Got to Be Certain

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"Got to Be Certain"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Kylie
Released2 May 1988
StudioMelbourne, Australia
Genre
Length3:19
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"I Should Be So Lucky"
(1987) 		"Got to Be Certain"
(1988) 		"Je ne sais pas pourquoi"
(1988)
Music video
"Got to Be Certain" on YouTube

"Got to Be Certain" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album, Kylie (1988). Written and produced by English songwriting and record production trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), the song was released as the second single from Kylie in most territories outside Australia, and was released on 2 May 1988 in Australia and the United Kingdom. In Australia, "Got to Be Certain" was Minogue's third single release.[3] "Got to Be Certain" was a commercial success, peaking at number one in Minogue's native Australia and number two on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and composition[edit]

Minogue performing the track on her Anti Tour (2012)

With the success of her first two singles, "Locomotion" in 1987 and "I Should Be So Lucky" in early 1988, Minogue began work on her debut studio album Kylie. Initially declining to work with Stock, Aitken and Waterman again after feeling snubbed and disrespected when the producers kept her waiting to record "I Should Be So Lucky", Minogue was convinced to give the trio a second chance after Mike Stock flew to her native Melbourne, Australia in February 1988 and personally apologised to her and her family.[4]

The track, along with two other album tracks, and future international singles "Turn It into Love" and "It's No Secret", was recorded in evening sessions while Minogue was working long hours on her TV show, Neighbours, with an exhausted Minogue at times breaking down in tears as the pressure of her situation mounted.[4][5]

"Got to Be Certain" was not written especially for Kylie; it was first recorded by singer and PWL stablemate Mandy Smith for her debut album Mandy which was also produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.[6] However, her version was shelved and the song released by Kylie instead after Pete Waterman decided to abandon Smith's version amid general unhappiness at PWL over how the track was progressing.[4] Smith's original recording of "Got to Be Certain" was denied by Mike Stock in his book The Hit Factory: The Stock Aitken Waterman Story, but it was eventually released in 2005 as a bonus track on the hits compilation Stock Aitken Waterman Gold. Smith's version was also added to the 2009 re-issue of her album.

Minogue's version peaked in the top ten in many countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song, however, was not released in the United States where "It's No Secret" was released instead.

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Got to Be Certain" was directed by Chris Langman and filmed in April 1988. The video was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. A number of different edits of the video were produced amid creative tensions between the Mushroom Records team and PWL staff, with the latter strongly objecting to one of Kylie's hairstyles in the video's original cut.[4] The director's cut version of the video starts off with Minogue at a photoshoot, posing in different poses. It then cuts to Minogue sitting in a coffee-house during the verses, then shows her on top of the T&G (now KPMG) Building on Melbourne's Collins Street during the bridge, wearing a "black boat-neck dress, white teeth gleaming, hair a perfect honey blonde and skin as gold as the coins that were piling in".[7] Each of the first two choruses features Minogue walking around Melbourne's Yarra River and then walking through a park.[7] The breakdown cuts to Minogue and her friends dancing around the coffee house, before the video ends with bloopers from the video shoot. This director's cut version is preserved on the 1988 The Kylie Collection VHS and LaserDisc and the 2002 Greatest Hits DVD.

There are two other official versions of the music video. The "Original Version" begins with bloopers from the video shoot[8] and features scenes of Minogue in an artist's studio rather than a photoshoot, wearing a skin-tight red T-shirt dress with a pin bearing the work "amour". It then eventually features Minogue on a carousel that apparently "hadn't been oiled since Kylie was born".[7] The "Location Only" version, introduced on the 1992 Greatest Hits VHS and LaserDisc, is again a different edit with only the outdoor shots.[9] Both versions were made available as extras on the 2002 Greatest Hits DVD. The video edit featured on the 2004 Ultimate Kylie DVD combines the first half and blooper ending of the director's cut with most of the second half of the "Location Only" version for unknown reasons.

Critical reception[edit]

When reviewing the new singles, Chris Twomey of Record Mirror predicted the commercial success of "Got to Be Certain", noting that "[Minogue's] song (for want of a more accurate term) proves that they're still churning'em out relentlessly down at the SAW factory".[10] Richard Lowe of Smash Hits elected "Got to Be Certain" as the "single of the fortnight", and while acknowledging that the track, as every SAW single, would be very diversely appreciated among the people, deemed that the half of them "will consider the rather-goodness of the tune" and predicted its "quite right" success on the charts.[11] In 2023, Robert Moran of Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald ranked the song as Minogue's 53rd best song (out of 183), describing it "a swinging singalong track".[12]

Chart performance[edit]

On 2 May 1988, "Got to Be Certain" was released in the United Kingdom. The song became Minogue's second top five hit when it debuted at number fifteen on the singles chart before climbing the chart in the weeks that followed, peaking at number two and remaining there for three weeks. It eventually sold 315,000 copies.[13] Outside of the UK, the song was also widely successful. It reached number one in seven countries, including Finland and Israel.[citation needed] The single sold 17,227 copies in Sweden at the time.[citation needed] In New Zealand, it peaked at number two and stayed in the charts for 14 weeks, making it her most successful single in the country at that time.[14]

In Australia, "Got to Be Certain" was released on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl on 20 June 1988,[3] cassette single on 11 July 1988,[15] and the remix 12" was released on 25 July 1988.[16] It became the second single ever to debut on the Australian singles chart at number one, remaining in the top spot for four weeks from July 4, 1988 (ARIA).[17]

Live performances[edit]

"Got to Be Certain" was also performed at many of Minogue's concert tours, including the Enjoy Yourself Tour, Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour and The Homecoming Tour. The song was performed at her Anti Tour in 2012, at her Kiss Me Once Tour in 2014 and on Minogue's one-off show The Kylie Show.

Minogue performed the song on her Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour.[18]

Formats and track listings[edit]

CD single

  1. "Got to Be Certain" (Extended Mix) – 6:36
  2. "I Should Be So Lucky" (Extended Mix) – 6:08
  3. "Got to Be Certain" (Out for a Duck, Bill, Platter Plus Dub Mix – Instrumental) – 3:17

7-inch vinyl single

  1. "Got to Be Certain" – 3:17
  2. "Got to Be Certain" (Out for a Duck, Bill, Platter Plus Dub Mix – Instrumental) – 3:17

12-inch vinyl single

  1. "Got to Be Certain" (Extended Mix) – 6:36
  2. "Got to Be Certain" (Out for a Duck, Bill, Platter Plus Dub Mix – Instrumental) – 3:17
  3. "Got to Be Certain" – 3:17

12-inch remix

  1. "Got to Be Certain" (Ashes to Ashes – The Extra Beat Boys remix) – 6:52
  2. "Got to Be Certain" (Out for a Duck, Bill, Platter Plus Dub Mix – Instrumental) – 3:17
  3. "Got to Be Certain" – 3:17

iTunes digital EP – Remixes (2009)

  1. "Got to Be Certain"
  2. "Got to Be Certain" (Extended Mix)
  3. "Got to Be Certain" (Ashes to Ashes – The Extra Beat Boys remix)
  4. "Got to Be Certain" (Out for a Duck, Bill, Platter Plus Dub Mix – Instrumental)
  5. "Got to Be Certain" (backing track)
  6. "Love at First Sight" (1988 version) (instrumental)
  7. "Love at First Sight" (1988 version) (backing track)

Charts[edit]

Certifications and sales[edit]

Certifications for "Got to Be Certain"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP)[42] Silver 250,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Silver 315,000[43]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "For her 50th birthday, we rank Kylie Minogue's 50 best songs". 18 May 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Fifty Years of Queer Icon Kylie Minogue". 28 May 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Australian Music Report No 725 – 20 June 1988 > Singles: New Releases". Australian Music Report. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 34: Mind Over Matter to Maybe (We Should Call It A Day) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Got to be Certain | Kylie Minogue". Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  6. ^ "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 51: Never Too Late to When Love Takes Over You on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Inner lines: Pg 22 – la la la – Written by William Baker and Kylie Minogue "ISBN 0-340-73440-X".
  8. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Kylie Minogue - Got to Be Certain [Original Version]". YouTube.
  9. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "kylie minogue got to be certain location only hq". YouTube.
  10. ^ Twoney, Chris (14 May 1988). "45 reviewed by Chris Twoney" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 29. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ Lowe, Richard (18–31 May 1988). "Singles reviewed by Richard Lowe" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 10, no. 10. p. 63. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 16 November 2023 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ Moran, Robert; Ross, Annabel (25 September 2023). "Every Kylie Minogue song ranked". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. ISSN 0312-6315. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Kylie Minogue's Official Number 2 Singles' Sales Revealed". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  14. ^ Steffen Hung. "Kylie Minogue – Got To Be Certain". Charts.nz. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Australian Music Report No 728 – 11 July 1988 > Singles: New Releases". I.imgur.com. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Australian Music Report No 730 – 25 July 1988 > Singles: New Releases". I.imgur.com. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain (song)". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  18. ^ Collinson, Dawn (2 April 2011). "Concert Review: Kylie Minogue at the MEN Arena". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  20. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  21. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  22. ^ Danish Singles Chart 1 July 1988
  23. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 25. 18 June 1988. pp. 18–19. OCLC 29800226.
  25. ^ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 27. 2 July 1988. p. 17. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 22 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  26. ^ "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 25. 18 June 1988. p. 32. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 11 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  29. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Got to Be Certain". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  30. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  31. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". VG-lista. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  32. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  33. ^ "Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  35. ^ "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 May 1988. p. 12. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
  36. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles 1988". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  37. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts" (PDF). Music & Media. 1 January 1988. p. 30. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  39. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1988". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  40. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1991). "Top 100 Singles: 1988". BPI YearBook 1989/90. London, England: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-9061-5410-6.
  41. ^ "This Week In... 1988". ARIA. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  42. ^ "French single certifications – Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 10 January 2015. Select KYLIE MINOGUE and click OK. 
  43. ^ Myers, Justin (22 March 2014). "Kylie Minogue's Official Number 2 Singles' Sales Revealed". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  44. ^ "British single certifications – Kylie Minogue – Got to Be Certain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
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