"Celebration" is in the key of A♭ in common time and was written as a collaboration by the whole band.[2] The song moves at a tempo of 123 beats per minute.[3] The group's vocals span from A♭3 to E♭5.[2]
Commercial performance
"Celebration" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981, and held that position for two weeks before being ousted by Dolly Parton's "9 to 5".[4] It remains the band's only No. 1 hit.
By late 1980, the song had also reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts. The song was featured heavily on the radio throughout the year and is still heard today at weddings and parties,[4] and is a popular anthem for sporting events. It was also an international hit, reaching No. 7 in the United Kingdom on November 29, 1980, spending 13 weeks in the chart.
"Celebration" was covered in 1987 and released as a single by the New Zealand band Dragon. It was released as the lead single from the band's ninth studio album, Bondi Road (1989). The song peaked at number 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report.
"Celebration" was covered as a 1992 single by Australian singer-songwriter, Kylie Minogue. It was recorded by Minogue in 1991 for her 4th studio album, Let's Get to It, but it was not included on the album's release. However, it later appeared on the 1992 Greatest Hits album and was released as the second single. It peaked at no. 20 in the UK Singles Chart and at no. 21 in Australia. One of Minogue's least commercially popular singles, it has been cited many times as one of her favorite songs, and unlike "Finer Feelings" and "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)", "Celebration" was included on her greatest hits compilation albums Ultimate Kylie and The Best of Kylie Minogue. The techno-rave mix of the track is featured on the Kylie's Non-Stop History 50+1 album. It was also Minogue's last single with PWL and Stock Aitken Waterman. The music video was filmed in Rio de Janeiro.
Live performances
Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours:
