"Things We Do for Love" | |
---|---|
Song by Kylie Minogue | |
from the album Tension | |
Released | 22 September 2023 |
Recorded | 2022 |
Studio |
|
Genre | Synth-pop |
Length | 3:10 |
Label |
|
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
|
Visualiser | |
"Things We Do for Love" on YouTube |
"Things We Do for Love" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It appears as the third track on Minogue's sixteenth studio album, Tension (2023). Minogue wrote the song with Anya Jones, Camille "Kamille" Purrell, Jon Green, and producers Duck Blackwell and Richard "Biff" Stannard. "Things We Do for Love" was regarded by music critics as a tribute to 1980s culture and music, alongside Minogue's work from that era. Musically, it is an upbeat ballad-inspired synth-pop track with elements of dance-pop, rock, new wave and power-pop. The song's lyrics focus on love and being in a relationship.
Music critics praised "Things We Do for Love" for its production quality and overall throwback to the 1980s. Some praised the song's upbeat nature and chorus, while others criticised its lyrics. Despite not being released as a single, it appeared on the Hot Trending Songs chart powered by X (formerly Twitter) and component charts provided by the Official Charts Company in the United Kingdom during the release week of Tension. Minogue promoted the song with a visualiser that premiered on her YouTube channel, followed by an extended mix that appeared on her remix album Extension (The Extended Mixes) (2023).
Near the end of her campaign for her studio album Disco (2020), Minogue appeared on BBC Radio 2 to discuss new music, saying, "Perhaps it's going a bit more electropop. Don't quote me that [...] but that's what's on the boil at the minute." [1] Minogue confirmed this in a June 2022 interview with Vogue , citing her 2003 single "Slow" as inspiration for the album's sound. [2] The first sessions began with longtime collaborators Richard "Biff" Stannard, Duck Blackwell, and Jon Green, as well as Minogue's A&R Jamie Nelson, and they completed several songs while in Surrey. [3]
After working in Surrey, Nelson suggested to Minogue that she collaborate with Anya Jones and Camille Purcell (known as Kamille) on new music. [3] Purcell was thrilled with the opportunity and said of her collaboration with Minogue, "She was a household name for me and my family, I think it was just part of my DNA, knowing her name and her music." [3] Although initially intimidated, Purcell began to relax around Minogue, and by the end of the day, the five collaborators had completed two written songs: "Things We Do for Love" and "Tension". [3] According to Minogue, working with the two gave her the "female energy" she needed for the parent album. [3] The song was recorded between Surrey Pool House (Surrey) and Infinite Disco Studios (Paris); Minogue was the vocal engineer, Guy Massey mixed the track, and Dick Beetham mastered the final recording. [4]
"'Things We Do for Love' was written on the same day as 'Tension,' when [UK songwriters and producers] Kamille and Anya [Jones] came in. It took quite a bit of time at the back end in finishing the song, working out how to shape it so that the drive keeps going. It’s a weird structure, but I think it worked out really well." [5]
—Minogue talking about the development of "Things We Do for Love".
"Things We Do for Love" lasts three minutes and ten seconds. [6] According to an Apple Music review, Minogue compared the song's overall sound and vibe to the 1984 musical drama film Footloose , saying, "It’s got a bit of a Footloose feel. There’s no respite, it just keeps going and going, and the energy build." [5] Several music critics have also commented on the track's 1980s-inspired sound. [lower-alpha 1] Minogue, Blackwell, Green, Stannard, and Nelson planned embrace 1980s music and culture on Tension, but they later abandoned the idea and decided not to focus on a specific theme. [3] The song's lyrics focus on love and being in a relationship.
"Things We Do for Love" is a synth-pop-driven track with elements of dance-pop, rock, new wave and power-pop. [lower-alpha 2] Albumism writer Quentin Harrison describes it and album track "Story" as "uptempo ballads" with Minogue "putting forward lush, adult pop where she modernizes mid-1980s electronic and drivetime rock textures." [7] Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters compared the song's 1980s inspiration to Minogue's 1980 music catalogue, specifically her single "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi," and discovered a difference "in both Minogue's performances and the quality of the music." [8] Guy Oddy of The Arts Desk , on the other hand, identified "house-pop" elements in the song and album track "Vegas High". [18]
According to Paste editor Devon Codizin, the song and album track "You Still Get Me High" "start slow and minimal, building a healthy tension before Kylie launches into a euphoric chorus." [19] Crack editor Michael Cragg likened it to Xenomania's "featherlight electronics on the verses, hints of guitar throughout, and then a sudden sonic whoosh that rockets the chorus skywards." [20] Nick Levine of NME compared the track to the work of American singer Belinda Carlisle, while Aaliyah C Humphrey of Medium said the track and "You Still Get My High" "feels as if Tiffany worked with A-Ha." [10] [16]
Music critics gave "Things We Do for Love" positive reviews. In comparison to the rest of the album, Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic felt the track and "You Still Get Me High" "gears to hyperspeed with urgent singalong choruses, decade-appropriate synths, and dramatic sax breaks." [9] The Line of Best Fit editor Sam Franzini praised the song's "joyous" vibe, citing its "blissful galactic post-chorus," while MusicOMH editor Ben Devlin called it "pure pop gold." [21] [22] Albumism writer Quentin Harrison praised the song's "adult-pop" sound, stating that it emphasises the expressive qualities of her voice. [7] Retropop editor Connor Groto described the 80s influence as "unquestionably fresh, with a knowing wink towards the era that launched her." [23]
PopMatters editor Peter Piatkowski praised Minogue's "big-hearted joy and life" on the track, saying it demonstrated how she is "one of the most humane pop singers captured on vinyl." [8] PinkNews editor Marcus Wratten rated it as the fifth best track on Tension, calling it a "instant classic" and "a potential hit for Kylie when the days get warmer again next spring." [24] While discussing influences from 1980s music, Medium's Aaliyah C Humphrey stated, "Despite the retro sound, Kylie never sounds out of place. Her youthful spirit shines bright in her glitter jumpsuit." [16] Variety editor Todd Gilchrist described the track as "a more stripped-down version of which you could easily imagine Kevin Bacon dancing to back in 1984." [25]
According to Oral Foster of Loud and Quiet , the song and "You Still Get My High" are "blissfully anachronistic '80s synths that seem to nod to her old dungaree-and-perm days," while Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine describes it as "perfect fodder for a top-down cruise along the PCH." [12] [13] Rolling Stone contributor Hannah Mylrea described it as "perfectly nice," but thought it fell short of the album's follow-up track "Tension." [14] According to Annabel Ross of The Sydney Morning Herald , the song, like "You Still Get My High," lacks originality in its sound and chorus delivery, but "it's fun to hear Minogue in punch-drunk Carly Rae Jepsen mode." [26] Guy Oddy of The Arts Desk was slightly critical, describing the song and "Vegas High" as one of the album's weaker tracks and calling the songwriting "trite." [18]
“Things We Do for Love" was not released as a single from Tension, but rather with the album's release on 22 September 2023 in digital and physical formats. [4] [5] Nonetheless, it enjoyed some chart success during the album's release week. Billboard recognised the track on their now-defunct Hot Trending Songs chart, which was powdered by X (formerly Twitter), peaking at number nine. [27] In the United Kingdom, the song spent one week at number 69 on the Singles Sales chart and number 67 on the Singles Download chart. [28] [29]
A visualiser for the song premiered on Minogue's YouTube channel, coinciding with the release of Tension, and included various other visualisers and lyric videos from the album. [lower-alpha 3] Minogue is seen singing and dancing to the song in front of various lights while dressed in a rhinestone catsuit. [34] An extended version was included on the remix album Extension (The Extended Mixes) (2023), which was first released on vinyl and later on digital and streaming services. [35] [36] [37]
Album version [4]
Extended version [35]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tension. [4]
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Single Downloads (Official Charts Company) [28] | 67 |
UK Single Sales (Official Charts Company) [29] | 69 |
Region | Date | Version | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 22 September 2023 | Album version |
|
| [5] [38] |
Various | 8 December 2023 | Extended mix | [37] [39] |
Kylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has been recognised in music and fashion as a style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. She is the highest-selling female recording artist from Australia, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. In 2024, Time named her one of the most influential people in the world.
Fever is the eighth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 1 October 2001 internationally by Parlophone and later launched in the United States on 26 February 2002 by Capitol Records. Minogue worked with writers and producers such as Cathy Dennis, Rob Davis, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, TommyD, Tom Nichols, Pascal Gabriel and others to create a disco and Europop-influenced dance-pop and nu-disco album. Other musical influences of the album range from synth-pop to club music.
"Love at First Sight" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). It was released as the third single from Fever on 3 June 2002. The song, which was written by Minogue, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Ash Howes and Martin Harrington, is unrelated to the song of the same name from Minogue's debut studio album, Kylie (1988). Musically, "Love at First Sight" is a dance-pop and nu-disco song which, lyrically, describes the singer falling and believing in love at first sight.
"Slow" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her ninth studio album, Body Language (2003). It was released as the lead single from the album by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone on 3 November 2003. The song was written by Minogue, Dan Carey, Emilíana Torrini, and produced by Carey, Torrini, and Sunnyroads. "Slow" is an electropop and synth-pop song in which Minogue invites a man to "slow down" and dance with her.
"What Do I Have to Do" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue from her third studio album, Rhythm of Love (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Originally, the song was planned to be released after the single "Better the Devil You Know", but instead "Step Back in Time" was released and this was released as the third single on 21 January 1991 by PWL and Mushroom. The song received positive reviews from most music critics, who thought the song was an instant rave classic. Its music video was directed by Dave Hogan.
Australian singer Kylie Minogue has been credited for ninety-six music videos, twenty-three lyric videos, nineteen visualisers, thirteen concert films, thirteen music video compilations and two documentaries. From her eponymous debut studio album (1988), she released music videos for the singles "I Should Be So Lucky, "The Locomotion", "Got to Be Certain", "Je ne sais pas pourquoi", and "It's No Secret", all directed by Chris Langham and released from 1987 to 1988. She followed with two other music videos in 1988—"Made in Heaven" a b-side and "Especially for You" with Jason Donovan. In 1989, music videos for "Hand on Your Heart", "Wouldn't Change a Thing", "Never Too Late" and "Tears on My Pillow" — singles from her second studio album Enjoy Yourself (1989)
"In My Arms" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her tenth studio album X (2007). It was written by Minogue, Paul Harris, Julian Peake, and its producers Calvin Harris and Richard "Biff" Stannard. The song was released as the third single from X on 13 February 2008, by Parlophone.
"The One" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her tenth studio album X (2007). It was written by Minogue, Richard Stannard, James Wiltshire, Russell Small, John Andersson, Johan Emmoth and Emma Holmgren, while production was handled by Stannard and Freemasons. The song was released as the fifth and final single from X on 28 July 2008, by Parlophone.
"All the Lovers" is a song recorded by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue for her eleventh studio album, Aphrodite (2010). It was released by Parlophone on 11 June 2010 as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Jim Eliot and Mima Stilwell and produced by the former; Stuart Price, provided additional production. "All the Lovers" started out as a midtempo song with influences of electropop music. The lyrics of the song serve as an invitation to the dance floor and an assertion that Minogue's past relationships do not "compare" to the one she shares with her present lover.
Golden is the fourteenth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. On 6 April 2018, BMG Rights Management and Minogue's company Darenote made it available in a variety of formats. This is Minogue's first album with BMG, and her first musical release since Kylie Christmas (2015). Minogue began work on the album in London and Los Angeles before briefly visiting Nashville. She was inspired by Nashville's culture and music, particularly its country music influences. Inspired by her journey, she enlisted several producers to create new music, including Ash Howes, Richard "Biff" Stannard, Sky Adams, Alex Smith, and Mark Taylor, among others.
"Say Something" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG Rights Management and Minogue's company Darenote released it as the lead single from her fifteenth studio album Disco (2020), which was distributed digitally and physically on July 23, 2020. Minogue co-wrote the song with Ash Howes, Jonathan Green, and long-time collaborator Richard "Biffco" Stannard. Musically, it is a disco-inspired track with dance-pop, electro-pop, and synth-pop influences. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown procedures, the song's lyrics explore themes of love and a call for unity.
Disco is the fifteenth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG Rights Management and Minogue's company Darenote released it on 6 November 2020 in both digital and physical formats. After finishing her campaign with her previous album Golden (2018), Minogue was inspired by a Studio 54-esque section on her Golden Tour to create a disco-themed album. Early sessions began in 2019-2020, but were temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread lockdowns. As a result, Minogue continued to work on the album remotely from London, using GarageBand and Logic Pro for the first time.
"10 Out of 10" is a song by Dutch DJ and producer Oliver Heldens featuring Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was initially released as a promotional single by Kangarooli Tracks and RCA on 5 April 2023, and later included as a stand-alone track on Minogue's sixteenth studio album Tension (2023) by BMG and Darenote. Heldens and Minogue wrote the song with James Abrahart, Liana Banks, Jackson Foote, and Sarah Hudson, and it was produced by Heldens, Foote, and Duck Blackwell.
Tension is the sixteenth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 22 September 2023 by BMG and Minogue's company, Darenote. Minogue enlisted several collaborators and producers for the album, including Richard "Biff" Stannard, Duck Blackwell, Jackson Foote, Lostboy, PhD, Cutfather, and Oliver Heldens. Originally inspired by the 1980s music and culture, they abandoned the idea and decided to make a record that emphasised each song's individuality rather than a central theme. Tension features various electronic dance genres and sounds such as pop, dance-pop, disco, electronic, and synthpop. The lyrics to the album address themes such as love, lust, fun, and empowerment, all of which have appeared in Minogue's previous works.
"Hold on to Now" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG Rights Management and Minogue's company Darenote released it for airplay on 30 October 2023, and then distributed it in various digital and physical formats between November and December that same year. Minogue wrote the song with producers Jon Green, Duck Blackwell, and her longtime collaborator Richard "Biffco" Stannard. "Hold on to Now" was one of the first songs written for the album Tension. It was developed from a sample melody Minogue sent to Stannard via voice note.
"Tension" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It is the second single from Minogue's sixteenth studio album Tension (2023), and was released on 31 August 2023 by BMG and Minogue's company Darenote, in digital, streaming, and physical formats. Minogue co-wrote the song with Camille "Kamille" Purcell, Anya Jones, and producers Duck Blackwell, Jon Green, and Richard "Biff" Stannard. It was conceived after Minogue, Blackwell, Green, and Stannard collaborated on various songs in Surrey and asked Purcell and Jones to assist them with new material.
"My Oh My" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, American singer Bebe Rexha and Swedish singer Tove Lo. It was released on streaming platforms on 11 July 2024, by BMG and Minogue's company Darenote, and further distributed in digital and physical formats. Furthermore, it is Minogue's first lead material since the singles of her sixteenth studio album Tension (2023), and appears on her seventeenth studio album Tension II (2024). Ina Wroldsen and Lo wrote the song, with Steve Mac co-writing and producing.
Tension II is the seventeenth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. BMG and Minogue's company Darenote released it on 18 October 2024 in various digital, physical, and streaming formats. It is a sequel to her sixteenth studio album, Tension (2023), and is described as the "high-energy, high-octane" version of its predecessor. Unlike her previous records, Tension II features several new producers and collaborators, as well as returning collaborators Duck Blackwell, Richard "Biff" Stannard, Peter "Lostboy" Rycroft, and Ina Wroldsen.
"Lights Camera Action" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 27 September 2024, by BMG and Minogue's company Darenote, and distributed in digital, streaming, and physical formats. It is the lead single from Minogue's seventeenth studio album, Tension II (2024), and was written by her, Ina Wroldsen, and producer Lewis Thompson, with additional production by Adria Garcia.
"Someone for Me" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It is the third track on Minogue's seventeenth studio album Tension II (2024), which was released on 18 October 2024 by BMG and Minogue's company Darenote. It was written by Peter "Lostboy" Rycroft, Sarah Hudson, Brett "Leland" McLaughlin, Pablo Bowman, and Kevin Hickey, with production by Lostboy and Zhone. Musically, the song is influenced by dance-pop, disco, and house music, with Ibiza and Balearic beats and instrumentation, and it discusses being happy for someone who is in a relationship while also wanting one for yourself.