Especially for You

"Especially for You"
Single by Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan
from the album Ten Good Reasons
B-side	"All I Wanna Do Is Make You Mine"
Released	28 November 1988
Format	CD single vinyl single
Recorded	Sydney, Australia
Genre	Pop
Length	3:58
Label	PWL
Writer(s)	Mike Stock Matt Aitken Pete Waterman
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" (1988) "Especially for You" (1988) "It's No Secret" (1988)
Jason Donovan chronology "Nothing Can Divide Us" (1988) "Especially for You" (1988) "Too Many Broken Hearts" (1989)

"Especially for You" is a song performed by the Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, from Donovan's debut album Ten Good Reasons (1989). The single was released on 28 November 1988 and was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.

"Especially for You" received many positive reviews from older and contemporary critics, who deemed it one of the strongest of each singer's album, but also dubbed the song a classic. The song had commercial success, peaking inside the Top 5 in countries including Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Finland and Switzerland.

Minogue also performed this song as a duet with Kermit the Frog on the show An Audience with... Kylie Minogue in 2001.

Background

Minogue and Donovan both appeared on the Australian TV series Neighbours but before they recorded the song, Minogue had left the series to concentrate on a music career. By 1989, Donovan had also left the series to focus on his burgeoning music career. After the success of them on the show, Minogue had released her studio album Kylie, while Donovan was working on his studio album Ten Good Reasons. However, the album was not complete without the song, so the singer's production company Stock, Aitken & Waterman had composed and written a song for the singer's so they could sing a duet on the track.

The single was released on 28 November 1988 and was written by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was later featured on the American version of Enjoy Yourself. In May 2012, it was announced that Minogue and Donovan would be performing the song at the Hit Factory Live concert in July of that year, their first performance together since 1989.^[1][2]

Years after the single was released, the song was featured on four compilations released by Minogue and two by Donovan. These are the compilations that the song was featured on respectively:

Minogue's compilations

• Greatest Hits (1992)
• Greatest Hits 1987–1999 (2003)
• Greatest Hits 87–97 (2003)
• Ultimate Kylie (2004)

Donovan's compilations

• Greatest Hits (1991)
• Greatest Hits (2006)

Chart performance

"Especially for You" debuted at number two in Australia and stayed at that position for four consecutive weeks. This is Donovan's highest peak in Australia, but not Minogue's, after setting a record with her first three singles debuting at Number One. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number four, until peaking at number two. To date, this is Donovan's only single to peak in the Top 20, and is currently Minogue's highest and longest single to date in that country, staying for 21 weeks.^[3] The song then debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, staying there for four weeks, rising to number one for three consecutive weeks. The song stayed in the chart for 14 weeks in total. It was Kylie's 2nd Number One of 7,^[4] and Jason's first Number One of 4.^[5] In 2014 the song became one of only 154 singles in UK Official Charts History to reach 1 million sales.^[6]

In the European markets, the song debuted at number 39 on the French Singles Chart and rose to number three for two consecutive weeks. This was Minogue's highest single in France until "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (2001). The song debuted at number 73 on the Dutch Top 40, peaking at number four for a sole week, and was her highest until "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". The song spent a sole week at number ten in Norway, making it one of her lowest singles on that chart. The song had debuted at number 15 in Sweden, until peaking at number twelve for a solitary week. In Switzerland, the song peaked at number two for a single week, staying in the charts for fifteen weeks. This was Minogue's highest until "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". The song peaked at number twelve in Austria for one week.^[7]

Legacy

In 2012, Minogue and Donovan announced they would reunite to perform at the Hit Factory in July 2012, almost 23 years after they recorded the song. "Especially for You" was Kylie's biggest-selling single in the United Kingdom until 2001's "Can't Get You Out of My Head". The duet is also the bestselling Stock Aitken Waterman-penned single ever,^[8] selling more than one million copies to date as at December 2014.

Track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Especially for You".

• CD single

1. "Especially for You (Extended)" - 5:01
2. "All I Wanna Do Is Make You Mine" (Extended) - 6:00
3. "Especially for You" - 3:58

• 7" single

1. "Especially for You" - 3:58
2. "All I Wanna Do Is Make You Mine" - 3:34

• 12" single

1. "Especially for You" (Extended) - 5:01
2. "All I Wanna Do Is Make You Mine" (Extended) - 6:00

Live performances

Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours:

• Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour
• Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour
• Aphrodite World Tour 2011 (only performed during her tour in Manila, Philippines upon request)^[9]
• Kiss Me Once Tour (performed upon request in Liverpool)

The song was also performed on:

• An Audience with Kylie Minogue 2001 TV special, a duet with Kermit the Frog.
• Sport Relief 2014 duet with Donovan and David Walliams.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1988-89) Peak position Australian ARIA Singles Chart[10] 2 Belgium Singles Chart[10] 1 Danish Singles Chart[10] 5 Dutch Singles Chart[10] 6 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles Chart[10] 1 Finnish Singles Chart[10] 4 French SNEP Singles Chart[10] 3 German Singles Chart[10] 10 Greek Singles Chart[10] 1 Irish Singles Chart[10] 1 New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[10] 2 Norwegian Singles Chart[10] 10 Swedish Singles Chart[10] 12 Swiss Singles Chart[10] 2 UK Singles Chart[10] 1

Year-end charts Year Country Position 1988 United Kingdom[11][12] 4 1989 32 Australia[13] 17 Germany[14] 67 Switzerland[15] 22 Netherlands[16] 53 Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[17] Gold 35,000^ France (SNEP)[18] Gold 0* United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Platinum 1,000,000^ *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

• Denise van Outen and Johnny Vaughan and pop group Steps released a cover version for UK TV Charity BBC Children in Need in 1998 which charted at number three on the charts.
• Filipino acoustic band MYMP covered the song for their 2005 album Versions.
• Taiwan pop singer Genie Cho covered the song in her 2009 album 1 + 1 Play n Fun featuring Leon Jay Williams
• Indonesian singer Sierra Soetedjo covered the song in her 2010 album Only One.
• Wink (band) on their 1989 album, Especially for You (Yasashisa ni Tsutsumarete)
• The Imogen Styles covered the song for the K25 anniversary of Kylie Minogue's 25th year in the music industry ^[20]

References

Preceded by "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard	UK Singles Chart number-one single 1 January 1989 (3 weeks)	Succeeded by "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by Marc Almond with Gene Pitney

Kylie Minogue songs Singles discography Kylie "I Should Be So Lucky" "The Loco-Motion" "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" "It's No Secret" "Got to Be Certain" "Turn It into Love" Enjoy Yourself "Hand on Your Heart" "Wouldn't Change a Thing" "Never Too Late" "Tears on My Pillow" "Especially for You" (featuring Jason Donovan) Rhythm of Love "Better the Devil You Know" "Step Back in Time" "What Do I Have to Do" "Shocked" Let's Get to It "Word Is Out" "Give Me Just a Little More Time" "Finer Feelings" "If You Were with Me Now" "I Guess I Like It Like That" Greatest Hits "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" "Celebration" Kylie Minogue "Confide in Me" "Put Yourself in My Place" "Where Is the Feeling?" Impossible Princess "Too Far" "Cowboy Style" "Some Kind of Bliss" "Did It Again" "Breathe" "Say Hey" "I Don't Need Anyone" "Limbo" Light Years "Spinning Around" "On a Night Like This" "Your Disco Needs You" "Please Stay" "Butterfly" "Kids" "Light Years" Fever "Can't Get You Out of My Head" "Love at First Sight" "Come into My World" "In Your Eyes" Body Language "Slow" "Secret (Take You Home)" "Red Blooded Woman" "Chocolate" Ultimate Kylie "I Believe in You" "Giving You Up" X "2 Hearts" "Wow" "In My Arms" "Speakerphone" "Sensitized" "All I See" "The One" Aphrodite "All the Lovers" "Get Outta My Way" "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" "Aphrodite" "Better than Today" The Abbey Road Sessions "Flower" Kiss Me Once "Into the Blue" "I Was Gonna Cancel" "Sexercize" "Beautiful" Other songs and singles "Timebomb" "Skirt" "Crystallize" Collaborations "Keep on Pumpin' It" "Where the Wild Roses Grow" "GBI: German Bold Italic" "Sometime Samurai" "Lhuna" "Everybody Hurts" "Higher" "Whistle" "Limpido" "Right Here, Right Now" Book Category Portal WikiProject

Jason Donovan Studio albums Ten Good Reasons (1989) Between the Lines (1990) All Around the World (1993) Let It Be Me (2008) Soundtrack of the 80s (2010) Compilations Greatest Hits (1991) Greatest Hits (2006) Singles "Especially for You" (1988) "Too Many Broken Hearts" (1989) "Sealed with a Kiss" (1989) "Every Day (I Love You More)" (1989) "When You Come Back to Me" (1989) "Rhythm of the Rain" (1990) "Any Dream Will Do" (1991) "Happy Together" (1991) "As Time Goes By" (1992)