Kylie Minogue’s “Spinning Around” Turns 20
Kylie Minogue unleashed “Spinning Around” on this day (June 19) in 2000, kicking off one of the most remarkable comebacks in music history. After being pop’s undisputed It Girl in Australia and the UK in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the pop icon began to experiment with new sounds — all hail the masterpiece that is Impossible Princess — and the hits inexplicably dried up. By the end of the ’90s, Kylie was at a make or break time in her career and decided, wisely as it turns out, to return to the dance floor.
The Aussie pop icon signed a new record deal with Parlophone, embraced her destiny as the savior of the gays and crafted the campiest album of the ’00s with Light Years. Kylie introduced the opus with “Spinning Around” and promptly landed her first number one hit in the UK since 1990’s “Tears On My Pillow” and her first chart-topper in Australia since 1994’s “Confide In Me.” Unimaginably, the song almost went to another diva. “Spinning Around” was originally penned for Paula Abdul (she has a writing credit). In fact, it only went to Kylie when Paula’s album was scrapped.
What’s the appeal? Well, something magical happens when the right song finds the right artist. The pop icon was feeling celebratory. She was heading into the new millennium with newfound focus and joy in her craft. That comes through with laser-like clarity on “Spinning Around.” Above all else, the track is about choosing happiness. “Traded in my sorrow for some joy that I borrowed, from back in the day,” Kylie purrs on the opening verse. “Threw away my old clothes, got myself a better wardrobe — I got something to say.”
The flawless 52-year-old then lays out her new life mantra on the chorus. “I’m spinning around, move out of my way,” Kylie belted. “I know you’re feeling me ’cause you like it like this.” And we were feeling her. Not only was “Spinning Around” a massive hit, the video became a sensation thanks to those golden hot-pants (which have been displayed in Australian museums) and Kylie started a second imperial phase — releasing 16 consecutive top 10 UK hits that only ended in 2008 when “The One” peaked at number 36.
Get our your hula hoop, put on some skimpy shorts and do a little twirl in honor of the 20th anniversary of Kylie’s colossal comeback hit. Revisit “Spinning Around” below.
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