Kylie Minogue

[P__]

It's so funny to read it all back. The fact that everybody assumed Body Language was an album targeted at the US audience when in reality all songs she did for it were recorded in London and Europe with the help of British or UK-oriented producers and songwriters. I guess some people's hatred of funk/soul and r&b music really was a deciding factor in why they boycotted the album, sad.

 

[heartmightmelt]

Interesting, so it was more a press thing than a fan thing? Because I think fans also harbor some unreasonable (in my personal opinion) animosity towards the album so I always assumed it was some sort of "oh she's doing this for them and not us" resentment.

It's so funny to read it all back. The fact that everybody assumed Body Language was an album targeted at the US audience when in reality all songs she did for it were recorded in London and Europe with the help of British or UK-oriented producers and songwriters. I guess some people's hatred of funk/soul and r&b music really was a deciding factor in why they boycotted the album, sad.

Remember that article that circulated in late summer 2003 with all the mostly fake song titles like "How Can U Say No?" and "Ez-St". That probably is where the damage was done. If you put the idea into people early enough they start to hear and experience what comes afterwards with those filters.

Here's a good example - how many times has Music by Madonna been referred to as her country album? Aside from the album photoshoot and the video for "Don't Tell Me" there's very little on the actual record that is country. It's her Turn of the Millenium French nu-disco album if anything, but perception is 99% of it all.

 

[P__]

That fake City Games 'press' release definitely made the fans assume she's abandoning the UK market for US, which kinda made sense to do from a label's perspective after how well Fever and its singles were received there. Some critics obviously did run with it too, because I remember The Neptunes' name being dropped often in early web articles. In the beginning stages of recording Body Language, she demoed quite a few of R&B-tinged tracks with Biff so maybe insiders from that time who have had access to those songs also got a little worried, when in reality, they even weren't considered for inclusion. Ultimately, other than Red Blooded Woman, there's nothing on the record that screams North American market from 2003, to me at least. I'd describe it as this 80s funk and electronic music blend that I don't think would have worked for the US masses back then.

 

[WhatKindOfKylie?]

Yes, Red Blooded Woman is the only "obvious" attempt at trying to make a record for US audiences and even then I don't really think that was the reason behind it.

 

[HorseTears]

Slow is a masterpiece. Would most likely be my 11/10 in a Kylie Singles Rate.

Today I learned that the Slow video was choreographed by Mickey Rooney's son. I love those little tidbits.

Honestly, the pairings of Dawn Shadforth and Michael Rooney and Baillie Walsh and Rooney were the Kylie music video dream teams with their work on Head, Slow and Chocolate. Would be so cool to have one of those pairings back for one more video.

 

[Wallow]

I love that Body Language still gets treated as the US album when Golden is literally right there!

Name 5 main pop girlies that haven’t done a US sound to appeal to the US market, quickly!! Why is Miss Minogue persecuted, God forbid

 

[P__]

Yes, Red Blooded Woman is the only "obvious" attempt at trying to make a record for US audiences and even then I don't really think that was the reason behind it.

I think Johnny Douglas was clearly inspired by that sound which was inescapable back then, including Europe. But I think it's the label who saw the potential and after lower sales and chart performance of Slow, decided to release it as a second single, possibly thinking a more current sounding song is gonna make bigger of a noise (I know Slow was a semi-hit in certain territories, but it's longevity and chart positions weren't living up to some previous singles off Fever, which clearly caused panic within the label and management). Fans didn't like that and the rest is history...

But he also contributed On the Up which was more of a disco revival song and wrote Secret Garden to get used for that album, this one had more icy electronic elements to it (went to Rachel Stevens in 2005), so not all of his work for Body Language was borrowing from the US radio. He once told me that unfortunately Parlophone didn't like them and made him finish just 2 songs in addition to the stuff he was co-producing...

 

[Alcazarized]

Remember that article that circulated in late summer 2003 with all the mostly fake song titles like "How Can U Say No?" and "Ez-St". That probably is where the damage was done. If you put the idea into people early enough they start to hear and experience what comes afterwards with those filters.

yes - there were a lot of rumours during 2003 about the record being produced by the Neptunes and being very RnB with an eye on the US.

As a result I was really (and pleasantly) surprised when Slow emerged as the first single, though it was also quickly clear that it was not going to be a massive hit like the Fever singles.

 

[heartmightmelt]

...kinda made sense to do from a label's perspective after how well Fever and its singles were received there.

That's typical record label thinking right there. When you're ignored by a particular country, then they suddenly catch up and totally get you for the first time (or first time in ages) the major labels usual response is to follow the bouncing ball, try and do what the foreign market does better, and lose sight of what made them take notice again in the first place.

 

[RMK]

It's interesting to look at what albums did make a dent in US charts at all. Aphrodite seemed to debut pretty high considering she's only had one or two eras focused on promo here and that wasn't one of them.

Were Body Language and X promoted at all in the US?

 

[heartmightmelt]

It's interesting to look at what albums did make a dent in US charts at all. Aphrodite seemed to debut pretty high considering she's only had one or two eras focused on promo here and that wasn't one of them.

Were Body Language and X promoted at all in the US?

I think she went over for a fortnight of promo for both in the February/March after the albums were released. She did "All I See" on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson but I don't remember if she did any TV promo performances for Body Language.

 

[P__]

It's interesting to look at what albums did make a dent in US charts at all. Aphrodite seemed to debut pretty high considering she's only had one or two eras focused on promo here and that wasn't one of them.

She went on North American tour in October 2009 before Aphrodite was released, played shows in big cities and I'm pretty sure it helped Aphrodite's success the following year. They were very well received.

 

[madgemad]

Forgive me if this has been posted weeks/months/years ago but it's fresh to me!

A DJ somehow acquired the stems to Sparks, and here is the result. A not perfect mix, but my gosh, GIVE ME THOSE STEMS!

https://www.johnhollyweeds.com/kylieminogue-sparks

 

[shuper007]

It's interesting to look at what albums did make a dent in US charts at all. Aphrodite seemed to debut pretty high considering she's only had one or two eras focused on promo here and that wasn't one of them.

Were Body Language and X promoted at all in the US?

Body Language had a Target release with a bit of promo but nothing else. We had some stories about her breast cancer battle but it was lost in the noise. The For You, For Me Tour got some promo but it was mostly in the gay press.

 

[RMK]

Looking at what songs became singles, the choices for Aphrodite are abysmal past the first two. I sorta get Put Your Hands Up, but the title track and Closer were right there??

 

[Runawaywithme]

I remember being litreally shocked when I saw her perform Better Than Today on the X Factor. I thought she was going to give Get Outta My Way that big last push! The era really did fall apart didn't it and it's a shame because it's probably my favourite "pure pop" Kylie album. It sounds lush, layered and expensive at all times. At least we got the tour!!

 

[Celestial Mosaic]

Everything went to pot as soon as the album came out. single dates moved and pushed back, wrong choices being made. You name it and Parlophone buggered it up.

 

[Sexbox]

Body Language had a Target release with a bit of promo but nothing else. We had some stories about her breast cancer battle but it was lost in the noise. The For You, For Me Tour got some promo but it was mostly in the gay press.

Red Blooded Woman being performed on Letterman and an appearance on Ryan Seacrest's TV shows was about the extent of the Body Language promo in the US. It's a shame that Carson Daly was booted from TRL because during the Fever album cycle, she made regular appearances on the show and her videos stayed on the countdown for weeks. The show's re-tooling meant she lost MTV's support.

She gave us more during subsequent album campaigns:

With X, she performed on Dancing with the Stars, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and appeared on Today.

For Aphrodite, she performed on The Tonight Show, Dancing with the Stars, America's Got Talent, and popped up on Talk Soup, and Fashion Police.

She also did Dancing with the Stars for The Abbey Road Sessions.

 

[elektroxx]

I remember being litreally shocked when I saw her perform Better Than Today on the X Factor. I thought she was going to give Get Outta My Way that big last push!

I have no idea about its UK chart run, but I assume that "Get Outta My Way" was long dead by November when she did The X Factor. Considering she'd been promoting "Get Outta My Way" since July, it was a smart move to cut her losses and move onto the next single. The choice of follow-up single though...

 

[YourLeadSinger]

when nothing on it other than Red Blooded Woman feels particularly geared to the US market

It’s funny people say that but I don’t think it’s true either. It may be influenced by R&B on the charts but it is just way too over the top in its presentation to have been played alongside other R&B tracks.

I actually think “Chocolate” is probably the most “US-geared” of the singles. It’s a sleek, laid back, r&b track.