Jump to content

Timebomb (Kylie Minogue song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Percy Meza (talk | contribs) at 04:56, 19 June 2012 (→‎Background). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Timebomb"
Song

"Timebomb" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. The song is written by Karen Poole, Matt Schwartz and Paul Harris, while production was handled by Schwartz and Harris, released as part of Minogue's K25 celebrations, commemorating 25 years in the music industry. The song was released on 25 May 2012 by Parlophone, three days before Minogue's 44th birthday. It was expected for this song to be released on Minogue's The Best of Kylie Minogue (2012), however it was not featured. Musically, "Timebomb" is a mid-tempo dance-oriented song, which features futuristic house music, with guitar riffs and "whooooops". While lyrically, the song talks about why its necessary to get all your dancing done before a supposed "timebomb".

"Timebomb" has received positive reviews from most music critics, which labelled the song as "amazing" and noting it as one of Kylie's best. The song has achieved moderate chart success in Europe and Australasia, charting within the Top 40 in Australia, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and the United Kingdom. It sold 10,044 copies in its first two days in the United Kingdom. It became Minogue's first number one on the ARIA Dance Charts. The accompanying music video of the single was shot in London, England. The video showed Minogue dancing in a white room, and walking/driving through the streets of London. The music video also received positive reviews from critics. Minogue performed the song on The Voice UK series 1 semi-final.

Background and writing

At the end of 2011, Minogue stated that she would be celebrating "K25", the anniversary of Minogue having spent twenty-five years in the music business. Minogue was also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. In March 2012, she announced she would be beginning her K25 Anti Tour, a series of concerts showcasing Minogue's B-sides, demos and rarities. In early 2012, it was announced that Minogue would be releasing a compilation album which she would record acoustically for the anniversary. Following this, Minogue announced the release of her compilation album The Best of Kylie Minogue.[1] In May 2012, the Herald Sun announced Minogue would be releasing a single called "Timebomb". Her website ran a countdown until the song's premiere, with fans required to tweet to unlock the song. During the countdown to the single, Parlophone had announced it was in the top ten trending topics worldwide on Twitter.[2]

During production of her eighth studio album Fever, a song also called Timebomb written by American recording artist Michael Jackson was to be recorded along with another Jackson composition "I'll Try Anything Once". Neither songs ever released and it has been confirmed that the 2012 "Timebomb" is not the song written by Jackson.[3] Minogue released the single's cover artwork via Twitter on 25 May 2012.[4]

Release and artwork

"Timebomb" was released on 25 May 2012, three days before Minogue's birthday. Digital Spy also displayed a 90-second preview of the single on their website.[5]The song was written by Karen Poole, Matt Schwartz and Paul Harris and produced by Schwartz and Harris. The song was released by Parlophone worldwide, and in Australia and New Zealand by Warner Music Group. The song was sent to radio stations in New Zealand on 29 May, 2012.[6] The song was released in the United States and Canada by Minogue's American record label Astralwerks on May 30, 2012.[7]

Composition

Musically, "Timebomb" is a midtempo dance-oriented song, which also incorporates elements of synthpop, house and nu-disco music, written by Poole, Schawrtz and Harris, while production was handled by Schawrtz and Harris. The song also has some similarities to her 2007 song "Cherry Bomb".[8] According to PopDust.com, the some talks about "how it’s really, really necessary to get all your dancing done before impending disaster/apocalypse/time-bomb explosions."[9]

Idolator Staff from Idolator had compared the song to Britney Spears' song "Till the World Ends" and Jay Sean's song "2012 (It Ain't the End)", saying; "In any case, it's a nice return to the seductive minimalism that made 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' such disco-ball dynamite. [...] It's a particularly fun addition to the dance-through-the-apocalypse canon previously established by Britney Spears ('Till the World Ends') and Jay Sean ('2012')."[10] PopDust.com had said it is "actually energetic and quite great." Huffington Post enjoyed the song for being a "hot dance track". The Herald Sun said the song was "an upbeat pop track with a dark and dirty electro feel." AOL Radio had described it as a "club-bumping beat". Melina Newman compared the beat to the early years of Madonna saying "The dance tune has an early Madonna flair to it with a catchy, fuzzy synth beat line holding much of it together."[11]

Critical reception

"Timebomb" received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Popjustice described "Timebomb" as "amazing."[12] Critics at directlyrics.com were appreciative of the song, commenting that '"Timebomb" is a funky electro-pop number in which Kylie gets her soft vocals going for the verses, while everything turns into pop paradise in the chorus. "Timebomb" is so fresh, so seductive, so Kylie and the amazingness of the chorus catches you completely off-guard.' Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave it a positive review, awarding it four stars out of five. He praised the single for getting back to basics saying "In that time she has rarely strayed from the very centre of the dancefloor, so it's hardly surprisingly that 'Timebomb' feels like a gentle jog in the park for her". He also compared the song to her previous singles "Come into My World" and "Love at First Sight" and labelled it as a "instant disco-pop perfection".[13]

Perez Hilton gave it a very positive review, calling it a "fast-paced, electrified, club track dropped into our laps!".[14]Ann Oldenburg from USA Today described the song as a "dance-ready single".[15] NewsDay described it as a "pure fizzy dance pop about seizing the day, complete [...] and a chorus you can't get outta your head.", referring to her single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head".[16] PopDust.com gave it a positive review, giving it three-and-a-half out of five, saying "t’s actually energetic and quite great". Bradley Stern from MuuMuse gave it an acclaimed review, awarding it four-and-a-half our of five stars, labelling Kylie "Bad bitch Kylie", throughout the years which Kylie was known as "Indie/Sex/Cute/Dance Kylie" from her song "Did It Again" (1998). He continued saying "“Timebomb” is a ferocious pop smash. It’s very signature Kylie too [...]".[17] Cameron Matthews from AOL Radio said the song "is sure to be an instant hit!".[18]

However[...] Amy Sciarretto from PopCrush gave it a mixed review, praising the compositon saying "‘Timebomb,’ and it’s her latest, breathy, mid-tempo hit." However, she did have an opinion on Minogue's lasting career saying "The ‘Timebomb’ may be ticking, but the remaining minutes of Minogue’s career are not."[19] However, she had labelled the song officially that it is the "Best Dance Song of 2012". Cameron Adams from Herald Sun had stated "While it is not instant as most Kylie singles, repeated listens implant the 'woooh’ hook firmly."

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Timebomb" debuted at number 31 on The Official Chart Company after two days of sale, selling 10,044 copies.[20] In its third week, the song dropped to number fifty-six, only selling 6,770 copies off the single that week.[21] On the UK Airplay Charts, the song debuted at number eighty-two, until peaking at number thirty-eight.[22] With the combined sales reported by Musicweek.com, the song has sold 16,814 singles. As a result, "Timebomb" is known as one of Minogue's lowest and quickest singles to date, though it didn't have the same fate as her previous singles "The One" and "Better Than Today", where they peaked at numbers 36 and 32 respectively.[23] In the European markets, the song then debuted at number forty-four on the Dutch Top 40, and twenty-six on the Irish Singles Chart. The song fell to number eighty-nine in The Netherlands, noting one of the biggest drops of that week.[24] In Finland, "Timebomb" debuted at number 11, but fell out the charts the next week.[25] The song then debuted at number sixty-one in Austria, and then rose to fifty-eight the next week of 15 June, 2012. Then the song debuted at number forty-three and forty-nine on the Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders and Wallonia respectively). The song had its debut at number twenty in Spain, but fell to twenty-four the next week.

In the Oceania region, the song debuted at number twelve on the Australian Singles Chart, making it the third highest debuting single in that country.[26] It fell out of the Top 40 the following week. Although her previous single "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" was released promotionally in Australia, the song has resulted as Minogue's quickest/lowest performance since "In My Arms" (2007). However, "Timebomb" became Minogue's first number one on the ARIA Dance Charts chart. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number thirty-three, making it the second highest debut of the week.[27] This is Minogue's first charting solo single in New Zealand since "2 Hearts". [28] However, the song fell out the top forty the next week. This has also resulted as Minogue's lowest performance since "Some Kind Of Bliss" (1998). The song was initially released in the United States on May 25, 2012, however the song failed to chart in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 or any other component charts.

Music video

Background

File:Timebomb - Kylie Minogue screenshot.jpg
Minogue in a music video scene, where it is recorded from a smartphone with a sepia tone inspired by Instagram.

In early 2012, pictures surfaced of Minogue in London, England for the filming of her music video.[29] The pictures featured Minogue with denim hot pants, a heart-shaped jacket and heels on a rainy day in London. It was then announced on her website that when the countdown on her website was unlocked, it would reveal the music video of the single. The video was directed and edited by Christian Larson, and produced by Black Dog Films. The Chimney Pot Stockholm and Uncle Berlin were in charge of visual effects.[30] Visually, the story is presented from various perspectives, such as security cameras, stares of passers-by, smartphones, etc. The video also makes prominent use of black and white, and sepia tone, with the beginning filmed almost entirely in grayscale, although colour eventually gains preeminence. For the twitter contest, fans had to unlock the video. In totaly, 25,000 fans had unlocked the video in less than 43 minutes, setting a new twitter record for having the fastest hashtag time by anyone.[31] Minogue then tweeted "You did it!!! I wanna wanna whoop." Currently, the music video is not released worldwide, due to the copyright grounds of Vevo.

After the video was released, on 1 June, 2012, Minogue posted a Facebook application off the music video, where you are able to feature you and six other people to feature in a still of Minogue and her glasses, where you are inset in.[32][33]

Sypnosis

The video begins with Minogue filming her music video, on May 15, 2012.[30] After the shoot, she leaves the studio, wearing the leather jacket with a red heart featured on the single's artwork, and starts singing the song. She then strides confidently through various London back-alleys, bumping into a man carrying a boombox, and taking a phone off a café table —showcasing a camera angle inspired by Instagram—, and arrives at a nightclub. She stays there, dancing to the song's chorus, before leaving, and continuing her walk down Old Compton Street, Soho. The street scenes are interspersed with distorted shots of Minogue dancing in a brightly lit, white room. She then climbs into a car, ordering the driver to "drive". The pair travel through London, along busy streets, where Minogue greets one of her fans in a nearby car.

Night falls, and she exits the car in Chinatown, London, pursued by an unknown man. She runs through an alley, and kisses a man, dragging him into a nearby building. She removes her jacket, revealing a provocative dress, and dances seductively next to a motorcycle. They then both leave the building, with the man driving the motorcycle, and stop in a crowded street. Minogue dances on the back of the motorcycle, and in the middle of the street, while the man circles her, performing a wheelie. The video ends with the crowd looking on, as the pair perform a burnout, and leave the alley.

Reception

Critics gave the video very positive reviews. WhatCulture.com gave it a positive review for the song itself, but noted the lack of promotion on the single, stating; "Maybe Kylie’s management are more bothered about the K25 Antitour and upcoming Greatest Hits collection, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but it’s a shame a song and video as great as Timebomb will probably be long forgotten in the pop aftermath a few months later."

Critic's had also praised the re-invention of Minogue bringing back her signature hot pants, which was originally presented and noticed in her single "Spinning Around" (2000), and some even discussed about the "raunchy" dress in the video. Metro.co.uk had titled their article "Kylie Minogue brings back the hotpants in new Timebomb video".[34] Huffington Post had said "The pop princess, [...] looks flawless in the new clip, strutting along busy thoroughfares in London's SoHo neighborhood in a pair of hot pants, before ducking into an alley and stripping down to a barely-there webbed dress."[35] Jenna Rubenstein from MTV said positively "There may not be much of a plot, but there's a ton of almost-naked Kylie, which is really all we were hoping for anyway."[36] Keith Caulfield from Billboard described the video as "sexy".[37]


Live performances

Kylie Minogue performed "Timebomb" for the first time at the semi-final's of The Voice in the United Kingdom.[38]. She wore a jacket similar to the one featured in the music video, and the same hotpants as worn in the music video. She danced in front of graffiti walls, and in front of a giant heart on a video screen. The coaches gave her a standing ovation after the performance.

Track listing

Digital download[39]
  1. "Timebomb" – 2:57
  2. "Timebomb" (music video) – 3:36

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[40] 12
Australia (ARIA Dance Chart)[41] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[42] 58
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] 73
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[44] 43
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[45] 49
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[46] 11
France (SNEP)[47] 46
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS 56
Ireland (IRMA)[49] 26
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[50] 32
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] 33
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[52] 44
Scotland (OCC)[53] 33
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[54] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[55] 31

Release history

Country Date Format
Worldwide May 25, 2012 Digital download[56]

References

  1. ^ Caulfield, Keith (May 4, 2012). "New Kylie Minogue Greatest Hits Album Due in June". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  2. ^ https://twitter.com/parlophone/status/205903172168974336
  3. ^ Cadman, Chris (2003). Michael Jackson the Solo Years. Authors Online. p. 193. ISBN 0-7552-0091-8.
  4. ^ "Twitter / kylieminogue: Your time starts...NOW!!!". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  5. ^ Published Friday, May 25 2012, 2:43am EDT. "Kylie Minogue new single 'Timebomb' premieres - video - Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2012-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Posted on Tuesday 29 May 1:39 p.m.Viewed 290 times. Kylie Minogue - Timebomb Retrieved on May 29, 2012.
  7. ^ Amazon, May 30 2012. "Amazon.com: Timebomb: Kylie Minogue: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-05-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Published Thursday, May 24 2012, 7:39pm EDT. "Kylie Minogue's new single 'Time Bomb' - listen to preview - Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2012-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ PopDust.com Kylie Minogue -Timebomb Music Review
  10. ^ "Kylie Minogue Plants Her "Timebomb" | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  11. ^ Published May 25 2012, 2:11pm EDT. "Watch: Kylie Minogue struts through London in new video for 'Timebomb'". HitFix. Retrieved 2012-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ KYLIE MINOGUE – ‘TIMEBOMB’ Retrieved on May 25 May, 2012. www.PopJustice.com
  13. ^ Retrieved on Friday May 25, 2012. Kylie Minogue: 'Timebomb' - Single review Published Friday, May 25 2012, 16:31 BST | By Robert Copsey
  14. ^ Perez Hilton review
  15. ^ May 25, 2012 | By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY Kylie Minogue feels like 'cat with several lives'
  16. ^ http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/hot-song-kylie-minogue-s-timebomb-1.3755775
  17. ^ by Bradley Stern; Filed under Kylie Minogue KYLIE MINOGUE UNLEASHES “TIMEBOMB” UPON THE WORLD Retrieved on May 25, 2012.
  18. ^ "Kylie Minogue 'Timebomb' Video: Diva Wears Barely-There Dress for Racy Visuals -- WATCH". AOL Radio. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ http://popcrush.com/dance-songs-2012-kylie-minogue-timebomb/
  20. ^ "Official Charts analysis: UK album sales continue to drop". Music Week. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Official Charts analysis: Official Charts Analysis: Gary Barlow tops Album and Singles lists". Music Week. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1049863
  23. ^ Kylie Minogue's UK Charting Discography
  24. ^ DutchTop40 Charts. 09/06/2012
  25. ^ [1]
  26. ^ 10/06/2012 | Singles Top 50 Australian-charts.com Retrieved on 10 June, 2012.
  27. ^ NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart Week #1940. Retrieved on 04 June, 2012.
  28. ^ http://charts.org.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Kylie+Minogue
  29. ^ "Kylie Minogue Shoots a Music Video - Pictures". Zimbio. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  30. ^ a b "Kylie Minogue - Timebomb". YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  31. ^ http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1049706
  32. ^ Kylie Minogue Timebomb Facebook App www.youtube.com.
  33. ^ Kylie Timebomb Facebook app. Retrieved on June 1, 2012.
  34. ^ Metro.co.uk Kylie Minogue brings back the hotpants in new Timebomb video www.metro.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2012
  35. ^ Huffington Post also is linked to the composition. Kylie Minogue's 'Timebomb' Video Debuts Ahead Of 'K25' Anniversary Celebration
  36. ^ "MTV Buzzworthy Blog: New Video: Kylie Minogue, 'Timebomb'". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  37. ^ "Kylie Minogue's 'Timebomb' Explodes: New Single & Video Released". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  38. ^ http://www.noise11.com/news/kylie-minogue-performs-timebomb-on-the-voice-20120528
  39. ^ "iTunes - Music - Timebomb - Single by Kylie Minogue". Itunes.apple.com. 1968-05-28. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  40. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 04 June 2012.
  41. ^ "Australian Dance Chart". ARIA Charts. Pandora. Retrieved 04 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  42. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  43. ^ "Kylie Minogue Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  44. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  45. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  46. ^ "Kylie Minogue: Timebomb" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  47. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb" (in French). Les classement single.
  48. ^ http://www.charts.de/song.asp?artist=Kylie+Minogue&title=Timebomb&country=de
  49. ^ "Chart Track: Week 22, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  50. ^ "Kylie Minogue Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
  51. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb". Top 40 Singles.
  52. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kylie Minogue" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  53. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  54. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Timebomb" Canciones Top 50.
  55. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  56. ^ "iTunes". Apple Inc. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timebomb_(Kylie_Minogue_song)&oldid=498290011"