"Kylie Said to Jason" was a 1989 single by the KLF,referring to Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan,then stars in the popular Australian TV soap opera Neighbours. Designed for chart success,the single nonetheless failed to enter the UK top 100.
In 1989,the KLF —Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty —embarked upon the creation of a road movie and soundtrack album,both titled The White Room,funded by the profits from their number one hit single,"Doctorin' the Tardis".[1] The film project was fraught with difficulties and setbacks,including dwindling funds. Ultimately,neither the film nor its soundtrack would be formally released,but one track from the aborted album,"Kylie Said to Jason",saw commercial release.
"Kylie Said to Jason" was intended to be a top 10 record which the KLF were hoping could "rescue them from the jaws of bankruptcy".[2] Instead,it flopped commercially,failing even to make the UK top 100 and forcing the entire film and soundtrack project to be put on hold.[2] The release however did peak at number 6 on the UK Indie Singles Chart during August 1989.
Drummond and Cauty confessed that on "Kylie Said to Jason" they had worn "Pet Shop Boys infatuations brazenly on [their] sleeves".[3] True to this claim,the lush synth chorus and house piano recalls several Pet Shop songs,while the rap vocal is reminiscent of such recordings as "West End Girls" and "Left to My Own Devices".
The CD single release of "Kylie Said To Jason" also premiered the track "Madrugada Eterna" which would later be a central piece on the KLF's ambient house album,Chill Out. "Madrugada Eterna" (meaning "eternal dawn" in Spanish) is an ambient piece,featuring pedal guitar played by Graham Lee,and samples a detailed news report of a fatal road accident from American radio.
Reviews
Mentioning "Kylie Said to Jason" retrospectively,Q magazine called the song "supremely wry";[4]NME called it "Pet Shop Boys-lovely",[5] and Record Mirror named it "Excellent".[6]
Formats and track listings
"Kylie Said to Jason" was first released in the UK by KLF Communications on 31 July 1989.[7] The CD single was released on 7 August.[citation needed]
Given the poor sales of the recording,and the subsequent increase in interest in the KLF,the CD single of "Kylie Said to Jason" became a moderately valuable collector's item,a mint condition copy being worth £30 in 2000.[8]
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