| Timebomb | ||
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| Single by Kylie Minogue | ||
| Released | 25 May 2012 | |
| Recorded | 2012; Destined Studios (London, England) | |
| Genre | Synthpop · nu-disco | |
| Length | 2:57 | |
| Label | Parlophone | |
| Writer(s) | Karen Poole · Paul Harris · Matt Schwartz | |
| Producer(s) | Paul Harris · Matt Schwartz | |
| Kylie Minogue singles chronology | ||
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| Music Video | ||
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"Timebomb" is a song by Kylie Minogue. It was released as a non-album single on 25 May 2012 by Parlophone, three days before the singer's birthday, as part of the K25 celebrations, which was commemorating Kylie's 25th year in the music industry. The song was written by Karen Poole, Matt Schwartz and Paul Harris, while production was handled by Schwartz and Harris. The song was expected to be released on Kylie's third greatest hits album The Best of Kylie Minogue (2012); however, it was instead included on her box set K25 Time Capsule (2012).
The song was recorded and mixed at Destined Studio's in London, England by Schwartz. In early announcements, fans alike had thought it was the song which was written by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, however this was proven not to be. An uptempo dance song which features strong elements of disco and electro, the song features instrumentation of guitars, synthesizer and keyboards. Lyrically, the song talks about Kylie telling people to dance before a "timebomb" goes off, hence the title of the song.
"Timebomb" received critical acclaim from most music critics, who praised Kylie for getting back to her signature dance music. Critics also praised composition and hook and noting it as one of Kylie's best, and was even listed by PopCrush the "Best Dance Song of 2012". The song has achieved moderate chart success in Europe and Australasia, charting within the Top forty 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 Kylie's first number one on the ARIA Dance Chart. Despite modest success in those regions, the song was eventually released in North America, and received quite better peaking success, reaching the number-one spot on the US Hot Dance Club Songs, as well as appearing on the Canadian chart.
Background and release[]
At the end of 2011, Kylie stated that she would be celebrating "K25", the anniversary of Kylie having spent twenty-five years in the music business. Kylie 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 Kylie's B-sides, demos and rarities. In early 2012, it was announced that Kylie would be releasing a compilation album which she would record acoustically for the anniversary. Following this, Kylie announced the release of her compilation album The Best of Kylie Minogue
In May 2012, the Herald Sun announced Kylie 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 announced it was in the top ten trending topics worldwide on Twitter Originally, while Kylie was interviewed by Perez Hilton, she intended to release "Timebomb" on her upcoming twelfth studio album, but scrapped the idea.
"Timebomb" was released on 25 May 2012, three days before Kylie's birthday. Digital Spy also displayed a 90-second preview of the single on their website The song was written by Karen Poole, Matt Schwartz and Paul Harris and produced by Schwartz and Harris. The song was sent to radio stations in New Zealand on 29 May 2012 The song was released in the United States and Canada on 30 May 2012 by Kylie's American record label Astralwerks.
On 26 June 2012, it was announced by EMI that due to the heavy promotion of "Timebomb", the song would be released on CD. There are only a total of 5,000 copies released worldwide which are only available via her website. The song was sent to radio stations in the United States on the same date. The single was then featured on her K25 Time Capsule box set. This is the only Kylie-related album or compilation to feature the single.
Composition[]
Musically, "Timebomb" is a midtempo dance-oriented song, which also incorporates synthpop, house and nu-disco music. According to the sheet music at MusicNotes.com, which was published by Hal Leonard Corporation, the song is set in common time in a moderate speed and has a tempo of 128 beats per minute and is set in the key of G major According to Popdust, the some talks about "how it's really, really necessary to get all your dancing done before impending disaster/apocalypse/time-bomb explosions." Popdust continued saying that "Kylie’s vocals are chopped and quantized and slicked with syrup and backing vocals, and the synths either burble or strobe depending on whether it’s a verse or a chorus [...] the bridge, with “wait. wait. please don’t make me wait” set to radar pings and snippets of Kylie’s voice so short they sound like hiccups [...]"
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 were ever released and it has been confirmed that the 2012 "Timebomb" is not the song written by Jackson. Kylie released the single's cover artwork via Twitter on 25 May 2012.
Live Performances[]
Kylie performed "Timebomb" for the first time at the semi-finals of The Voice in the United Kingdom. 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 song made a debut on tour when it was used as the third song in Kylie's 2014 Kiss Me Once Tour, following performances of "Les Sex" and "In My Arms". It was also performed in various performances in 2016, where it followed performances of "Better the Devil You Know", "What Do I Have to Do" and "In Your Eyes". An acapella excerpt was performed during the Zurich show on the Golden Tour.
Formats and track listings[]
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Timebomb".
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Digital download
CD single
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Digital remix EP
Other versions
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Lyrics[]
Fast, time is ticking now so fast
The sand is running quick right through our hands
Beat, feel the rhythm in my heartbeat
Why don't you move your body to my body
Before we disappear?
Tell me now (Woo)
Do you want to, want to (Woo)
I want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance of my life
I want to (Woo)
Want to, want to, want to (Woo)
Do you want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance?
Wait, no, please don't make me wait
When walls are shaking, ground feels like it might break
It's not the end of the world
It's just the start of me and you, yeah
So let's just take the moment
Boy, let's move
Tell me now (Woo)
Do you want to, want to (Woo)
I want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance of my life
I want to (Woo)
Want to, want to, want to (Woo)
Do you want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance?
We're on a timebomb, it might not last long
So let's just do it right now, do it, come on
We're on a timebomb, before the night's gone
Let's just do it right now, do it, come on, come on
Wait, please don't make me wait
Wait, please don't make me wait
Tell me now (Woo)
Do you want to, want to (Woo)
I want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance of my life
I want to (Woo)
Want to, want to, want to (Woo)
Do you want to, want to dance
Like it was the last dance?
We're on a timebomb, it might not last long
So let's just do it right now, do it, come on
We're on a timebomb, before the night's gone
Let's just do it right now, do it, come on, come on
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