| Say Something | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Kylie Minogue | ||
| From the album Disco | ||
| A-side | "Magic" · "I Love It" | |
| B-side | "Say Something" (acoustic) | |
| Released | 23 July 2020 | |
| Recorded | 2020 | |
| Genre | Disco · dance-pop | |
| Length | 3:32 | |
| Label | BMG | |
| Writer(s) | Kylie Minogue · Richard Stannard · Ash Howes · Jon Green | |
| Producer(s) | Richard Stannard · Jon Green · Duck Blackwell | |
| Kylie Minogue singles chronology | ||
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| Disco track listing | ||
| "Supernova" (5) |
"Say Something" (6) |
"Last Chance" (7) |
| Music Video | ||
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"Say Something" is a song by Kylie Minogue from her fifteenth studio album, Disco (2020). It was released as the album's lead single by BMG on 23 July 2020. Kylie wrote the song with Ash Howes and its producers Jonathan Green and Richard Stannard. "Say Something" is a disco, dance, electropop, pop and nu-disco song which features synths, drum crashes, a funk guitar and a choir.
"Say Something" received acclaim from music critics, with many commending its disco production and upbeat chorus. Commercially, the song reached number 82 on the UK Singles Chart and entered the top 40 in Hungary and Scotland. The accompanying music video for "Say Something" was directed by Sophie Muller and was filmed in London, England. It shows Kylie travelling through space whilst mounted upon a golden horse sculpture.
Background and composition[]
"Say Something" is a disco, dance, electropop, pop and nu-disco song which features an electronica intro, as well as uses of "thick" synths, drum crashes, a funk guitar and a choir. Kylie sings lines such as "Love is love / It never ends / Can we all be as one again?" and uses whisper vocals on the chorus. "Say Something" was written by Kylie in 2019 with Jonathan Green and long-time collaborators Ash Howes and Richard Stannard. She stated that the song "is about all of our eternal quest for love" and searching for "something or someone out there that you can relate to." Rolling Stone's Claire Shaffer commented that the lyrics "feel pertinent for our quarantine days". Similarly, Katie Bain from Billboard wrote that the track sees Kylie "hitting the topical nail on the head"
Production of "Say Something" was handled by Green and Stannard, with additional producing done by Duck Blackwell. Kylie recorded the vocals for the song herself using Logic Pro. The song was written in 2019, and speaks about the desire to hear a loved one, to express oneself and the endless quest for someone one understands and relates to.
The song runs for three minutes and thirty two seconds, is written in the key of C minor and is set at a tempo of 107 beats per minute.
In the liner notes of Apple Music, Kylie said:
| “ | You need a rest after ‘Supernova,’ and ‘Say Something’ is a chance to calm down and reflect a little. It’s one of those songs that just dropped from the sky. I recorded it in my first session, before I even had a timeline or an album planned. I was working with [writer and producer] Biff Stannard and [British songwriter] Ash Howes, who I’ve worked with a lot, and [producer] Jon Green, who I worked with on Golden. I knew that the three of us would do something different, but I didn't know it would be this. It started as a beat, and we were all just singing into a microphone to capture everything. The ‘love is love’ part is almost like a different song, but somehow it lives with the rest of it. The song literally spilled out of us that day. | ” |
Release and promotion[]
On 21 July, media outlets reported that Kylie was preparing to release her fifteenth album Disco in the second half of 2020; alongside unveiling the album's cover, outlets also reported that a new single titled "Say Something" was due for imminent release. Kylie announced the album release and the single release on 21 and 22 July 2020, respectively. The song premiered on 23 July at 08:30 BST on BBC Radio 2, during the The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. The official audio was uploaded to YouTube on the same day, and a lyric video was uploaded on 24 July.
"Say Something" was also used as Channel 4 F1's outro for 2020 Spanish Grand Prix.
Critical reception[]
"Say Something" was met with critical acclaim. Joey Nolfi of Entertainment Weekly called it a "mirrorball anthem", and said that the song is "more than an ode to the lust for human connection in dark times, it's a poetic, surprisingly deep step forward" for Kylie. The Guardian's Kate Solomon described "Say Something" as a "quasi-disco bop with a slightly saccharine post-quarantine sentiment" that Kylie "carries perfectly". Similarly, writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor described the song as a "disco banger" with "grinding guitar licks and funky beats". In his review for Variety, Jem Aswad viewed that "Say Something" is one of the "best disco songs in recent memory". He wrote that it has an "irresistible chorus" and a "driving rhythm", as well as "perhaps unintentionally relevant lyrics". Mike Wass of Idolator compared the song to those of Scissor Sisters and St. Vincent, and commended its "majestic, serotonin-raising chorus".
Commercial performance[]
"Say Something" debuted at number 82 on the UK Singles Chart, marking her fifty-ninth entry on the chart. Furthermore, it peaked on the UK Singles Downloads and Sales charts at number nine and 11, respectively. In the United States, debuted at number three on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data the track generated 429,000 US streams and 3,000 downloads in its first week. It has sold 13,265 copies in the UK, as of August 2020.
Music video[]
Production and concept[]
Kylie mounted on top of a golden horse sculpture, wearing a Halston-inspired dress worn by Marisa Berensons
The music video for "Say Something" was directed by Sophie Muller. It was filmed at the Black Island Studios in London, England whilst adhering to social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the video features only Kylie and a dancer, Kaner Flex. The fishnet catsuit and black and white dress featured in the video were designed by Ed Marler; the crystal mesh bodysuit was by Gucci, and latter costume was inspired by an image of Marisa Berenson that Kylie and Muller found during research into Studio 54.
Portraying Kylie as a Space Age Hollywood actress, the "inter-galactic" video was inspired by 1970s psychedelia and The Great Gatsby (1925).= It depicts the singer travelling through the universe whilst mounted upon a golden horse sculpture, shooting lasers from her hands and flying on a hovercraft.=
Release[]
Kylie announced the release of the music video on 4 August 2020, sharing an image on social media of her on the horse, writing in the caption, "Time to get GALACTIC!" It premiered on YouTube on 7 August 2020 at 10:00 BST.
Live performances and other usage[]
Kylie first performed "Say Something" on 16 September 2020 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She also performed the acoustic version as part of the 'I Love Beirut' concert, organised by MIKA. on October 30, Kylie released a three-track live EP, entitled At Home with Kylie Minogue, which featured a stripped back performance of the song. On 6 November, Kylie performed "Say Something" as one of the four songs she sang on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. Kylie performed "Say Something" for her Infinite Disco live stream, which featured The House Gospel Choir. This performance was used for promotional performance on The Sound on November 1. This performance footage was also used for Kylie's appearance on NBC's New Year's Eve.
Track listing[]
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Digital download 1. "Say Something" - 3:32 Digital download – acoustic version 1. "Say Something" (acoustic) - 3:15 Digital download – Syn Cole remix 1. "Say Something" (Syn Cole Remix) - 3:00 |
7" vinyl 1. "Say Something" - 3:32 Other remixes 1. "Say Something" (Basement Jaxx Remix) - 5:30 |
Personnel[]
· Kylie Minogue — lead vocals, writer, backing vocals
· Louis Lion — programming
· Jon Green — writer, backing vocals, producer, guitar, keyboards
· Duck Blackwell — additional producer, keyboards, mixing engineer
· Dick Beetham — recording engineer
· Richard "Biff" Stannard — writer, backing vocals, producer, keyboards
· Ash Howes — writer, programming
· Adetoun Anibi — backing vocals
Charts[]
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Airplay (Radiomonitor) | 15 |
| Australia Digital Song Sales (Billboard) | 5 |
| Belgium (Flanders) | 14 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | 35 |
| Croatia (HRT) | 67 |
| Euro Digital Song Sales (Billboard) | 17 |
| Hungary (Singles Top 40) | 15 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) | 40 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 3 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 56 |
| UK Singles Sales Chart (OCC) | 4 |
| UK Indie (OCC) | 8 |
| US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) | 35 |
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard) | 18 |
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 23 July 2020 | Digital download · streaming | Single | Darenote · BMG |
| United Kingdom | 8 August 2020 | Adult contemporary | ||
| Various | 14 August 2020 | Digital download · streaming | Acoustic | |
| 11 September 2020 | Syn Cole Remix | |||
| 6 November 2020 | 7" vinyl | Original & Acoustic |
Lyrics[]
We're a million miles apart in a thousand ways
Baby, you can light up the dark like a solar scape
And I can almost feel you coming and your heartbeat race
Someone, somebody, something, in the choice we make
I, I think about you
Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah
(I can't help thinkin' 'bout ya)
(I'm always thinkin' 'bout ya)
Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah
S-s-s-say something, say something
Tell me how you're feeling
Oh, we all got wanderlust in the darkest place
So we're going with our hearts, yeah, it's all the rage
Oh, we're just, just trying to find ourselves in the storms we chase
Eh, eh, eh
Baby, in an endless summer, we can find our way
I, I think about you
Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah
(I can't help thinkin' 'bout ya)
(I'm always thinkin' 'bout ya)
Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah
S-s-s-say something, say something
Tell me how you're feeling
'Cause love is love, it never ends
Can we all be as one again?
'Cause love is love, it never ends
Can we all be as one again?
'Cause love is love, it never ends
Can we all be as one again?
'Cause love is love, it never ends (Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah)
Can we all be as one again?
'Cause love is love, it never ends (Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah)
Can we all be as one again? (Say, say, say something)
'Cause love is love, it never ends (Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah)
Can we all be as one again? (Say something)
'Cause love is love, it never ends (Woah, woah, woah, woah, yeah)
Can we all be as one again? (Say, say, say something)
'Cause love is love, it never ends
Can we all be as one again?
'Cause love is love, it never ends
Can we all be as one again?
 
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