On this day: Kylie mega hit Can’t Get You Out of My Head is released
Whether we know her for her for her iconic Neighbours character, her endless catalogue of musical hits or her anti-name-trademark tirade against Kylie Jenner, it's no secret that Kylie Minogue has long been a household name.
And on September 8, 2001, Can’t Get You Out of My Head was released, pushing the already successful Kylie into superstardom.
From Charlene to superstar
Kylie Minogue is a Melbourne girl who, after a few small gigs, achieved recognition in 1986 when she landed a role in Neighbours. Her character Charlene Robinson was a fan favourite.
Kylie even told Graham Norton in 2019 that ‘Kylie Charlene’ became a popular baby name around that same era.
Kylie’s stint on Neighbours came to an end in 1988, as she aimed to focus on her musical career, after I Should Be So Lucky found success in the previous year.
Her parting from Neighbours did not leave her empty handed, though.
Setting two records, Kylie’s Neighbours career allowed her to become the first person to win four Logie Awards in one year; and the youngest recipient of the Gold Logie for Australia’s Most Popular Television Performer.
By the early 1990s, Kylie already had a few top ten singles under her belt. Having already released The Loco-Motion and Hand on Your Heart.
By 2000, Spinning Around and On a Night Like This had taken off, solidifying Kylie as a top Pop Star in the industry.
Making history
After it was unsuccessfully pitched to S Club 7 and Sophie Ellis Baxter, Kylie was approached to record a new song called Can’t Get You Out of My Head, which she reportedly agreed to do after hearing only 20 seconds of the demo.
In 2001, Kylie released her eighth studio album Fever, featuring Can’t Get You Out of My Head as the headline song, and people quickly fell in love.
The hypnotic ‘la-la-la’ lyrics were an instant hit with listeners, and the song skyrocketed to success.
In fact, Can’t Get You Out of My Head was one of the most successful singles of the 2000s, selling over five million units, with the song charting at number one in 40 countries.
Flashing forward, Fever is still Kylie’s best selling album, having with more than six million copies sold worldwide.
Kylie has often commented on the popularity of the song and its influence on her career, telling Paper magazine in 2019: “If another Cant Get You Out of My Head came my way I would take it thank you very much.”
Hit song's legacy
In 2012, New Musical Express ranked Can’t Get You Out of My Head at number four on the Greatest Pop Songs in History.
And in 2020, Rolling Stone ranked her at number three on its 50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time list.
Kylie’s work has had a wide-ranging effect on the music industry, with up and coming musicians like Dua Lipa saying she was an influence on their career.
Still making music in 2020 with the release of her album Disco, and holding bragging rights as Australia's highest selling female artist of all time, Kylie remains a household name three decades after stepping on to the scene.
With 200 million Spotify listeners to Can’t Get You Out of My Head and matching statistics on the YouTube music video, the world surely won’t forget this iconic pop hit any time soon.
You might say, we can't get it out of our heads.
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