050. “SHOCKED” (1990)
Both the album version and the legendary DNA Mix that was used for single release are sonically-pivotal in the trajectory of her career. Probably the objectively coolest thing she had done to this point, “Shocked” really brought the bubblegum-to-dance pop transition to the finish line. Jazzi P’s rap on the remix? Iconic.
049. “JE NE SAIS PAS POURQUOI” (1988)
Kylie came out the gate as a chart juggernaut in the UK, but the songs deserved the success. “Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi,” the 4th single from her debut LP, brings the tempo down ever-so-slightly without disrupting the pace. From a pure songwriting perspective, this is one of the best SAW ever made; it could have been done any number of ways and been successful. Yet, this is very much a Kylie moment at the same time.
048. “STOP ME FROM FALLING” (2018)
The Golden album was a rare moment of both introspection and experimentation on a level not seen for 20 years. The country-inspired theme was hit and miss, but the album’s second single was a soaring success on every account. You can tell she wrote this to be shared with a crowd, but it translates really well on record.
047. “GREEN LIGHT” (2023)
A smooth sax solo on a Kylie Minogue song? Yes please. The R&B-tinged “Green Light” was an instant stand out on Tension. It’s melody kind of melts its way into your brain, takes off its jacket, and stays for a while.
046. “CHERRY BOMB” (2008)
This production masterpiece could have been a single, hands down. And a hit one, too. Clubs would still be bumping it!
045. “NEVER TOO LATE” (1989)
I think “Never Too Late” is one of the most perfectly-executed pop songs ever. Sure, it’s a relic of the late-80s, but I think enough time has passed to admit that’s maybe a good thing. The track is exuberant, melodically-perfect and goosebump-inducing! It took a ballad version years later to really highlight the devastation in the lyrics, but that slight-of-hand is what the beginning of her career was all about!
044. “IN DENIAL” (1999)
Pet Shop Boys featuring Kylie Minogue
This song should be an enormous deal. Seriously, pop royalty across the board. And the song? STUNNING. I mean, it’ll make you cry! At this more experimental moment in both of their iconic careers, this was never going to be a hit (and thus was never a single.) But it’s unequivocally one of the best songs in both their catalogs.
043. “BUTTERFLY” (2000)
When the original sounds like a remix, you know you’ve got something. That’s Mark Picchiotti for ya. “Butterfly” is a BOP, a BANGER, a FULL slay, if you will. Her voice was made for this kind of music, yet she’s so rarely found herself this deep in the club.
042. “HAND ON YOUR HEART” (1989)
This is not only one of Kylie’s biggest hits, it’s one of her greatest pure-pop offerings, period. Lyrically, this is a punch to the gut, but you will never notice underneath all of the hooks and synths. Seriously genius!
041. “PUT YOURSELF IN MY PLACE” (1994)
This is an example of a perfect ballad. The heartache is palpable in the ethereal production and stunning melody; it crescendos so tactfully. Kylie didn’t need to over-sing this for it to be so powerful, and it will pretty much always sound great for the rest of time.
040. “REAL GROOVE” (2020)
This was the obvious standout upon DISCO’s release. THIS is how to arrange a song simply, yet effectively. The build-to-a-release thing is used in an “if it ain’t broken…” kinda way, but tell me it doesn’t get you every single time! And it has to be said, the remix with Dua… slay.
039. “I BELIEVE IN YOU” (2004)
It’s always a power move when one of your biggest hits ever came from a 2-disc greatest hits album, but “I Believe In You” is that girl. In every way, this is the Kylie Minogue brand of dance pop. It will always sound fresh, it will always be euphoric, and it will always deliverer a level of emotion at its height.
038. “COWBOY STYLE” (1997)
This is truly the Rosetta Stone of Impossible Princess. Equal parts “dance,” “pop,” “sex,” and “indie,” with a slight country swag; the absence of which would make the rest of the album confusing together. It’s such a singular facet in her career, which is why it’s kept coming back to life on tour over the years (although, hello?! where was this on the Golden Tour?) Not to mention, it has one of her most explosive climaxes ever.
037. “GBI (GERMAN BOLD ITALIC)” (1997)
Towa Tei featuring Kylie Minogue
This is easily the most unique track in her catalog. Released in collaboration with DJ Towa Tei (see Deee-Lite), “GBI” is an entirely spoken song from the perspective of a literal typeface (they have feelings too!) But listen to the song and tell me it isn’t incredible in every way. If a DJ put this on right now, people would be confused, but they would be living.
036. “SKIRT” (2013)
When Kylie dropped this as a teaser/promo single ahead of her Kiss Me Once album, you would have thought she was about to enter her c**ty era on a whole other level. But. Oop. “Skirt” is a masterpiece that was in prime position to re-establish her as a club tour de force – if it was given that kinda push! Still, this track stands out in a prominent way, even as a cult favorite.
035. “IN MY ARMS” (2007)
I think there’s a statute of limitations for an anecdote like this. I remember when “In My Arms” leaked before the X album was even announced, and thinking it was the greatest thing I’d ever heard. Should this have been the first single? It’s a conversation one could have (yes.), but when a song is this good it was always going to be a hit…and a big one. When factoring in “Kylie-ness,” this is an 11/10.
034. “GLOW” (2014)
Kylie + Garibay
Kylie’s collaborations with producer Fernando Garibay became this really incredible counter-project to the Kiss Me Once album that was being pushed in Pop World. On the whole, these songs are amongst the best and most interesting music she ever made. I mean, seriously incredible. “Glow” was released with the SoundCloud-only Sleepwalker EP, and is clearly the standout. Vocally, this is one of her most dynamic performances ever, and the production/arrangement/choices are mind-blowing.
033. “DRUNK” (1997)
I feel like this is one of the most remarkable songs she ever wrote and recorded. “Drunk” is a beautifully controlled frenzy where everything seems to be moving at the sped of light around Kylie, who is desperately trying to slow it all down. This is the kind of moment that people don’t expect from her, but she’s at home.
032. “APHRODITE” (2010)
Here’s something that deserves to be one of her definitive tracks. I mean, c’mon have you heard it?! “Aphrodite” comes thundering down with the vigor of a goddess herself, and kinda grabs you by the balls (in a good way.) We’re back to the ole existential question of what life would have been like for a song if it became a single, but it’s too fierce and mighty (see what I did there) to be forgotten.
031. “COME INTO MY WORLD” (2001)
OKAY [FIRST!!!] GRAMMY AWARD WINNER! Pulling anchor for the iconic run of Fever singles, “Come Into My World” similarly has stood the test of time. It’s just dance pop at it’s finest – so gorgeously hypnotic and levitating with hook after hook after hook to keep it spinning.
030. “LIMBO” (1997)
This song is one of the most entrancing and exciting ones she ever made. Keeping with a motif on Impossible Princess of Kylie finding herself in the calm center surrounded by chaos, “Limbo” feels like she’s caught up in it. Positioned towards the end of the album, let alone the last dance track, feels so appropriate; it allows for a catharsis. And what’s so brilliant about it is that, even isolated from the album, it has the same effect.
029. “ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS” (2000)
“On A Night Like This” remains one of Kylie’s most enduring hits, and with good reason. The godly melody cuts through the early-2000s house beats so effortlessly, it sounds like a once-in-a-career anthem. But for Kylie, it’s one of many.
028. “FINER FEELINGS” (1991)
On several levels, this is an important benchmark in Kylie’s career. This big, dynamic ballad was definitely her boldest single choice yet, and being the last from the Let’s Get To It album, it only made sense to have it remixed for release. Enter Brothers In Rhythm. Not only is their remix actually perfect (please check out the full 12″ Version!), but this was the beginning of a long-lasting relationship that charted her course of the rest of the 1990s and beyond. This was a critical inception point, even despite its own underwhelming legacy.
027. “GET OUTTA MY WAY” (2010)
There are few things Kylie Minogue can do more effortlessly than crafting a gay anthem, and “Get Outta My Way” is one of her fiercest. In every way, this is one of her most perfectly-executed dance pop offerings that feels unavoidable from the jump. Seriously…two choruses?! How dare she! It has aged better than some hits that were much bigger, and it might be more popular than a lot of them, too.
026. “TIMEBOMB” (2012)
It seemed inevitable that a new single would feature amidst the year-long celebration of her 25th anniversary in music (dubbed K25.) “Timebomb” goes so much harder than she needed to go, all things considered, almost to its own detriment. If this got a huge push as the lead single from her new album, we would probably be talking about how it’s one of her biggest hits, but its position on this list probably wouldn’t change. Incredible song in every way.
025. “BREATHE” (1997)
First of all, this may be the only song where the Radio Edit is the proper version – in this case, it’s just a sped-up version of the album version, but damn is it the right tempo. Either way, “Breathe” is immaculate. Perfectly atmospheric and moody, yet a hopeful pop song nonetheless. Lyrically, there’s such tactful simplicity in a way that highlights the earnestness of what she’s saying. Undeniably, this is one of the best things she ever wrote.
024. “DANCING” (2018)
“When I go out, I wanna go out dancing.” What a line, when you think about it. Released as the first single from her Nashville-inspired Golden album, “Dancing” is the one song that perfectly merged her sound with the ones she was experimenting with. It lays into the idea that what could appear to be under-thought is actually pretty fucking deep. When you consider all she’s been up against, let alone that this was released in conjunction with her 50th birthday when everybody was readily referring to her as “heritage,” that simple line means so much. Truly, what a way to go.
023. “TIGHTROPE” (2001)
Few b-sides become fan favorites quite on the level of “Tightrope.” I don’t think anyone is going to argue that it belonged on the Fever album proper, in lieu of literally a good half of it. In fact, radio would have played the hell outta it. This is a dance ballad done perfectly – it could make you cry just as easily as throw your hands up and twirl around your living room. Or, if you’re me, both at the same time.
022. “I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY” (1987)
Not an introduction to Kylie Minogue as a musician or a celebrity, but the absolute icon we know her as today, “I Should Be So Lucky” is her unofficial starting point. It’s impossible to deny this is a picture perfect pop song, in production, in arrangement, in performance…which is exactly why it remains such a classic of the 1980s. The inherent pop sensibility and charm showcased in this song has truly carried through her decades-long career.
021. “STARS” (2007)
This is one of Kylie’s most powerfully profound songs. If you’ve managed to read through this whole list, you’ll notice a lot of references to the X album having this expectation of being deeply personal…and largely not delivering. You have to respect her eagerness to choose her own lane, and even if there was some criticism about a lack of cohesion, song for song it’s one of her best. But “Stars”? This checked all the boxes. No direct references to anything in her personal life, nothing on the spectrum between melancholy and empowering…it’s wisdom she’s imparting. She’s aware of our abilities to read between the lines and connect the dots, but even stripped of all these things… the song resonates.
020. “WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?” (1990)
I could write an essay on the greatness of “What Do I Have To Do?”, and yet its brilliance kinda just speaks for itself. The emergence of Dance Kylie right here! The song is made for the dance floor as is, all the while remaining a flawless pop song. Every second of it is an earworm – there’s a reason it has endured after all these years.
019. “LOST WITHOUT YOU” (2018)
One of life’s greatest mysteries will be why Team Kylie thought “Lost Without You” didn’t belong on the main Golden album. How can you listen to this song and not realize you’re sitting on the best one of the whole batch?! Let alone one of the best songs she ever made. There is so much emotion and fragility in her, but it all gets swept up in the most euphoric, soaring music that you can hear her finding strength in by the time it ends. It’s executed perfectly from start to finish. Thankfully she knew to include this in the tour setlist.
018. “TENSION” (2023)
Dropping “Tension” into the roaring Padamic was nothing short of pouring gasoline on one incredibly gay fire. To say the least, the song holds its own. To say the most, it’s truly one of the most perfectly executed moments she’s ever done. It’s a quirky track, transitioning through its various sections without abandon. And, obviously, it all comes together so well, but the impressive part is how instant it is. It’s a perfect title track that, in many ways, just makes sense.
017. “SPINNING AROUND” (2000)
“Spinning Around” is Kylie’s rebirth. Re-establishing her as a chart and radio juggernaut after half a decade of experimentation, the song lived up to its own lyrical affirmations…kind of like pop music inception. It’s an instant and infectious disco revival that’s really built to last. What an important milestone in her career, yet if it was released today, it would still sound relevant. There’s a reason it’s one of her signature songs, a concert staple, and a fan favorite.
016. “SAY SOMETHING” (2020)
This is the exact song the world needed at the time – the hell that was 2020. A discofied bop about yearning for love and togetherness – all the while the world felt like it was burning down. What a confident and interesting choice to kick off an album cycle with, but these choices are what makes Kylie shine brightest. It thrives on simplicity, and effectively builds to one of her biggest, most powerful peaks across her entire catalog.
015. “YOUR DISCO NEEDS YOU” (2000)
The gayest, campiest, most unapologetic thing in the Kylie Minogue repertoire. Just think about how camp that song would actually have to be on paper… but this is it, baby. Nothing about it goes off the rails (although it challenges!), and what we’re left with is disco’s should-be-official call to arms. This is such an iconic track, even though it was barely a single – and simply because it’s so unbelievably flawless, impossible to forget, and 100% Kylie.
014. “LIGHT YEARS” (2000)
For never being a radio hit, this is one of Kylie’s most quintessential tracks. The title track to her 7th studio album, Light Years, is whimsical and camp while still feeling cool…and amazingly timeless. The futuristic-electro sounds established here have carried through the rest of her career, including the likes of “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and the Fever album that followed. “Light Years” has grown to become a live favorite – an anthem, if you will – and will probably be popping up in setlists for years. This is definitive Kylie.
013. “IN YOUR EYES” (2001)
Following up “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” with literally anything would have felt like a blip if it wasn’t this strong of a track. “In Your Eyes,” the 2nd single taken from Fever, is brilliantly dark and slightly menacing, churning all of her pop instincts through a hypnotic frenzy of disco beats. The chorus is in as little a hurry as the verses, and yet it still keeps getting bigger. This is one of the few songs that will probably always sound relevant, even if it’s a snapshot of a specific time in popular music.
012. “DREAMS” (1997)
There may not be a bigger true fan favorite. The grand finale and de facto title track to the opus that is Impossible Princess, “Dreams” is simply stunning. A dazzling ballad laced with strings and driven by a captivating lullaby of a melody. The intensity comes ripping out the gate, yet the song continues to build and build until the very last note. There isn’t anything about it that doesn’t work.
011. “THE ONE” (2007)
Sitting smack dab in the middle of X, “The One,” in all its ethereal glory, remains one of her Goddess Moments. It is just so decadent and opulent, harnessed unlike anything else she’s ever done. When I say “climax,” I don’t often mean something this close to an actual orgasm. And then there’s the Freemasons Remix, the pseudo-single version, which is a whole other level of this situation. Every facet of “The One” is a showcase of what the Kylie Minogue sound is capable of – and you know this is gonna sound incredible until the end of time.
010. “WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW” (1995)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds featuring Kylie Minogue
There’s something undeniably legitimizing about one of the most lauded singer-songwriters on the planet wanting you on their song. Fellow Aussie Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds were already indie rock icons by the mid-90s, while Kylie was moving herself away from the pop sphere… the stars aligned brilliantly. “Where The Wild Roses Grow” is, well, a disturbing song, but with so much beauty in its approach. It became an unlikely chart hit for both acts at the time, and pivoted the course of both their respective iconic careers. For Kylie, this is one of the most important songs she has ever sung.
009. “TAKE ME WITH YOU” (1998)
Clocking in at over 9-minutes, the Impossible Princess-era “Take Me With You” is hands-down (and I will fight) the most awe-inspiring song in her catalog. It’s not so much an emotional roller coaster as an emotional free fall, driven by tribal drums, despairing lyrics, and a landscape of melodies. This was never the kind of song that was going to be popular, or even particularly recognized, but it stands on its own just fine. With a nearly 3-minute instrumental coda to cool down with, this is one of the few songs that actually delivers a fully realized catharsis after the path of emotional destruction it causes. I feel confident that 1 listen of “Take Me With You” will justify it’s placement as one of the top-10 greatest things she ever made.
008. “ALL THE LOVERS” (2010)
At the time, the success of “All The Lovers,” the fitting lead single from Aphrodite, felt like a victory lap for an artist who had already earned a Goddess of Pop title. Yet, over a decade later, the track is nothing but a Kylie Classic. One of her definitive songs. A live staple. A gay anthem. A transcendent moment in popular music. And a mutual love with her fans… why do you think we’re called “Lovers?” By any standard, this is an iconic track, but you could never separate it from the artist. It’s simply one of THE Kylie Minogue-iest songs there is, and it’s hard to imagine her career with it.
007. “PADAM PADAM” (2023)
We all remember where we were for our first Padam. To paraphrase: we heard it and we knew. But I’m not sure anyone, could’ve imagined how big the moment would become. First of all, the song itself? Once in a lifetime. Unless you’re 35 years into your career, and then it’s just another notch on the bedpost. It’s a genius execution of simplicity, and Kylie just works the moment into damn oblivion. It hits all the moments it needs to perfectly, and never overstays its welcome, so naturally the track went viral introducing yet another new generation to this legendary icon. There is no understating the nail in the coffin this song created for a career that didn’t even need one. “Padam Padam” will reverberate for years and years, and Kylie Minogue’s impeccable legacy along with it.
006. “LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT” (2001)
If you had to play somebody a singular Kylie song to demonstrate her sound, how could it not be this? “Love At First Sight” is the culmination of everything pure pop she’d ever done, and the standard by which everything pure pop she’s done since has been held. This is her distinct brand of effervescence encapsulated concisely. In countless ways, this is one of the least complicated tracks in her entire repertoire…and yet it’s one of her most recognizable, definitive, legendary ones. It’s a show-closer, a forever-anthem, and clearly a moment Kylie holds close to her heart.
005. “TOO FAR” (1997)
I just want to start off by saying one thing: please take a look at who is the only credited songwriter on this song. “Too Far,” a rare non-single opener, welcomes us into the controlled chaos of Impossible Princess so remarkably. It’s immediately clear that this is not your mother’s Kylie Minogue, and in no way is she going to apologize for it. There’s such naked vulnerability in her words, but the humanization of her as an artist beyond the escapist pop she built her brand on, is both jarring and exciting. The production, handled by Brothers In Rhythm (who need to be shouted out for understanding who Kylie is as an artist, and helping execute her vision better than almost anyone on the planet), is flawless…because it allows her to stay in the driver seat while also having a pretty fucking cool car to drive.
004. “SLOW” (2003)
The Fever album was an apex for Kylie, and everybody knew it at the time. Built off the back of a massive pop resurgence, and fully taking the world by storm, it almost seemed that she’d have nowhere to go but down. Following up the project with anything but another “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” would just feel like a flop, which maybe gave her a sense of freedom to do something different. You could draw plenty of parallels between “Slow” and “Head” if you want to dissect them, but she has plenty of “sexy”, “sleek,” “electro” songs. It’s important to remember that this kind of music wasn’t blowing the radio up in 2003, but just like its predecessor it defied pop gravity. And probably more remarkably, “Slow” wasn’t ready for the clubs as is! When Kylie takes a risk so confidently like she did with this, she always wins. This is one of her biggest hits, it never misses a setlist, and it still sounds ridiculously cool. Like, it has not aged a second. It’s hard to imagine her impressive run of hits in the 2000s having as much life as it did if she didn’t drop “Slow” in the middle of it.
003. “BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW” (1990)
Kylie Minogue, the Goddess/Princess/Queen/et al., does not exist as we know her without “Better The Devil You Know.” From the opening rings of the most 1990 synthesizers that call out like a siren’s song, it is clear this is something momentous beyond another pop song. It’s a herald. Kylie’s voice was finally clear and able to show off its strength – not just in power, but in her ability to control a song – and it allows her to have this seamless “coming of age” moment she needed to have sooner than later at this point in her career. Okay, so the song itself is a masterpiece, point blank. The arrangement, the melodies, the hooks, the lyrics… no crumbs/no notes! This is the first real Kylie Minogue dance song, the first real Kylie Minogue gay anthem, and the first real Kylie Minogue-Kylie Minogue moment. It’s been overshadowed only slightly by some bigger hits, but this is her signature song through and through – and it will never not be a euphoric, emotion-ridden experience.
002. “CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD” (2001)
What even needs to be written about this song? Everybody under the sun and their great-grandmother knows “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” and every “La la la” that goes with it. Lots of artists have massive hits, but not many of them have one that’s THIS big on a global scale. This song came from outer space. Nothing like this was happening in top-40 at the time, and yet its innate spell-casting infectiousness allowed it to permeate through everything else on the radio…and the charts…and clubs…and weddings…and…and…!!! I think it’s important to acknowledge that, if all else was the same, Kylie would absolutely still be the icon she is today if “Head” never existed. The fact that she is so permanently tied to this particular song is a testament to the SONG. And it is truly one of the greatest ever. It never misses a “Best Of” list that it qualifies for, and its light hasn’t dimmed as the generations pass it on. To have something this enormous, this iconic, this impactful as a part of her legacy is beyond remarkable. And Kylie dominates every second of it.
001. “CONFIDE IN ME” (1994)
There is no possible way to overstate the greatness and importance of “Confide In Me”. Jumping ship from the reliability of hit-churning PWL Records for indie dance label Deconstruction was the second ballsiest thing she ever did her entire career. The first? Releasing “Confide In Me” as her first single with them. She could have led with a house anthem, packed the clubs to the brim, and still had all the artistic freedom she wanted. But it’s that last part she had her eyes on above all else. And thankfully, because it led to this miraculous song. Clocking in at nearly 6-minutes, the track is a big, orchestral ballad with a trip hop beat giving it incredible movement. Vocally, this is her best. You can hear the release of her newfound freedom as she belts out the high notes, and nothing has ever been the same since. “Confide In Me” has more than stood up as the decades have passed, finding new life tour-after-tour in Steve Anderson’s (co-songwriter/producer of this very song) legendary arrangements. It’s the coolest song she ever made, and she’s honestly never been able to touch it. I mean, if you ask me, it’s the greatest Kylie Minogue song there is.
HIDDEN UNDER HEADPHONES 
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