"Red Blooded Woman" is a song recorded by Australian singerKylie Minogue for her ninth studio album,Body Language (2003). Written by Johnny Douglas andKaren Poole and produced by the former, it is ahip hop andsynth-pop track containing avocoded "Boy! Boy!" hook and backing vocals from a choir, and was released byParlophone as the second single from the album on 1 March 2004.
The song was well received bymusic critics, many of whom praised its production and compared it to the work of American music artistsJustin Timberlake andTimbaland. Commercially, the song peaked within the top five on thesingles charts in Australia and the United Kingdom. It also entered the top 10 in several other countries, including Spain and Italy, and charted within the top 20 in Germany and New Zealand. It was certifiedgold by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for selling over 7,500 units.
Following the global success of her eighth studio albumFever, Minogue began working on her ninth studio albumBody Language.[1] Aiming to create a dance-pop album inspired byelectronic music from the 1980s,[2] Minogue enlisted collaborators such as Johnny Douglas (who had previously worked with her onLight Years) andKaren Poole.[3] The duo wrote "Red Blooded Woman" together, while Douglas also produced the song.[4] It was selected as the second single fromBody Language and was released globally on 1 March 2004.[3]
"Red Blooded Woman" is ahip hop,synthpop, andR&B track,[6][5][7] the former being a genre Minogue newly experimented with on the album.[1] Avocoded "Boy! Boy!"hook and "candy-coatedla la la's" are both repeated during thebridge.[5][6] A male choir also provides backing vocals in a "ghostly" manner, according toSlant Magazine editor Sal Cinquemani.[6] Like numerous songs from the album, "Red Blooded Woman" references music from the 1980s: its line "You got me spinning round, round, round, round like a record" alludes to British bandDead or Alive's 1985 song "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)", but also her 2000 hit single "Spinning Around".[8][4] Remixes by Englishelectronica artistsNarcotic Thrust andWhitey were included on the12-inch picture single.[9]
"Red Blooded Woman" received positive reviews from music critics.Billboard critic Keith Claufield singled out the song as a highlight from the album and called it "a cousin ofJustin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River'."[10] Also fromBillboard, Michael Paoletta called it a "sexy, skittery, beat-driven hip-pop number that sounds like aTimbaland production". He concluded that "["Red Blooded Woman"] definitely deserves a shot at mainstream top 40 and rhythmic success".[11] Like Paoletta, Sal Cinquemani fromSlant Magazine too compared the production of the song to that of Timbaland.[6]Spin magazine praised the song's "Boy! Boy" hook and synthpop style, feeling that they "demonstrate that even in the 21st century, Kylie wears the 1980s well."[5] Writing forNME, John Robinson found "Red Blooded Woman" to be better than "Slow", the lead single from the album, and called it "excellent cutting edge pop in a great single by the Justin Timberlake orSugababes way."[12] Adrien Begrand fromPopMatters favoured its "almost garage-like beat" and appreciated the lyric "You'll never get to Heaven if you're scared of getting high."[8] Louis Vartel from theLGBT oriented websiteNewNownext, ranked it at number 46 on his list of the singer's 48 greatest songs, in honour of her 48th birthday. He hailed it a "sweaty dip in self-possession and sex appeal".[13] A reviewer from Sputnikmusic called it "equally as strong as (if not stronger than)" lead single "Slow".[14] More negative was Guillermo Alonso from the Spanish edition ofVanity Fair, who felt that "wanting to sound likeDestiny's Child, Justin Timberlake or Timbaland, was not a right move" for the singer.[15]
"Red Blooded Woman" debuted and peaked at number four on theARIA Singles Chart in Australia. The following week, it dropped out of the top 10 to number 11. The single had a short run on the chart, lasting for five weeks in total.[16] In New Zealand, it entered the singles chart at number 34 and later peaked at number 19. It charted for 12 weeks[17] and wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for selling 7,500 units.[18]
In Europe, the song reached the top 20 in numerous countries. In both Denmark and Italy, "Red Blooded Woman" peaked at number 10 and appeared in the top 20 for three weeks.[19][20] In Germany, the song peaked at number 16 and charted for a total of 10 weeks.[21][19] It debuted at number eight on theSpanish Singles Chart and fell one place to number nine the next week, overall having a short chart run of four weeks.[22] In Switzerland, "Red Blooded Woman" peaked higher than its preceding single "Slow", reaching number 15 on theSchweizer Hitparade.[23] "Red Blooded Woman" entered theUK Singles Chart at number five,[24] becoming Minogue's 26th top-ten hit in the country.[25] It was a moderate success, charting for nine weeks inside the top 40.[25]
The music video for "Red Blooded Woman" was directed by English film directorJake Nava, who had previously worked with artists likeBeyoncé andKelis. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California, in December 2003.[3] It begins with a scene of a congested traffic jam in which Minogue is caught. She is shown seated in her car sensually singing along to the song, with the camera repeatedly focusing on her eyes and lips, wearing a black and whitesinglet, a satinwaist cincher, jeans with chainfringes, and a black sheepskinshrug (this outfit was donated by Minogue to theArts Centre Melbourne and is displayed in the Kylie Minogue Collection).[26] A few seconds later, she gets down from her vehicle and playfully makes her way to a tank. Climbing up on its ladder, Minogue dances seductively to the chorus of the song. She then resumes walking on the street and is accompanied by twodoberman puppies who escape from a nearby car. After entering into the backseat of another car, Minogue begins unwrapping a red dress and proceeds to change into it, with various onlookers watching her. As the second chorus starts, Minogue is seen dancing with a group of backup dancers at a different location, wearing afluorine yellowbustier underneath a pastel pink dress designed by French fashion houseBalenciaga.[27] The scene changes back to the street, where Minogue is shown entering a truck. She dims the lights and then dances in a different outfit, consisting of a black bikini, red leggings, and laced gloves. However, she exits the truck in the same red outfit she donned earlier. The rest of the video rapidly intersperses scenes of Minogue dancing inside and in front of the truck, on a car, with the backup dancers, and near a gang of motorcyclists.[28]
Minogue performing "Red Blooded Woman" during her 2009 North AmericanFor You, For Me tour
A one-off concert show,Money Can't Buy, was held at entertainment venueHammersmith Apollo, London, on 15 November 2003 to promoteBody Language.[29] "Red Blooded Woman" was included on the set list of the concert and was performed during the first act "Paris by Night."[30] On 20 February 2004, she appeared on British music chart television programme Top of the Pops to perform the song.[31]Minogue later performed "Red Blooded Woman" at German music awards,ECHO Awards, on 6 March 2004.[32]
"Red Blooded Woman" was included on the set list of Minogue'sShowgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in 2005.[33] Minogue was unable to complete the tour as she was diagnosed with earlybreast cancer and had to cancel the Australian leg of the tour.[34] After undergoing treatment and recovery, she resumed the concert tour in the form ofShowgirl: The Homecoming Tour in 2007, and "Red Blooded Woman" was again added to the set list.[35] In 2009, she performed the song during concert shows of theFor You, for Me tour, which was her first tour of North America.[36] The performances of the song during all three of the tours contained an excerpt from "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and were preceded by a segment showing numerous male backup dancers showering.[33][35][36] After a gap of 15 years, the song was next performed at Minogue's headliningBritish Summer Time concert at London's Hyde Park in July 2024, where she was surrounded by male dancers in suits.[37]
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