Flashback Friday: ‘Celebrate’ The First Day Of Summer With Kylie Minogue

Mike Wass | June 21, 2013 4:27 pm

Kylie Minogue always gets the party started – making her perky pop tunes the perfect soundtrack for summer solstice. While the timeless diva is still cranking out euphoric anthems, there’s one song in the occasionally skirtless singer‘s discography that really suits the occasion. Today we’re going all the way back to 1991 when Roc Nation’s newest signing covered Kool & The Gang‘s “Celebration” on Italian TV show Nochebuena.

There’s a lot of history attached to Kylie’s dance-pop reworking of the disco classic. Australia’s favorite daughter first recorded “Celebration” for her 1991 album Let’s Get To It but, for whatever reason, it missed the final cut and was held over for her 1992 Greatest Hits. Perhaps someone saw this amazing performance in Italy and decided it was worth releasing after all. The clip sums up everything great about the song and early ’90s Kylie – it’s joyous, completely irreverent fun.

I don’t know the context of this stunning rendition and it’s not that important. The questionable costumes, hilarious dance moves and star quality stand the test of time. Light entertainment doesn’t get much better. As for “Celebration”? It turned out to be a bit of a chart bomb. The enduring party favorite only reached number 20 in the UK and number 21 in Australia – making it one of her least successful singles at the time.

“Celebration” also marked Kylie’s last release with legendary UK producers Stock Aitken Waterman and is widely dismissed by fans as a bit of a misstep. But Timbaland‘s latest collaborator clearly has a soft spot for it, performing the song at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics and including it on Ultimate Kylie ahead of more successful singles.

Share your thoughts on “Celebration” in the comments.