| "Miss a Thing" | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Artwork used on Minogue'sYouTube channel | |
| Song byKylie Minogue | |
| from the albumDisco | |
| Released | 6 November 2020 (2020-11-06) |
| Recorded | 2019 |
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| Genre | |
| Length | 3:56 |
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Music video | |
| "Miss a Thing" onYouTube | |
"Miss a Thing" is a song by Australian singerKylie Minogue. It appears as the second track on Minogue's fifteenthstudio album,Disco (2020). The song was co-written by Minogue, Ally Ahern, and producersTeemu Brunila and Nico Stadi. Musically, it is adisco-pop hybrid that incorporateselectric guitars and lush string arrangements while expressing both a classic and modern interpretation of the disco genre. The song's composition was compared to that of various artists, most notably Frenchmusic duoDaft Punk. Lyrically, it explores themes of love and having fun on the dancefloor. An extended version of the song was included on theremix albumDisco: Extended Mixes (2021).
Somemusic critics praised "Miss a Thing" for its lush production, and experimentation with various sounds and genres, while others thought it was overproduced and unoriginal. A few critics considered it a contender for asingle from the parent album. Despite not being released as a single, it appeared on the USHot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and theUK Independent Singles chart during the release week ofDisco. Minogue promoted the song with a music video shot by British filmmakerSophie Muller, which she uploaded toYouTube.
Minogue began working on new music in 2019, after completing the promotion for her fourteenthstudio album,Golden (2018), andsubsequent tour.[1] During her tour, she was inspired by a segment influenced by thedisco aesthetic and Studio 54, and she realised that her creative path would be "heading straight back to the dance floor" with adisco-themed album.[2] According to Minogue, she received ademo recording of "Miss a Thing" in February 2020. When she first heard the demo, she thought it fit the parent album's disco aesthetic: "There was enough disco in there, but it felt like a fresh interpretation," she said when reviewing the record onApple Music.[3]
She was scheduled to fly toLos Angeles to continue working on the song with one of the original songwriters,Teemu Brunila.[3] However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic andwidespread lockdowns, production ceased. During the lockdown, Minogue worked remotely from herLondon home, experimenting with different software and engineering tools such asLogic Pro andGarageBand.[4] She expressed her frustrations during the recording process, claiming that she was unable to achieve certain vocal deliveries while singing the song. She eventually finished it while corresponding with Brunila remotely.[3]
"I had a meltdown one day with him [Teemu Brunila]. I was trying to do this vocal and I was so exhausted, and stressed, I couldn't. I felt like I was failing him and me. I didn't go to the full cry, but I came close. All this, and yet we've never met. I can't wait to give him a hug when we finally can."[3]
Minogue co-wrote "Miss a Thing" with Ally Ahern and producers Brunila and Nico Stadi.[5] The song lasts three minutes and 56 seconds.[6] Musically, it is adisco-pop hybrid that featureselectric guitars and lush string arrangements. It appears as the second track onDisco; Matthew Barton ofBeats Per Minute felt the song's inclusion after album track "Magic" "takes a turn for the dreamier" and wrote, "itsChic-inspired bassline and beat, and a more sophisticated arrangement with disco strings cloaking it like a glossy curtain, exemplifying the 'lost on the dancefloor' mode that most of us have been missing in 2020."[7]
Clash editor Lisa Wright compared the sound to that of Frenchmusic duoDaft Punk, noting that it "moves the tempo up a notch" and includes "retro-fetishism for good measure".[8] Nick Levine ofNME shared similar sentiments, comparing the song and album track "Where Does the DJ Go?" to Daft Punk's work onRandom Access Memories (2013).[9] David Smyth ofThe Evening Standard compared it to Minogue's single "Can't Get You Out of My Head", noting that "she's nostalgic for her own material too".[10] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine compared it to Minogue's previous work onLight Years (2000) andFever (2001), whilePitchfork writer Katherine St. Asaph thought the melody was similar to Minogue's 1994 single "Confide in Me".[11][12]
Attitude published a track-by-track review with contributions from Will Stroude, Christian Guiltenane, and Kieran Lacini; Lacini felt the sound was "laid-back disco" and compared it to the works of British singerJessie Ware, while Lacini compared it to the work of British bandJamiroquai.[13] Lyrically, it explores themes of love and having fun on the dancefloor;Medium wrote about the song's theme and Minogue's performance, saying it "straps listeners in for Minogue's shift on the dance floor, as she cajoles her love interest to enjoy the pleasures of life with her, and urging them to confess their feelings for her".[14]
Music critics gave "Miss a Thing" positive reviews. Helen Brown ofThe Independent named it one of the album's best tracks, as did Gary James ofEntertainment Focus.[15][16]AllMusic writer Neil Z. Yeung described it as "an evocative dose of bliss to hustle the night away".[17] Nick Smith ofMusicOMH described it as a "breathy disco version of her own behemoth 'Can’t Get You Out Of My Head', so much so that you can interpolate the iconic la la las when it suits".[18] Albumism writer Quentin Harrison called it one of the album's "quintessential pop music subjects", whileNME contributor Nick Levine described it as having "enough variety here to keep things interesting".[19][9]Huffington Post editor Matt Bagwell described it as a "cooler, slinkier, grown-up cousin" to "Magic" and "one of the more straight-up disco songs on the album".[20]
God Is in the TV writer Richard Wiggens described it as "soft and mystic", with a "sexy, nostalgic quality to it", and concluded, "Muffled, soft thuds provide an infectious beat for Kylie to vocally dance all over."[21] CJ Thorpe-Tracey ofThe Quietus wrote: "The beat [of 'Miss a Thing'] is polished to the shimmering max, yet crucially, it does not boff."[22] Medium described it as a "more intimate banger that still sounds hot, heavy, and poised for the dance-floor", whileGrindr staff described it as "the song's carpe diem message is elegantly executed with a classic Kylie couplet: "Get that body up on the catwalk / Can't sleep through your life like a lapdog."[14][23] Marc Andrews ofDNA called it Minogue's "slinkiest and sexiest" song, while Mike Wass ofIdolator thought it was "single-worthy".[24][25]
Other critics had mixed feelings about "Miss a Thing". Michael Cragg ofThe Guardian thought the song, along with album track "I Love It", were two of the album's weaker tracks, calling it "Strictly Come Dancing schmaltz" that "are saved by a prevailing and unwavering belief in the healing power of pop".[26] According to Jeffrey Davis ofPopMatters, the song and album track "Supernova" were overproduced with "manic sounds and manipulated vocals".[27]
"Miss a Thing" was not released as a single byDisco, but rather with the album's release on 6 November 2020 indigital andphysical formats.[5][3] Nonetheless, it achieved some chart success during the album's release week. In the United States, it spent one week at number 30 on theHot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and 14 on theHot Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart.[28][29] In the United Kingdom, it spent one week at number 43 on theIndependent Singles chart.[30]
"Miss a Thing" was included in the repackaging of the parent album,Disco: Guest List Edition (2021).[31] Additionally, an extended version was included on theremix albumDisco: Extended Mixes (2021), which was initially available onvinyl and later through digital andstreaming services.[32][33][34] On 22 July 2022, Minogue released amusic video for "Miss a Thing" on herYouTube channel.[35] Britishfilmmaker and longtime collaboratorSophie Muller directed the video, and was shot by Robbie Ryan using vintage Ikegami 79D TV cameras. The result is a "hypnotic montage, with simple mirror VFX enhancing the mood, and the vintage camera adding texture."[36]
Album version[5]
Extended version[33]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofDisco.[5]
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie (OCC)[30] | 43 |
| USHot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[28] | 30 |
| Region | Date | Version | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 6 November 2020 | Album version |
| [3][37] | |
| Various | 8 December 2020 | Extended mix | [33][34] |