10 Classic Kylie Tracks to Get the Crowds Grooving at Glastonbury SPINNING AROUND34 Taking place around tea-time on the Sunday, the Legend Slot provides a healthy dose of feel-good energy to carry punters through the final night of the festival - a godsend when you're struggling to shake that Sunday morning hangover or the weather takes a turn for the worse. There’s something lifeaffirming about seeing thousands of people, arm in arm, high on alcohol, sun or perhaps something stronger, belting out classic pop songs like there’s no tomorrow.
Luckily, the Eavis family have been graced with an endless list of legends to fill the slot over the years. Barry Gibb’s hit-packed set got Glasto grooving, country legend Dolly Parton triumphed and Shirley Bassey, whose glitter-wellies added a touch of class to Worthy Farm, delivered a memorably stunning set. And that’s just in recent memory. Other names to wow the crowds include BB King, Neil Diamond, Brian Wilson, Ray Davies, Tony Bennett, ELO, James Brown, and best-selling balladeer Lionel Richie, whose greatest hits album shot straight back to the top of the UK charts following his memorable set.
You could argue that nobody could beat 100,000 punters singing back every word of the Commodore’s classic ‘Easy’ during Richie’s sunny 2015 performance. Not even the Princess of Pop. Or could she? When Glastonbury announced Kylie Minogue it became clear that, once again, this year's Legend Slot would not disappoint.
The singer-songwriter, whose career transitioned from wholesome eighties pop star to sophisticated disco diva thanks to a handful of expertly executed electronic albums, has been hotly-tipped to deliver a career-defining setlist filled with pop hits that’ll leave the Glasto masses spinning around. The performance will hold extra weight for the Australian superstar, after she was forced to cancel her 2005 headline slot upon her diagnosis of breast cancer.
Fully recovered and back at the top of her game (Golden, her 2018 album, reached the #1 spot on the UK charts) Kylie promised lots of hits and ‘a few surprises’ ahead of her Legend Slot set. Now, while Glasto will have already been and gone when you read this article, it’s yet to happen as I write it. So, I have no idea what tracks Kylie performed during her set, however you may well be in the know if you tuned in to watch or were even lucky enough to be there in the crowd.
Here are 10 top tracks from pop’s pint-sized princess, it will be interesting to see how many featured in her Worthy Farm performance: I Should Be So Lucky [1987] When Kylie takes to the stage at Glasto, it’s the legendary singer's fans who’ll be feeling lucky. With a hit-packed set promised, this late-eighties pop banger from the Stock-Aitken- Waterman hit factory is bound to make an appearance. Glistening synths, bouncy vocals and marketable girl-next-door charm all combined to send ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ to UK #1.
Legend has it that when Kylie turned up for an initial meeting with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, they had forgotten about her visit, and therefore quickly penned the track while the Aussie starto-be waited outside the studio. The Loco-Motion [1988 re-release] OK, so it's definitely dated since its release over 30 years ago, but that doesn't mean Kylie's oh-so-eighties version of 'The Locomotion' isn't worthy of a mention. Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the song had already been a hit for Little Eva (1962), Grand Funk Railroad (1974) and Minogue herself in Australia a year earlier (1987) but a reinvention by Stock, Aitken and Waterman provided her with a global hit that helped launch her worldwide music career.
It would be entertaining to see the Pyramid Stage crowds dancing the Loco-Motion, but whether it makes the set is another matter… Better the Devil You Know [1990] This 1990 track saw Kylie embracing electronic beats and harnessing the cultural power of rave music, but it’s the classic pop melodies that shine through. Danceable, catchy and with its finger very much on the pulse, this is classic Kylie and a stepping stone in her move towards a more electronic sound at the turn of the millennium.
1. 2. 3. Confide In Me [1994] To break the fourth wall for a moment, I have to admit that I hadn't heard 'Confide In Me' prior to writing this article.
In my defence (I can hear the boo-hiss of Kylie fans from here), I was four years old when this dark, mysterious track was released, and even if I had had my ears glued to the radio at that time, it's very unlikely I would've heard it. What is now considered the singer's biggest sonic achievement was shunned by mainstream media, who were confused to see their Pop Princess embracing orchestral soundscapes, trip-hop beats, Eastern influences and arty videos.
I won't pretend this is a floor-filler, but in retrospect it's Kylie at her most formidable. Did It Again [1997] Another lost nineties gem, ‘Did It Again’ won Kylie favour with some critics as well as the indie/rock crowd thanks to its experimental edge. Once again showcasing the singer's artistic ambitions, the track displayed the influence of Britpop and dance music and even incorporated sitars into its eclectic sound. The parent album, Impossible Princess , saw Kylie collaborate with artists as wide-ranging as Manic Street Preachers, Brothers of Rhythm, Soft Cell’s David Ball and the genre-blending producer Rob Dougan, but received mixed reviews.
Spinning Around [2000] Somewhat of a comeback song, this pulsing disco track put Kylie on the front-foot as pop music entered the new millennium, winning favour with critics thanks to its return to her signature pop sound. The clean production gives equal space to shuffling beats, shimmering guitars and grooving basslines, while Kylie lays down a smooth, sexy vocal. ‘Spinning Around’ became her first chart-topper since 1994 but it was the gold hot-pants worn in the video that became truly iconic.
Those who are feeling brave may even have donned a pair at Glastonbury this year - after all, anything goes! Can’t Get You Out of My Head [2001] Is it Kraftwerk? New Order? Perhaps Daft Punk?
Nope, it's Kylie Minogue. If you had to argue for the best pop song of the 2000s, you could do much worse than this computerised classic. The track - and its famous video - defined the futuristic style of the new millennium with its minimal production, persistent house beats and disco grooves, pushing the underground club sounds of French House and nu-disco into mainstream pop. The "la la la" hook is one of the catchiest of all time, so I will be shocked if it doesn’t appear in the Glasto set and result in everyone humming it for days, even weeks, afterwards.
Love At First Sight [2001] Hot on the heels of smash hit ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ came ‘Love At First Sight’ , serving up more tight beats, breathy vocals and a clean production style. This feel-good floor-filler reached #2 in the UK charts, helping Fever become the singer’s most successful album to date. I expect it to get feet moving and toes tapping at Worthy Farm, regardless of the weather! Kids [2000] If 'Kids' sounds more Robbie than Kylie, that's because it was co-written by him and songwriting partner Guy Chambers for Williams' hit album Sing When You're Winning .
However, it was Minogue that the pair had in mind when penning this early-noughties duet. Over bass grooves, baggy beats and fuzzy Britpop guitars, the Australian superstar trades playful lines with Williams before erupting into a blistering rock chorus that captured two of pop's biggest stars at the top of their games. All the Lovers [2010] Four to the floor house beats and soaring synth lines abound, while the delicate, almostwhispered vocals bring to mind British electronic duo Goldfrapp, making it easy to see why 'All the Lovers' became a club hit around the world.
With lines like "Dance, all I want to do is dance, " you can almost guarantee that this sun-dappled electro track will pop up somewhere in the set. At a festival that was born out of the 'free love' era, 'All the Lovers' would be the perfect way to end what is destined to be another truly memorable Legend Slot.
