Some Kind of Bliss

"Some Kind of Bliss"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Impossible Princess
B-side
  • "Limbo"
  • "Love Takes Over Me"
Released 8 September 1997
Format
Recorded Mayfair Studios
Length 3:50 (radio edit)
4:13 (album version)
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"Where the Wild Roses Grow"
(1995)		 "Some Kind of Bliss"
(1997)		 "Did It Again"
(1997)

"Some Kind of Bliss" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997). The song was written by Minogue herself along with co-writers James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, while production and composition was handled by Bradfield and Dave Eringa. The indie rock-influence pop song was then released as the lead single from Impossible Princess on 8 September 1997. Lyrically, the song addresses Minogue's experiences away from loved ones and friends, re-incurring that their is still happiness around her.

Upon its release, "Some Kind of Bliss" received negative reviews, with criticism directed towards the production. Many critics felt the song would changed Minogue's musical direction completely and criticized her vocal deliveries; in retrospect, the song achieved more favorable reception. Commercially, the song was a failure, peaking at twenty-one on the UK Singles Chart, her first to miss the top twenty. It peaked inside the top forty in both her native Australia and New Zealand, and managed to chart in other European areas.

An accompanying music video was shot by David Mould and starred Dexter Fletcher and was shot in the Desert of Tabernas in Spain. The videos main influence was the series of Bonnie & Clyde. Critically, the video received favorable reviews who felt the chic style and nature was good and praised Minogue's look. "Some Kind of Bliss" has only been performed on her Intimate and Live tour. The song has left a legacy in the media that portrayed Minogue at the time. With enormous backlash towards Minogue, it caused both the album to suffer commercially and DeConstruction's A&R had made a press statement about the single, apologizing for not managing to promote the single.[1]

Background

"He taught me to never veer too far from who I am, but to go further, try different things, and never lose sight of myself at the core. For me, the hard part was unleashing the core of myself and being totally truthful in my music".[2]

—Minogue talking about Nick Cave influencing her on Impossible Princess.

Kylie Minogue left London-based PWL in 1992 after British tabloids accused the staff of PWL for creating "cheap" and "dated" music for other artists on the label.[3] Minogue signed a three-album deal with British dance label Deconstruction Records in order to achieve further creative credibility in her music.[4][5] Minogue released her first self-titled album through Deconstruction in fall 1994 and received mixed reception from music critics.[6] The album peaked inside the top three in Australia and sold over two million copies worldwide as of April 2007.[6][7] In early 1995, Minogue recorded the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow", a duet with Australian rock musician Nick Cave. Cave had been interested in working with Minogue since hearing "Better the Devil You Know" (April 1990), saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics".[8] It achieve critical acclaim from many of Minogue's fiercest critics, who praised her transition from being the once-dubbed "singing budgie" to a mature woman.[9]

Minogue had greater freedom to make Impossible Princess sound as she wanted it to. The British media commented that Minogue wanted to establish herself as an indie artist. However, she denied, telling Mixmag: "I have to keep telling people that this isn't an indie-guitar album. I'm not about to pick up a guitar and rock."[10] While in production, Deconstruction Records' A&R Pete Hadfield fell terribly ill that lasted for a year, which meant all creative production was handled by Minogue and producers Brothers in Rhythm.[11][12] When he managed to come to some sessions, he was intentionally concerned with the lack of single choices, where he felt the songs written by Minogue were not up to commercial standards.[1] Because of this, a potential January 1997 single release was postponed so producers can make the album "perfect".[1]

Composition

"Some Kind of Bliss" was written by Minogue alongside Welsh performers James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore.[13] The composition and production were handled by Bradfield and Dave Eringa.[13] This is Minogue's first release to feature songwriting credits since "Automatic Love" from Kylie Minogue.[14] Instruments including bass guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, violins and trumpets are present within the composition.[13]

"Some Kind of Bliss" was recorded in 1997 at Mayfair Studios, London, England with the Manic Street Preachers. The original version was written solely by Minogue until Bradfield wrote lyrics to another song and combined elements from both lyric sets to make the sentences more "coherent."[15] Minogue felt the strategy was "interesting" and expressed her desire in doing it again.[16] Lyrically, "Some Kind of Bliss" talks about her experiences away from people and feel that while they are "million miles away, [...] there's an ability to feel like they're with you."[16]

"Some Kind of Bliss" is an midtempo indie rock song.[15] She felt the sound of the track was a "good start" for Impossible Princess.[17] It provided Minogue with an edgier sound, with guitars taking the place of the drum machine beats heavily featured on her earlier efforts.[18] Once Minogue heard the track, she commented "And the way this track [Some Kind of Bliss] starts, I said to myself 'This is not a [Kylie] song'. I could never imagine sounding that way."[19] Nick Levine from Digital Spy compared it with another album track "I Don't Need Anyone" by describing it as Motowny indie.[20]

B-sides

There are two songs on the physical format for "Some Kind of Bliss"; "Limbo" and "Love Takes Over Me".[13] "Limbo" was used as a b-side after Deconstruction refused it as a potential single choice.[1] It was written by Minogue alongside British musician Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk with production handled by Ball and Vauk.[15] Musically, "Limbo" is a drum and bass track that includes heavy guitar riffs and drum beats.[15] The lyrical content describes her relationship with Sednaoui. It described Minogue's frustration that she could not see anyone outside a certain country due to bureaucracy laws, which was rumored to be about Sednaoui who lived in France. Written in Barcelona, Spain, the lyrics to "Limbo" were written in a different song but was never materialized.[21]

The second track "Love Takes Over Me" was composed in two version; an edited version which is featured on "Some Kind of Bliss" and her 1998 single "Cowboy Style" single and the album version.[13] The song was an outtake from the recording sessions and was not made available until the re-release off Impossible Princess in 2002, where it was featured on the additional bonus disc.[22] The song was briefly featured on her Other Sides EP, but only limited amount of copies were issue in Australia in order to promote the parent album.[23]

Release

Minogue wanted to release "Limbo" as the lead single from the studio album.[1] She believed that the sound was strong and "radio friendly".[1] However, Steve Anderson did not agree with her choice and believed that either "Too Far" or "Jump" had represented the album more that her decision.[15] After their discussion for a single, both parties disagreed with each others choices and left Deconstruction to decide on the single. However, Deconstruction did not believe any songs they decided were suitable, so instead issued it as a B-side to the newly decided lead single "Some Kind of Bliss".[24]

"Some Kind of Bliss" was released on 8 September 1997 in Australia and New Zealand by Mushroom Records, while it served as a single by Deconstruction in the United Kingdom. The single only issued one CD single but in two formats; a jewel case and a two-fold card sleeve.[13] The jewel case was promotional around Europe while the card sleeve was served officially in the UK, New Zealand and Australia.[13] The single sleeve, shot by Sednaoui, featured Minogue in a black and white close-up shot in the middle of an street. For the single's artwork, Minogue sported a dark, indie-rock image that was recognized on the "Did It Again" sleeve.[25]

Critical reception

"Some Kind of Bliss" received negative reviews from most music critics.[1] Writing for NME, Ben Willmott called it "supremely irritating" and "Kylie belt's out the lyrics like she's reading from an autocue. Any soul is lost in a slurry of bought-in brass and a ropey guitar solo that's be more at home on a Shakin' Stevens record."[26] Conversely, Allmusic's Chris True had selected the song as an album standout.[27] The Daily Vaults Michael R. Smith felt "Some Kind of Bliss 'is a surprisingly strong and straightforward rock song that was much maligned by the British press when it was first released, which called it irritating."[28] Online music critic Adrian Denning said that while Impossible Princess was taken as a misconception of "Indie Kylie", "Only the Manic Street Preachers tunes resemble indie, 'Some Kind Of Bliss'."[29]

A reviewer from the magazine FasterLouder.com said that "Some Kind of Bliss" was "pure pop."[30] While reviewing her 2002 DeConstruction compilation Confide in Me, True stated "Impossible Princess, both of which found her stretching and growing beyond the pop princess image she had previously. Dark, noisy tracks like "Limbo," the trip-hoppy "Jump," and the more rock-oriented "I Don't Need Anyone" and "Some Kind of Bliss"—both of which were co-written by the Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield—found her trying on different styles to replace the bubblegum pop of the past."[31] BSX from Sputnikmusic gave it a favorable review, commeting "[Some Kind of Bliss] is one of the more pop-rock songs that could have been part of her earlier work. This gem breaks up the dominance of the sleepy trance vibe to a more upbeat feel."[32]

Commercial response

The song entered at twenty-seven on the Australian Singles Chart, the highest debut of that week.[33] The song fell to thirty-five the following week and fell to forty-six in its fourth week.[34] After Minogue's follow-up single "Did It Again" was released, the song rose to thirty-five but fell to forty-seven in its sixth week.[35] This became Minogue's lowest charting single at the point and stayed in the chart for six weeks, her lowest charting lead single until it was surpassed by "Into the Blue" in 2014, which peaked at forty-six.[36] The song entered and peaked at number forty-six on the New Zealand Singles Chart for a sole week. This became Minogue's lowest charting single in New Zealand after her 1987 US single "It's No Secret".[37][upper-alpha 1]

In the United Kingdom, the song competed against Elton John's single "Candle in the Wind", which was re-released for the tribute off the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. According to the Official Chart Company that week, "Candle in The Wind" claimed more than 75% of the single sales that week, which immediately defeated Minogue's single in achieving a high position or the number one spot.[39] "Candle in the Wind" became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies in its first day of release, and over 1.5 million copies in its first week.[40] The single remained at number one for 5 weeks, and it eventually sold 4.9 million copies in the UK,[41] overtaking the 13-year-old record held by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". "Some Kind of Bliss" entered at number twenty-two on 20 September 1997.[42] This ultimately broke Minogue's consecutive top twenty hits and became her lowest solo single until "Better than Today", which charted at number thirty-two on 20 November 2011.

Music video

The music video was directed by David Mould and was shot in the Desert of Tabernas in Spain. The music video features Dexter Fletcher as Minogue's lover.[43] The video is set in non-linear structure, as it opens with Minogue and Fletcher in a blue cadillac at a gas station, with Minogue staring inside the gas station while Fletcher sits in the car after being released from jail. Several scenes feature Minogue and Fletcher in different outfits in different areas, driving and running around a hotel.[43] There are scenes with Minogue and Fletcher fighting, being happy and playing around in there hotel room.

During the bridge sequence, Minogue and Fletcher in front of a shop. Minogue seductively tries to distract the cashier outside by staring and posing at him, while Fletcher tries to steal money from the till.[43] In the last scenes, Minogue is in another outfit trying to walk out of an alley with a bag of money, but sees a police car driving towards her and tries to walk off.[43] Fletcher is caught by police and is escorted into the police car while yelling at Minogue. Minogue, who see the alteration, drives off with the money and looks back at Fletcher while driving down the street.[43]

Idolator website created a list for Minogue's eight sexiest videos, and listed the video for "Some Kind of Bliss" as one of those eight. Robbie Daw said "There's something so casually sexy about this Bonnie and Clyde-themed video. Kylie spends a lot of time wearing skimpy denim dresses while dealing with the fallout from her criminal love interest."[44] The public had voted in which Minogue's video was the sexiest. Conversely, "Some Kind of Bliss" was put in last place with 1% of the votes (15 votes).[44]>

Live performances

To promote the single, Minogue performed the song on several televised shows. Minogue debuted the single live on the Australian morning TV show Hey Hey, It's Saturday.[45] Then, to promote the single worldwide on live television, Minogue received the oppitunity to perform the single on MTV (Music Television) on October 4, 1997.[46] Minogue went on to perform the track on TFI Friday and performed the track on the UK music television series 'Top of the Pops.[47][48]

Minogue performed the song on the Intimate and Live Tour. The song was featured on the opening act for the tour and featured Minogue singing the track on stage, wearing a black long-collared shirt and three-quarter pants, similar to the costume off "Did It Again".[43] Like the rest off the costumes on the tour including the performance off "Some Kind of Bliss", it features Minogue with a lot of "princess"-inspired outfits.[43]

Legacy

The song has been recognized by critics as Minogue's most "indie"-influenced song to date, but was deemed a "commercial flop" by British press and publications.[39] The record label's A&R Pete Bradfield issued a statement after the songs release, blaming himself for not being in control of the promotion: "I loved her [Kylie's] voice, got on with her and I am embarrassed that I failed her."[1] Tom Parker, who was the creative director for the Impossible Princess 2003 re-release had observed that many critics had slated the song due to Minogue's approach to obtain lyrical and production credibility, which was overshadowed in whole.[15]

Minogue denounced her release of "Some Kind of Bliss" in the same week release as Elton John's "Candle in the Wind". She commented "I think the static was that [Elton] had 75 percent of the sales that week, so mine didn't get off at a good start."[39] She explained the bad release date to the album's release, stating "I've told not to be frustrated, but I was frustrated because the album should be out [...] The point of it is to get it out and maybe people will like it, they may love it or they might hate it, but it was in my hands."[39] She also felt guilt for parting with Stock Aitken Waterman after her production team with Deconstruction was not in good terms; she later commented that she departed on "good terms".[39] An insider for Deconstruction Records revealed that if sales did not increase, they would have immediately dropped her, but Minogue trying all ranges of musical genres and images lead to Deconstructions decision to allow her to go.[49] Deconstruction Records had lost a strong profit from income sales of the album and Minogue did not enjoy this. Minogue contemplated retirement due to the overwhelming failure of the campaign, saying "I have no qualifications, what else am I suppose to do?"[39]

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Some Kind of Bliss".

  • CD single
  1. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Regular album version) – 4:13
  2. "Limbo" – 4:06
  3. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Quivver Mix) – 8:39
  • European CD single
  1. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Regular album version) – 4:13
  2. "Limbo" – 4:06
  • UK cassette single
  1. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Radio edit) – 3:50
  2. "Limbo" – 4:06
  • UK vinyl single
  1. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Radio edit) – 3:50
  2. "Love Takes Over Me" (Single version) – 4:09

Credits and personnel

The following people contributed to "Some Kind of Bliss:[15]

Song credits

Cover credits

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[50] 27
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] 46
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[52] 22

Notes

  1. ↑ Up until 2004, the New Zealand chart scheme had changed from fifty positions to forty, after complaints against RIANZ (now known as Recorded Music NZ) were towards their similarity with the Australian Singles Chart positions. And, although "Some Kind of Bliss" is her lowest through the fifty positions (since her 1987 single "It's No Secret"), her current lowest charting single with the updated scheme is her 2007 single "2 Hearts".[38]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Smith, Sean (13 March 2014). Kylie. London, United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster Ltd. p. 138-139. ISBN 978-147-113-5804. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Larry Flick. "Review of Impossible Princess". Billboard.com. March 1998.
  3. ↑ Unknown (29 December 2007). "Pop star Kylie's showgirl success". BBC Entertainment. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "track information | discography". mixKylie.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  5. ↑ "Second Coming". djmag.com. 2009-07-29. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Confide in Me: The Irresistible Kylie (Album liner notes, provided by Paul Lester). Kylie Minogue. Music Club. July 2007. MCDLX043.
  7. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Kylie Minogue". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  8. ↑ Baker, William; Minogue, Kylie (7 November 2002). Kylie: La La La. London, United Kingdom: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 99. ISBN 0-340-73439-6.
  9. ↑ Baker, William (7 November 2002). Kylie: La La La. London, United Kingdom: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 71. ISBN 0-340-73439-6.
  10. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (October 1997). 780074556 ""Kylie Chameleon"". Mixmag. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Baker & Minogue 2002, pp. 113–114
  12. ↑ Heath, Chris (January 1998). "That's Impossible, Princess!!". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Some Kind of Bliss (CD single liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. September 1997. 74321 51725 2.
  14. ↑ Confide in Me: The Irresistible Kylie (Album liner notes, provided by Paul Lester). Kylie Minogue. Music Club. July 2007. MCDLX043.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Impossible Princess (2xCD) (Liner notes of Special Edition). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. 2003. 82876511152.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 An Interview with Kylie Minogue (Question 30: Some Kind of Bliss). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. 1997. KM002.
  17. ↑ "Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess Interview Sound Bites (2/3)‏". YouTube. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  18. ↑ author, Unknown (March 14, 2015). "Review of Some Kind of Bliss". Music Week. p. 1. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help);
  19. ↑ "Impossible Princess : Kylie Minogue A Ten Year History PART6". Youtube. March 14, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  20. ↑ Levine, Nick (March 14, 2015). "Digital Spy - Kylie Revisted: Impossible Princess #6". Digital Spy. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  21. ↑ An Interview with Kylie Minogue (Question 37: Limbo). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. 1997. KM002.
  22. ↑ "Kylie Minogue: Impossible Princess: Special Edition: 2cd". HMV. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  23. ↑ "Kylie Minogue - Other Sides at Discogs". Discogs.com. April 3, 2015. Retrieved 1998. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ↑ "::: Sweet Music ::: Music for Music Lovers - Music news :". Freewebs.com. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  25. ↑ "Kylie Minogue "Did It Again" Single Cover Art 1997". Idolator. Buzz Media. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  26. ↑ Willmott, Ben. "Improbable Princess". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  27. ↑ True, Chris (March 14, 2015). "AllMusic - Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess". Allmusic. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  28. ↑ R. Smith, Michael (March 14, 2015). "The Daily Vault Reviews // Impossible Princess". The Daily Vault. p. 1. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  29. ↑ Denning, Adrian (March 14, 2015). "Kylie Minogue Albums". adriandenning.couk. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  30. ↑ Unknown, Author (March 14, 2015). "Kylie Minogue Retrospect Reviews". Fasterlouder.com. p. 5. Retrieved August 2014.
  31. ↑ True, Chris (March 14, 2015). "AllMusic - Kylie Minogue - Confide in Me". Allmusic. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  32. ↑ Unknown, Author (March 14, 2015). "Kylie Minogue - Impossible Princess (review)". Sputnikmusic. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  33. ↑ Steffen Hung (12 October 1997). "Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss". australiancharts.co.au. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  34. ↑ Steffen Hung (9 November 1997). "Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss". australiancharts.co.au. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  35. ↑ Steffen Hung (16 November 1997). "Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss". australiancharts.co.au. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  36. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Kylie Minogue - Into the Blue". australiancharts.co.au. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  37. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  38. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 39.5 Aspinall, Julie (2 June 2008). Kylie. London, United Kingdom: John Blake Publishing. ISBN 1843586932. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  40. ↑ Doyle, Jack (26 April 2008). ""Candle in the Wind, 1973 & 1997"". PopHistoryDig.com (in English).
  41. ↑ Sedghi, Ami (4 November 2012). ""UK's million-selling singles: the full list".". The Guardian (in English).
  42. ↑ "Kylie Minogue". Official Charts. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 43.3 43.4 43.5 43.6 "Some Kind of BLiss - Kylie Minogue". Vevo. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Wass, Miks (March 14, 2015). "From "Slow" To "Sexercize": Kylie Minogue’s 8 Sexiest Videos". Idolator. p. 2. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  45. ↑ "Kylie Minogue - 'Some Kind Of Bliss' - Live on Hey Hey...". Youtube. March 14, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  46. ↑ "Kylie Minogue - Some Kind of Bliss (Live MTV Some Kind Of Kylie 04-10-1997)". Youtube. March 14, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Kylie Minogue Some Kind Of Bliss on TFI Friday". Youtube. March 14, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2006.
  48. ↑ "Kylie Minogue Some Kind Of Bliss totp 1997". Dailymotion.com. March 14, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  49. ↑ Deconstruction Records Press Statement. June 1998. Retrieved on August 15, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Kylie Minogue – Some Kind of Bliss". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  51. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Kylie Minogue – Some Kind of Bliss". Top 40 Singles.
  52. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1997-09-20" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2015-04-25.

External links