"Wow" | ||||
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Single by Kylie Minogue | ||||
from the album X | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 17 February 2008 | |||
Recorded | August 2007 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:13 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Greg Kurstin | |||
Kylie Minogue singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Wow" on YouTube |
"Wow" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her tenth studio album, X (2007). It was written by Minogue,Greg Kurstin and Karen Poole,while production was handled by Kurstin. The song was released as the third single from X on 17 February 2008 by Parlophone.
"Wow" features instrumentation from guitars,electronic synthesizers,keyboards and drum machines,along with pianos through some verses. The song is set in a disco-oriented beat with many other electronic elements. Upon the song's release,it received positive reviews from contemporary music critics,who praised the production and release as a single. The song peaked inside the top 20 on the US Hot Dance Airplay chart,as well as charting inside the top twenty in countries including her native Australia,United Kingdom,Ireland,France,New Zealand and Hungary.
The song has been performed on all of Minogue's concert tours since it was released (with the exception of the Anti Tour),with it most recently performed at her 2018 Golden Tour. Along with the promotion on her tours,the song has been featured in many media productions. It has been used as background music in Desperate Housewives ,performed at her TV special The Kylie Show and was included on the soundtrack of the film Beverly Hills Chihuahua .
"Wow" was composed and written by Greg Kurstin,Minogue and Karen Ann Poole. Minogue requested setting up a studio in Ibiza with previous writing partner Karen Poole and newcomer to the fold Greg Kurstin,an American multi-instrumentalist musician and producer,during the summer of 2007. Originally,it was said that they wanted "Wow" or "Like a Drug" as the first single,but ultimately "2 Hearts" was released as the lead. Minogue intended the track to be the US lead single from the album,but it was withdrawn and "All I See" was released instead in an attempt to appeal to a more urban market. "All I See" ultimately failed to enter mainstream charts in the US. Following this,"Wow" was released as Minogue's first club single in North America. In Australia,"Wow" was officially sent to radio on 14 January 2008. [2] Three new additional tracks were featured on the CD single,these being "Cherry Bomb","Do It Again" and "Carried Away",which were recorded during the album sessions.
The song is written the key of D Major. [3] Minogue's vocal range spans from the key note of F#3 to the key note of E5. [3] Additionally,the song is set in common time and has a tempo of 124 beats per minute. [3] Lyrically,the song talks about someone who stands out,with the title referring them as "Wow".
Two versions of the music video was released. The music video for "Wow" was directed by Melina Matsoukas and filmed in Los Angeles,California along with the video for "In My Arms" in early January 2008. [4] The video features Minogue in dancing in a futuristic nightclub surrounded by dancers in alien outfits. The video begins with Minogue's silhouette dancing against a lighted background. She is then shown in a white tracksuit surrounded by a group of dancers. Scenes of Minogue and her dancers dancing in front of a lighted background are intercut throughout the video.
PerezHilton.com hosted the world premiere the music video on 29 January 2008. [5] It was scheduled to premiere on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2008,but was postponed. [6] Media regulator Ofcom removed the video after they found it did not follow viewer guidelines due to the use of strobe lighting. The video was re-edited and broadcast in the United Kingdom the following week.
"Wow" received mainly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The Boston Globe had compared "Wow" with American singer Madonna's 1983 single "Holiday",but added "Wow" is "Holiday" on studio steroids". [7] Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times had said that "Wow";"updates 80s-era Madonna". [8] Evan Sawdey MusicOMH gave it a very positive review,as he compared the songs to Minogue's previous songs "Shocked","Too Far","Come into My World" and "The Loco-Motion",saying in his extended review;"it’s jam-packed with peppy melody,built around a simple,addictive piano melody that is soon shot into the pop stratosphere." He also said that the song is a "great track". [9] Dave Hughes from Slant Magazine gave it a positive review,saying ""Wow" is a pretty great summation of the commercially successful aspects of Minogue's career to date—a hyperactive juvenile disco track full of fun,big-budget whooshes and drops,something utterly disposable that she sells without shame." They also highlighted the song as an album standout. [10]
However,Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy wrote that "Wow" "doesn't have the 'oomph' factor to make us fall for her like we have in the past",but the song's "disco swirls and whooshing synths are great fun". [11] In a review for The Guardian ,Alexis Petridis called the song "fantastic" and compared it to Minogue's songs with Stock,Aitken and Waterman. [12] Pitchfork Media reviewer Tom Ewing wrote that the song's "excitement is infectious" even though its "funked-up electro sexiness may feel contrived". [13]
"Wow" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-two on 24 December 2007,based solely on digital download sales. [14] Ten weeks later,the song reached number five. In February 2008,the song topped the UK Upfront Club Chart. [15] This eventually became Minogue's best selling single in the UK since 2002's "Love at First Sight". As of 2022,“Wow”has accrued 268,132 sales in the UK,according to the Official Charts Company. [16] The song was also very successful in France,where the song debuted at number fifteen,then descended to ninety-eighth. The song then re-entered to peak at number eighty-eight,but stayed in the French Singles Chart for twenty-two weeks in total. The song had also European chart peaks,where it peaked at number thirty-three on the Austrian Singles Chart and number fifty-one on the Swiss Singles Chart,
In Minogue's native Australia,The song debuted at number eleven where it peaked,and remained on the singles chart for eight weeks. [17] It debuted at number thirty-four on the Swedish Singles Chart,until rising to number thirty-two,where it peaked,and stayed in the charts for five weeks. In the Romanian Singles Chart,the song debuted at number 63 in February, [18] finally peaking at number 42 in June, [19] becoming her first song ever to miss the top 20. In New Zealand,the song debuted at number seventeen on 24 February 2008. Following radio airplay,it later rose to number sixteen on 9 March 2008. [20]
In North America,the song was released to American dance radio-stations and became a moderate success when it debuted within the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart,eventually peaking at number nineteen. The song also peaked at number sixteen and seventeen on the Euro Digital Tracks and Euro Digital Songs charts,respectively. [21]
The song was also performed on:
UK CD1
UK CD2 and Australian CD
UK 12-inch picture disc
European maxi-CD
| European CD single
Digital download 1
Digital download 2
Digital download 3
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The following people contributed to "Wow": [23]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Silver | 200,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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Australia | 16 February 2008 | CD maxi single | Parlophone | [50] |
United Kingdom | 17 February 2008 | Digital download | ||
Digital download (EP) | ||||
Digital download (Remixes) | ||||
18 February 2008 | CD single | |||
CD maxi single | ||||
12" picture disc | ||||
France | 2 June 2008 | Digital download | ||
Germany | 4 July 2008 | EMI | ||
CD maxi single | ||||
United States | 28 July 2009 | Digital download (EP) |
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song that was recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). Parlophone Records released the song as the album's lead single on 8 September 2001. "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which was written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, is a dance-pop, techno-pop and nu-disco song that is known for its "la la la" hook. Its lyrics are about obsession with a love interest. Music critics praised the song's production and Minogue's vocals and labelled it a highlight of Fever.
"Come into My World" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). Written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, "Come into My World" is a dance-pop song in which the singer pleads to her lover to come into her world. "Come into My World" was released as the fourth and final single from Fever on 4 November 2002.
"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.
"On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records as the second single for her seventh studio album, Light Years (2000), and was distributed in various formats. The track was originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora and written by Steve Torch, Brian Rawling, Graham Stack, and Mark Taylor, while production was handled by the latter two, it was handed to Minogue to record. Musically, "On a Night Like This" is a Europop, dance-pop and house song that also incorporates elements of disco. Its lyrical content delves into experiencing unique, possibly sexual experiences during the night.
"In Your Eyes" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). It was written by Minogue, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, and Ash Howes and produced by Stannard and Gallagher. It is a dance-pop song and talks about sexual temptation. The song was released in Australia on 21 January 2002 as the second single from the album. In Europe, it was delayed from a January release due to the success of "Can't Get You Out of My Head", and it was eventually issued on 18 February 2002 by Parlophone.
"I Believe in You" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie (2004). It was written by Minogue alongside its producers Jake Shears and Babydaddy. It was released as the lead single from Ultimate Kylie on 29 November 2004, by Parlophone. "I Believe in You" is a pop and Euro disco song in which Minogue proclaims there are many things in which she does not believe, but that she does believe in her lover.
"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.
"Giving You Up" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her third greatest hits album Ultimate Kylie (2004). The song was first released as the album's second and final single on 28 March 2005. It was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, Paul Woods, Nick Coler, and Minogue, while production was by Higgins and Xenomania. The song is a dance-pop track, which features instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards. The track was her last solo single before she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months later; her next single was "2 Hearts" in 2007.
"Chocolate" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, taken from her ninth studio album Body Language (2003). It was written and produced by Johnny Douglas, with additional writing by Karen Poole. The song is a ballad that uses a chocolate simile to describe Minogue's obsession with love. It is a quiet storm song that contains elements of disco and funk and employs breathy and whispery vocals. It was released as the third and final single from the album on 28 June 2004 by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone.
"Red Blooded Woman" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album, Body Language (2003). Written by Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole and produced by the former, it is a hip hop and synth-pop track containing a vocoded "Boy! Boy!" hook and backing vocals from a choir, and was released by Parlophone as the second single from the album on 1 March 2004.
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"The One" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue taken from her tenth studio album, X (2007). "The One" 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 by Parlophone in Europe and the United Kingdom, and by Warner Music in Australia and New Zealand. Originally, the song was to be accompanied with a physical release to coincide with the UK leg of the KylieX2008 tour, but was released as digital-only instead becoming Minogue's second digital single after "Over the Rainbow".
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The singles discography of Australian singer, songwriter and actress Kylie Minogue consists of ninety-six singles and twenty-four promotional recordings. Referred as the “Princess of Pop” by various media outlets, she has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. In Australia, she has a total of ten number-one singles, twenty-three top-ten hits and forty-seven top-forty entries. In the United Kingdom, with seven number-one singles, eleven singles that peaked at number two, thirty-five top-ten hits and fifty-two top-forty entries, she is the twelfth-best-selling singles artist and the third-best-selling female artist of all time to date, selling over 10.1 million singles.
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