just cracked UK Top 10 — at No. 10.
25. Red Blooded Woman
No. 4 for one week from March 1, 2004
Another divisive single for Kylie fans — some hate the way it attempts to woo the US R & B market, others like to hear Minogue trying something different. Inspired by Timbaland, the song reached No. 5 in the UK, but only spent one week in the Australian Top 10.
26. Shocked (featuring Jazzy P)
No. 7 for one week from June 17, 1991
The single version of this track from Minogue’s third album came with a rap from Jazzy P, who tried to launch a solo career after the success of Shocked, but has since slipped off the radar. Minogue now does the song’s rap herself in concert. In the UK where this made No. 6 Kylie became the first artist to have their first 13 singles go Top 10.
27. Giving You Up
No. 8 for one week from April 11, 2005
Written with the UK team who made hits for Girls Aloud and Gabriella Cilmi, this was the second new song for the Ultimate Kylie compilation and the video featured a giant Kylie prowling the streets of London.
28. Word Is Out
No. 10 for one week from November 18, 1991
Early flirtation with R & B for her final Hit Factory album, where Matt Aitken had left Stock and Waterman to take care of business. In Australia the record company went with a different remix than the UK single. This also ended Kylie’s run of UK Top 10 hits, peaking at No. 16.
29. Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (I Still Love You)
No. 11 for one week from November 7, 1988
Missed the Australian Top 10, but made No. 2 in the UK and was kept off the top by Enya’s Orinoco Flow. Has only been performed on four tours since release.
30. What Do I Have to Do?
No. 11 for one week from November 2, 1991
Stock Aitken Waterman’s attempt to capitalise on the rave sound of the era which gave us Black Box’s Ride on Time. Minogue dated model Zane O’Donnell who appeared in this video (and also Shocked) and her sister Dannii makes a brief cameo.
31. Wow
No. 11 for one week from February 16, 2008
Greg Kurstin, who’d go on to co-write Adele’s Hello, worked on this ultra-pop song for Minogue’s album X. While it just missed the Australian Top 10, it made No. 5 in the UK and was a Top 20 dance hit in the US.
32. Timebomb
No. 12 for one week from July 13, 2012
A one-off single released to mark Kylie’s 25th anniversary in the music business, this became a No. 1 dance hit in Australia and the US and became a surprisingly big hit on local commercial radio, who’d already started ignoring Kylie songs.
33. Never Too Late
No. 14 for three weeks from December 11, 1989
Another peak Stock Aitken Waterman moment, with the video seeing Kylie in cowgirl mode. The song made No. 4 in the UK and was apparently Michael Hutchence’s favourite Kylie song.
34. Chocolate
No. 14 for one week from July 12, 2004
Taken from the Body Language album, this originally featured a rap from Ludacris, which was cut from the finished version although it leaked online.
35. What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)
No. 17 for one week from September 14, 1992
The last single Stock and Waterman wrote for Kylie, taken from her first Greatest Hits compilation. It’s been one of the least-performed singles in her live shows, suggesting reports she hates the song may be correct.
36. Tears On My Pillow
No. 20 for one week from February 12, 1990
A hit for Little Anthony and the Imperials in 1958, Kylie’s remake hit No. 1 in the UK but only No. 20 in Australia. It featured on the soundtrack to her first film, The Delinquents. Minogue performed it on her Anti-Tour in 2012 at the special request of her father.
37. Your Disco Needs You
No. 20 for one week from March 26, 2001
Written by Robbie Williams with the specific aim of being the gayest song since YMCA. It was only officially released as a single in Australia and Germany, which explains the budget video.
38. Celebration
No. 21 for one week from November 30, 1992
Technically her final single with the Hit Factory, who retooled the Kool and the Gang classic. It peaked at No. 20 in the UK, where Minogue fatigue had kicked in.
39. If You Were With Me Now (with Keith Washington)
No. 23 for one week from January 20, 1992
Kylie was teamed with a lesser-known US singer for this ballad (which was the first single she was allowed to co-write on). It was especially popular in the UK, where it reached No.4.
40. Breathe
No. 23 for one week from May 31, 1997
Taken from the Impossible Princess album, this was co-written by Kylie and Dave Ball, who was half of 80s duo Soft Cell. It reached No. 14 in the UK.
41. Give Me Just a Little More Time
No. 24 for one week from March 30, 1992
A hit in 1970 for soul band Chairman of the Board, this was reworked by Stock and Waterman and became a No. 2 hit in Britain, although a more modest success in this territory.
42. Higher (featuring Taio Cruz)
No. 25 for one week from November 19, 2010
UK R & B star Cruz was riding high on the success of Dynamite and originally wrote this track for Minogue’s Aphrodite album. It missed the deadline but was released as a duet everywhere except North America, where Travie McCoy replaced Minogue. Kylie’s version made No. 8 in the UK.
43. Some Kind of Bliss
No. 27 for one week from September 29, 1997
The lead single from her ‘indie’ album Impossible Princess, this was written for Minogue by Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers. It was a critical success but commercially missed the Top 20 in Australia and the UK.
44. Where is the Feeling?
No. 31 for one week from August 14, 1995
Third single taken from her self-titled 1994 album, this single version was remixed drastically by producers Brothers in Rhythm using totally re-recorded vocals. It made No. 16 in the UK.
45. In My Arms
No. 35 for one week from April 26, 2008
Now a superstar DJ, this was one of the first songs Calvin Harris wrote for another artist. While it went Top 10 in the UK, it struggled in Australia but remains a fixture in her live shows. Minogue recorded a version with Mexican artist Aleks Syntek trading vocals for the Mexican market.
46. Cowboy Style
No. 39 for one week from October 18, 1998
An Australia-only single, this was the final release from Impossible Princess and featured footage from the Intimate and Live tour, recorded in 1998.
47. Into the Blue
No. 46 for one week from February 16, 2014
Not a huge radio hit locally, which hampered its popularity although it reached No. 12 in the UK where stations supported it. This was the first single for the Kiss Me Once album.
48. Dancing
No. 46 for one week from March 9, 2018
Kylie’s first single from new album Golden, released in an era where streaming dictates the singles chart. While it was Top 5 on iTunes and sales, Minogue’s audience are apparently more into physical and digital sales, not streaming. The single has made No. 1 on the US dance chart and the Golden album topped the UK and Australian charts.
49. Beautiful (with Enrique Iglesias)
No. 47 for one week from March 20, 2014
Many people wouldn’t have heard this duet, indeed Australia was the only market where it troubled the chart.
50. Put Your Hands Up
No. 50 for one week from June 3, 2011
Final single from Minogue’s Aphrodite album, it was written with Melbourne DJ’s Liv and Mim Nervo. While it only tickled the Top 50 here, it was a No. 1 on the US dance chart.
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