Success (song)
Encyclopedia
"Success" is a dance-pop
song performed by Australia
n singer Dannii Minogue
. The song was written by Minogue and Alvin Moody, and produced by Moody and Vincent Bell for Minogue's debut album Love and Kisses
(1991). It was released as Minogue's second single
in September 1990 in Australia. It was remixed and released on 6 May 1991 in the United Kingdom
. The song's lyrics
discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity
. It entered the top forty in Australia, Ireland
and the UK.
with Mushroom Records
in Australia, Minogue traveled to New York City
to begin recording songs for her debut album. While in the United States
, she worked with record producer
s Alvin Moody and Vincent Bell. The recording studio, located in Brooklyn
, had been the site of several shooting. This made it difficult for Minogue to get to it because taxicab
drivers would not drive her there. Minogue found the recording experience in New York City both "awesome" and "terrifying". "Success" was the first song Minogue co-wrote and its lyrics
discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity
.
In a review for Allmusic, John Lucas called the song "rather dated" and wrote "its aspirational lyrics became something of an albatross
for Minogue given her struggle to achieve the career momentum of her sister
".
Dannii performed this song when she was invited to perform on The Royal Variety Show in front of the Queen.
for "Success" was directed by Paul Goldman and Craig Griffin and filmed in Australia. The video features Minogue dancing and having her makeup
done. It begins with Minogue dancing in a studio with four male dancers. She is then shown dancing by herself in front of a red background. Scenes of Minogue having her makeup applied, a young boy dressed as a boxer
and her dancers practicing are intercut throughout.
Minogue wanted the video to incorporate visual ideas from the Australian nightclub
scene. While conducting research for the video, she saw "these brilliant kids dancing" and asked them to be apart of the video. The video was released commercially on The Videos in 1996 and The Hits & Beyond
special edition companion DVD
in 2006.
in September 1990. The song debuted on the singles chart
at number thirty-six on 23 September 1990. It reached number twenty-eight four weeks later and remained on the singles chart for seven weeks.
In the United Kingdom
and Ireland
, "Success" was released on 6 May 1991. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number twenty-one. Two weeks later, the song reached its peak position at number eleven. In Ireland, the track reached number fifteen.
Australian CD single
(D10187; Released in September 1990)
UK CD single
(MCSTD1538; Released on 6 May 1991)
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song performed by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
. The song was written by Minogue and Alvin Moody, and produced by Moody and Vincent Bell for Minogue's debut album Love and Kisses
Love and Kisses (album)
Love and Kisses is the international debut studio album by Australian [pop singer Dannii Minogue. It was released by MCA Records on 3 June 1991, in the United Kingdom...
(1991). It was released as Minogue's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in September 1990 in Australia. It was remixed and released on 6 May 1991 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. It entered the top forty in Australia, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and the UK.
Background and reception
Six months after signing a recording contractRecording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
in Australia, Minogue traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to begin recording songs for her debut album. While in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she worked with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Alvin Moody and Vincent Bell. The recording studio, located in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, had been the site of several shooting. This made it difficult for Minogue to get to it because taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
drivers would not drive her there. Minogue found the recording experience in New York City both "awesome" and "terrifying". "Success" was the first song Minogue co-wrote and its lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
.
In a review for Allmusic, John Lucas called the song "rather dated" and wrote "its aspirational lyrics became something of an albatross
Albatross (metaphor)
The word 'albatross' is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden that feels like a curse. It is an allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner ....
for Minogue given her struggle to achieve the career momentum of her sister
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
".
Dannii performed this song when she was invited to perform on The Royal Variety Show in front of the Queen.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Success" was directed by Paul Goldman and Craig Griffin and filmed in Australia. The video features Minogue dancing and having her makeup
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
done. It begins with Minogue dancing in a studio with four male dancers. She is then shown dancing by herself in front of a red background. Scenes of Minogue having her makeup applied, a young boy dressed as a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and her dancers practicing are intercut throughout.
Minogue wanted the video to incorporate visual ideas from the Australian nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
scene. While conducting research for the video, she saw "these brilliant kids dancing" and asked them to be apart of the video. The video was released commercially on The Videos in 1996 and The Hits & Beyond
The Hits & Beyond
The Hits & Beyond is a compilation album by Australian pop–dance singer Dannii Minogue, released by All Around the World Records on 19 June 2006. It was a compilation of greatest hits and new tracks...
special edition companion DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2006.
Chart performance
"Success" was officially released in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in September 1990. The song debuted on the singles chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number thirty-six on 23 September 1990. It reached number twenty-eight four weeks later and remained on the singles chart for seven weeks.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, "Success" was released on 6 May 1991. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number twenty-one. Two weeks later, the song reached its peak position at number eleven. In Ireland, the track reached number fifteen.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Success".Australian CD single
(D10187; Released in September 1990)
- "Success"
- "Success" (Instrumental)
- "Success" (Filthy Lucre mix)
- "Success" (Rich'n'Real mix)
- "Success" (Expensive mix)
UK CD single
(MCSTD1538; Released on 6 May 1991)
- "Success"
- "Success" (12" version)
- "Success" (Funky Tony dub)
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
28 |
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
15 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
11 |
Personnel
The following people contributed to "Success":- Dannii Minogue – lead vocals
- Alvin Moody, Vincent Bell – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Bruce Forest – remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
, additional production - Paul Cox – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
External links
- DanniiMusic.com — official website.