6

All the Lovers

UK chart peak: #3

From: Aphrodite

The lead single from Kylie's eleventh studio album Aphrodite, All the Lovers, surprisingly only came to fruition towards the end of the creative process for the album, conceived during the last few weeks of recording sessions. Perhaps even more surprisingly too, it was written by the same people that gave us 2 Hearts. That, in my opinion, is a far cry from being anywhere near as good as All the Lovers is, so praise to them for managing to come up with what has undoubtedly become one of Kylie's most recognisable modern hits. A fan favourite, and always a love letter to the fans - 'lovers' - there's a certain euphoria to this song in particular. For all the faults I could find in 2 Hearts and more generally how X's singles campaign was handled, it's a shame All the Lovers and Aphrodite benefit from critics seeing this as a true return to form and slating X as a whole package (this and Aphrodite truly are brilliant though!). The Abbey Road Sessions version of All the Lovers is gorgeous too, and this as the closing number in the encore of the Aphrodite: Les Folies tour was breathtaking; something I don't think she'll achieve again performing this song live.

It's a very special song indeed, it felt like one of the moments in her career where something really transcended beyond the fanbase to have really broad appeal and I felt so proud.

10 hours ago, Jessie Where said:

It's a very special song indeed, it felt like one of the moments in her career where something really transcended beyond the fanbase to have really broad appeal and I felt so proud.

I totally agree, it really did connect outside the fanbase and its a classic Kylie and in my opinion 6th is far far too low for this belter of a song.

40 minutes ago, Padamic_Tension said:

I totally agree, it really did connect outside the fanbase and its a classic Kylie and in my opinion 6th is far far too low for this belter of a song.

Feels like a lot has been 'far too low' for you in this countdown there are only 5 (!) songs ahead of All the Lovers too x

5

Get Outta My Way

UK chart peak: #12

From: Aphrodite

Aphrodite's hold on the top 10 comes to an end here as Get Outta My Way is the first song making up the top 5, coming immediately after All the Lovers too. It certainly feels strange ending up ranking Get Outta My Way higher than All the Lovers in a way, but I really can't deny that this song has become so iconic for so many reasons and I do slightly prefer it; despite both songs bringing something completely different to the table with their own merits. The second single from Aphrodite, this was the first single of Kylie's to miss the top 10 in the UK since Breathe back in 1998. It's wild to think that this was an underperformance of sorts because I think now this is a song that even the casuals lap up so much, and the visuals have embedded themselves in pop culture with memes, gifs, and even the song itself resonating in so many ways. It's Kylie at her best having so much fun, a cheeky edge while at the same time transcending with such effortless pop excellence.

2 hours ago, Padamic_Tension said:

I totally agree, it really did connect outside the fanbase and its a classic Kylie and in my opinion 6th is far far too low for this belter of a song.

Yes and in total opposite the song at number 5 would be far lower for me!!

Absolute banger, always loved it and I'm glad to see it's grown into the status of being a proper Kylie classic since its release.

4

Better the Devil You Know

UK chart peak: #2

From: Rhythm of Love

At #4 we have the only song in the top 10 that pre-dates the 2000s. Released in April 1990, Better the Devil You Know was the lead single from Kylie's third studio album Rhythm of Love. Another of the dastardly #2 hits for her just missing the top spot in the UK, this was a turning point where Kylie started to exercise more creative control after being involved quite minimally on the first two albums. She rejected some of the early mixes of this song before it became what we know now. Undoubtedly this has cemented its place as one of the biggest of the classic early Kylie singles, and quite rightly so. It's simple, yet such an effective brilliant pop song. It's had re-workings too, most notably its 2012 version from The Abbey Road Sessions, which is very different, and Kylie does sometimes play around with the style of the song when performing it live. Without doubt though, in my personal opinion, the most iconic thing about this song is it being the opening number of the Showgirl tour. Incredible in every way, makes me love the song even more, and I've included the video of the performance of it from the Showgirl tour here too just because everybody needs reminding of the statement it was opening your Greatest Hits tour like that.

BTDYK forever a classic - wish it got more love from streaming playlists for hits of the 90s etc., - it’s a pop masterpiece.

6 hours ago, ___∆___ said:

BTDYK forever a classic - wish it got more love from streaming playlists for hits of the 90s etc., - it’s a pop masterpiece.

Agree on everything here.

It's an all-time great, I feel like I hear it around and everywhere but then I frequent a lot of gay bars and it's probably not the same in other settings 😅

8 hours ago, Jessie Where said:

It's an all-time great, I feel like I hear it around and everywhere but then I frequent a lot of gay bars and it's probably not the same in other settings 😅

Yes very much a gay classic and I hear it (and the Steps version) quite often too, but it doesn’t seem to have broken out of that and is remembered by the masses as a great song from back then.

20 hours ago, Jessie Where said:

It's an all-time great, I feel like I hear it around and everywhere but then I frequent a lot of gay bars and it's probably not the same in other settings 😅

As a straight person its a song i hear in random places i do be in from time to time but i would totally see it been huge in gay bars.

3

Spinning Around

UK chart peak: #1

From: Light Years

So we enter the top three now, and with two singles from Light Years and one from Body Language remaining it's Spinning Around that falls first in third place. Released in June 2000 as the lead single from Light Years, Spinning Around became a #1 for Kylie, and is undoubtedly one of the songs that has defined her modern career. Her first #1 single in the UK since Tears on My Pillow in 1990, this was lauded as such a brilliant comeback after the commercial low point of Impossible Princess. The visuals for this single are probably one of the most iconic things about it as well as the song itself being pop perfection; the gold hot pants being embedded in pop culture. Heck, although I grew up having gay awakenings all over the place thanks to Kylie, it's music videos like this one (and Please Stay) that had me questioning whether it was Kylie herself I was actually attracted to or not lmao. What's great in recent times is that thanks to her recent Netflix documentary, too, we've had a chance to see more of the creative process behind this song too at the turn of the millennium. That transition into the iconic opening moments preparing us for a party on the dance floor had me buzzing. Interesting that this was originally intended to be included on an album by Paula Abdul that failed to come to fruition (being written by her), and ultimately ended up being passed to Kylie.

I do like spinning around as a song but love what it did for her career, it was one of her special number 1's as it was a pivitol single in her career, il never forget that week waiting on the mids then finding out she was number 1 and hoping she would hold on and of course she did.

2

On a Night Like This

UK chart peak: #2

From: Light Years

1

Red Blooded Woman

UK chart peak: #5

From: Body Language

And so we reach the end of the countdown with, shock horror, Red Blooded Woman as my winner and On a Night Like This in second place. It's always surprised me just how much I love Red Blooded Woman and the adoration I have for it considering I don't really think too much of the likes of Slow, Chocolate, or much of the rest of Body Language. But alas, Red Blooded Woman truly is Kylie at her absolute best for me. The music video I grew up with, the Showgirl performance and the homo-erotic nature of the intro with scantily clad smooth, muscly men dripping wet in showers before she rises up onto the stage and dominates... it's all just chef's kiss. It's one single that very much feels like it's been locked in a cupboard and left behind with that era where the likes of Slow have gone on to live beyond it, which is a shame. But I'll never not bang on about just how much this song is, to me, quintessentially Kylie and something I wish she'd lean into more. At least it gave her another top 10 single.

And then what to say about On a Night Like This? Serving as the second single from Light Years, coming after Spinning Around was going to require something amazing, and while I find it baffling that critics at the time thought this didn't stand out too much among everything else on Light Years, I have to say On a Night Like This was the perfect way to follow up such a strong comeback and lead single, serving another iconic pop song that was originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora. Again, the music video for this is something I grew up with. All of the visuals from Ultimate Kylie are ones that have stuck with me throughout my childhood and are instantly recognisable. From the shady underworld intro scene, to her throwing those die at the poker table. On a Night Like This was another #2 hit for Kylie; something this countdown's made me realise is just how many iconic singles of hers should be #1s but were just pipped.

And with that, the countdown is complete. Thanks to everybody for commenting along and getting involved. I'll post the full 1-100 list imminently

Calum ranks 100 Kylie Minogue singles (1987 - 2026)

1 Red Blooded Woman

2 On a Night Like This

3 Spinning Around

4 Better the Devil You Know

5 Get Outta My Way

6 All the Lovers

7 Love at First Sight

8 In Your Eyes

9 Your Disco Needs You

10 Put Yourself in My Place

11 Giving You Up

12 Confide in Me

13 I Believe in You

14 In My Arms

15 Please Stay

16 What Do I Have to Do?

17 Can't Get You Out of My Head

18 Dancing

19 Wow

20 The One

21 Breathe

22 Come Into My World

23 Stop Me From Falling

24 Into the Blue

25 Hand on Your Heart

26 Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)

27 Never Too Late

28 Shocked

29 Timebomb

30 Padam Padam

31 Flower

32 Say Something

33 I Should Be So Lucky

34 Finer Feelings

35 Step Back in Time

36 What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)

37 Did It Again

38 Slow

39 Tension

40 Especially For You (with Jason Donovan)

41 Right Here, Right Now (Giorgio Moroder feat. Kylie Minogue)

42 Higher (Taio Cruz feat. Kylie Minogue)

43 Where the Wild Roses Grow (with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)

44 If You Were With Me Now (with Keith Washington)

45 Hold On to Now

46 A Lifetime to Repair

47 The Loco-Motion

48 Turn It Into Love

49 Cowboy Style

50 Chocolate

51 Sincerely Yours

52 New York City

53 Light Up

54 2 Hearts

55 Keep on Pumpin' It (Visionmasters & Tony King feat. Kylie Minogue)

56 Je ne sais pas pourquoi

57 Golden

58 Some Kind of Bliss

59 Dance Floor Darling

60 Wouldn't Change a Thing

61 Where Is the Feeling?

62 Got to Be Certain

63 Real Groove

64 Kids (with Robbie Williams)

65 At Christmas

66 Crystallize

67 It's No Secret

68 A Second to Midnight (with Years & Years)

69 All I See

70 Word Is Out

71 XMAS

72 Magic

73 Midnight Ride (with Orville Peck & Diplo)

74 On oublie le reste (Jenifer feat. Kylie Minogue)

75 Lights Camera Action

76 Better Than Today

77 GBI (German Bold Italic) [TOWA TEI feat. Kylie Minogue & Haruomi Hosono]

78 Give Me Just a Little More Time

79 Edge of Saturday Night (with The Blessed Madonna)

80 Music's Too Sad Without You (with Jack Savoretti)

81 Kiss of Life (with Jessie Ware)

82 100 Degrees (with Dannii Minogue)

83 last night i dreamt i fell in love (with Alok)

84 10 Out of 10 (with Oliver Heldens)

85 Dance Alone (with Sia)

86 Someone For Me (YouNotUs Remix)

87 Limpido (with Laura Pausini)

88 Every Day's Like Christmas

89 Really don't like u (Tove Lo feat. Kylie Minogue)

90 Tears on My Pillow

91 Celebration

92 Can't Stop Writing Songs About You (with Gloria Gaynor)

93 The Other Boys (NERVO feat. Kylie Minogue, Jake Shears & Nile Rodgers)

94 Lhuna (Coldplay feat. Kylie Minogue)

95 Only You (with James Corden)

96 My Oh My (with Bebe Rexha & Tove Lo)

97 I Was Gonna Cancel

98 We Are One (with VERBAL)

99 Wonderful Christmastime (with MIKA)

100 Monkey Man (with The Wiggles)

Ong I loved both of those last two at the time. Red Blooded Woman was way better than Britneys Toxic which was released on the same week. On a Night Like This is sublime turn of the millenium house music about a night of fun just like J Lo Waiting For Tonight.

Love on a night like this but can take or leave red Blooded woman.

Thank you for doing a great countdown, I enjoyed all the reveals.