Was Kylie's 'Confide In Me' ahead of it's time?

 

Released in 1994 and charted at #2, it did moderately well, spending 9 weeks top 75 (and was a critical hit), but iirc this was considered the start of her "downfall" and every other song (bar Put Yourself In My Place) that followed it, struggled to match it's (or her own usual) success (until her STORMING comeback era in 2000 :lol:)..

 

4 years later, Madonna released 'Frozen'. A song that I often compare it to due to it's similarities, sonically. (Those airy vocals and the ethereal, middle-eastern influenced, string heavy production.) That went on to become a pretty big #1 smash for Madonna and led the hugely successful 'Ray Of Light' era!

 

Would Kylie's CIM have fared better had it been released a few years later and set up for a much stronger era for that particular era?

 

Yes

It Was OK.

Yes

 

Were my choices.

 

It's such a bold and daring comeback single. It was very different and when I first heard it, it didn't really make much of an impression on me (baring in mind I probs first heard it (properly) about 15 years ago :lol:) and never went back to it. Over time it's really grown in my affections and I appreciate it SO much more now. I definitely think it was ahead of it's time and probably would have been a big number 1 for her in 1997 or something.

Confide in Me came at the right time, i never felt it was ahead of its time.

 

Initially i found the song ok, video was good and i would prefer the song now to then.

 

That said, Kylie has a fair amount of singles i prefer to it.

 

It was a bold and daring single after leaving PWL and it was to many, a statement single and it certainly made people take notice of Kylie.

No

Didn't like it (but not for the want of trying)

Still feel the same

Yes (though I had no idea what would fit into 90s music trend :lol: )

I didn't like it (I was a teenager. Bought Ultimate Kylie DVD and watched the video the first time, thought the video was too weird)

Yes, I love it now. It's one of my Kylie's Top 10.

It is a very popular song all round among MOST :wacko: fans.

Confide in Me has aged well as did the the follow up Put Yourself in my Place.

It definitely wasn't ahead of its time. Whilst I can see the comparison between it and Frozen in terms of strings, at the time Confide In Me felt more like Kylie doing her take on the type of track Madonna had already done with Justify My Love and Erotica with the spoken verses and sexual undertones. Not that I minded, Confide In Me was and still is great.

I never picked up on any of those comparisons I think kylie just wanted the sound to be as far removed from pwl as possible and she always had that desire for an indie style sound so I think she was trying to work that way but I do remember her saying air were a big influence on her at that time and she loved the sound of sexy boy and I think that's where she wanted to head.

Kylie revisited the Air sound on the Money Cant Buy Show with mixing Breathe with Je T'Aime and it worked sensationally well.

I think Kylie haD envisaged an electronica sound with KM94 and there was lots of evidence on the album to support that sound.

IP kept some electronica elements mixed with indie pop and the sound worked better on IP.

 

 

Yes
I Loved It
About The Same

I do believe that 'CIM' was ahead of its time (in a way), totally different to anything Kylie's ever done before & found that it really stood out at the time with its mixture of dance/indie/pop/trip-hop genres really gave it a fresh sounding epic that's aged fantastically (25 years WOAJH). Do admit it took me a 2nd listen to fully accept it, then I just loved it. Remember this came after her PWL pop era & this was a major overall to anything she's done with them (although "Finer Feelings" showed glimpse's of a different direction). Looking back she needed a change in direction as if she stuck with PWL for another album, then I think it could have damaged her career & she would have just faded away.

This did give her career a much needed shot in the arm (even if it was just for a short time), Just listen to her haunting yet beautiful vocals on this (definitely one or if not the best vocals she's ever done on a song). As for the last question I voted 'About The Same' - as I still rank it as one of her very best & that will never change.

I honestly don't know how this would have fared if released a few years later, because I feel this came at about the right time, after closing her previous chapter with her 1992 'Greatest Hits' collection & this was the start of a new chapter in her career; 'CIM' was the best way to kick things off.

'PYIMP' was the perfect follow-up to this even if it didn't reach the same heights. Like I said before it was the 8 month gap between singles that killed this era & having 'WITF' as the 3rd single wasn't a great choice (especially its very uncommercial remix); it did nothing for the album as it had already dropped out of the charts long before. Her label should have kept the momentum going with releasing another single in the early months of '95 which could have easily helped towards album sales, then have a 4th for the summer.

My choices would have been 'If I Was Your Lover' & 'Time Will Pass You By' - the latter could have easily been considered a classic next to 'CIM'.

Confide in Me gave her career a big shot in the arm and it provided the long term path that her career now is.

Edited November 15, 20195 yr by pippa

Confide in me was a radical departure from her PWL sound. I remember being quite intrigued and excited by the new album but also slightly nervous about how well it would do and then it entered the charts at no2. Unfortunately, it didn’t hang around long in the charts but it marked the start of an interesting new era.

It did fall quickly whereas put yourself in my place stayed on the chart just as long.

Put Yourself In My Place, so close to a Top 10 hit, it is a real travesty it just missed out.

I say the same for Where the Wild Roses Grow.

 

I much prefer pump now than I did back then, I def didn't appreciate it at the time but really like it now. WTWRG I have always loved and both deserved top 5.

Hmmm, I think Kylie's career had naturally hit a downward spiral by the late 90s and there was probably nothing that would have prevented or changed that. So with that in mind, I'm tempted to say 'Confide in Me' probably wouldn't have done as well for her in 1997?

 

Plus I feel sonically it fits into the 1994/1995 musical landscape moreso than 1997.

It def worked better as it was released, in 97 98 it's hard to call what kylie needed for success but we know the public didn't Iike that it was some kind of bliss.

Favourite Kylie song of all time, but definitely grew on me over time to become my fave!

As much as you are not a fan of it Feel The Fever would you still prefer it to 80% of the material on Kiss Me Once and Kylie Christmas.

Edited November 20, 20195 yr by pippa

To be fair to confide in me I do, apart from les sex and into the blue I prefer it to everything on kiss me once.