Say Something (Kylie Minogue song)

"Say Something" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her fifteenth studio album, Disco (2020). It was released as the album's lead single by Darenote and BMG on 23 July 2020. Minogue wrote the song with Ash Howes and its producers Jonathan Green and Richard Stannard. "Say Something" is a disco, dance-pop, electropop and synth-pop song which features synths, drum crashes, a funk guitar and a choir. Its lyrics find Minogue describing a quest for love and calling for unity.

"Say Something"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Disco
B-side"Say Something" (acoustic)
Released23 July 2020 (2020-07-23)
Recorded2019
StudioBiffco Studios (Brighton, England)
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"On oublie le reste"
(2019)		 "Say Something"
(2020)		 "Magic"
(2020)
Music video
"Say Something" on YouTube

"Say Something" received acclaim from music critics, with many commending its disco production and upbeat chorus. Commercially, the song reached number 56 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 Minogue travelling through space whilst mounted upon a golden horse sculpture.

Background and composition

"Say Something" is a disco,[1][2] dance-pop,[2] electropop,[3] synth-pop[4] song which features an electronica intro,[5] as well as uses of "thick" synths, drum crashes, a funk guitar and a choir.[6][7] Minogue sings lines such as "Love is love / It never ends / Can we all be as one again?"[8] and uses whisper vocals on the chorus.[7] "Say Something" was written by Minogue in September 2019 with Jonathan Green and long-time collaborators Ash Howes and Richard Stannard.[9][10] It was recorded in Brighton, England.[11] 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."[9] Rolling Stone's Claire Shaffer commented that the lyrics "feel pertinent for our quarantine days".[12] Similarly, Katie Bain from Billboard wrote that the track sees Minogue "hitting the topical nail on the head",[6] and Joshua Martin from MTV News Australia described the song as a "call for unity".[13]

Release and promotion

On 21 July, media outlets reported that Minogue 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.[14][15] Minogue announced the album release and the single release on 21 and 22 July 2020, respectively.[16][17] The song premiered on 23 July at 08:30 BST on BBC Radio 2, during the The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.[18] The official audio was uploaded to YouTube on the same day, and a lyric video was uploaded on 24 July.[19][20][21]

Say Something was also used as Channel 4 F1's outro for 2020 Spanish Grand Prix.[22][23]

Reception

Critical

"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 Minogue.[24] The Guardian's Kate Solomon described "Say Something" as a "quasi-disco bop with a slightly saccharine post-quarantine sentiment" that Minogue "carries perfectly".[25] Similarly, writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor described the song as a "disco banger" with "grinding guitar licks and funky beats".[26] 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".[27] Mike Wass of Idolator compared the song to those of Scissor Sisters and St. Vincent, and commended its "majestic, serotonin-raising chorus".[28]

Year-end lists
Say Something on year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 2020 95 [29]

Commercial

"Say Something" debuted at number 82 on the UK Singles Chart.[30] Furthermore, it peaked on the UK Singles Downloads and Sales charts at number nine and 11, respectively.[31][32] It also became her biggest airplay hit in the UK since "Get Outta My Way" (2010).[33]

In the United States, it debuted at number three on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.[34] According to Nielsen Music/MRC Data the track generated 429,000 US streams and 3,000 downloads in its first week.[35] It has sold 13,265 copies in the UK, as of August 2020.[36]

Music video

Production and concept
Minogue mounted on top of a golden horse sculpture, wearing a Halston-inspired dress worn by Marisa Berenson.[37]

The music video for "Say Something" was directed by Sophie Muller.[38] 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 Minogue 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 Minogue and Muller found during research into Studio 54.[37]

Portraying Minogue as a Space Age Hollywood actress, the "inter-galactic" video was inspired by 1970s psychedelia and The Great Gatsby (1925).[37] 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.[39][40]

Release

Minogue 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!"[41] It premiered on YouTube on 7 August 2020 at 10:00 BST.[42]

Live performances

On 17 September 2020, Minogue performed the song for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[43] The performance was filmed remotely and recorded on a 1980s-era BBC News television camera,[43] providing a "vintage VHS tape filter" aesthetic according to Billboard,[44] while Minogue wore a vintage Antony Price dress from 1983.[43] On 19 September 2020, Minogue performed an acoustic version of "Say Something" during the charity live concert I Love Beirut, organized by Lebanese singer Mika, to raise funds for victims of the 2020 Beirut explosion.[45] On 1 November, she performed the song on The Sound. On 6 November, she performed again on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show and Good Morning America.[46][47] On 7 November, she performed the song accompanied by the members of The House Gospel Choir on her live stream concert 'Infinite Disco'.[48][49]

Track listing

Digital download[50]

  1. "Say Something" – 3:32

Digital download – acoustic version[51][52]

  1. "Say Something" (acoustic) – 3:15
  2. "Say Something" – 3:32

Digital download – Syn Cole remix[53]

  1. "Say Something" (Syn Cole remix) – 3:00

7" vinyl[54]

  1. "Say Something" – 3:32
  2. "Say Something" (acoustic) – 3:15
Other Version
  • F9 Remix - 3:38

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[55]

  • Kylie Minogue – lead vocals, writer, backing vocals and vocal production
  • 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 performance for "Say Something"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia Airplay (Radiomonitor)[56] 15
Australia Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[57] 5
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[58] 14
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[59] 35
Croatia (HRT)[60] 67
Euro Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[61] 17
Hungary (Single Top 40)[62] 15
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[63] 40
Scotland (OCC)[64] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[30] 56
UK Indie (OCC)[65] 8
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[66] 35
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[67] 18

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Say Something"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various 23 July 2020
Single
[68]
Australia 24 July 2020 Contemporary hit radio Mushroom [69]
United Kingdom 8 August 2020 Adult contemporary radio BMG [70]
Various 14 August 2020
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Acoustic
  • Darenote
  • BMG
 [51][52]
11 September 2020 Syn Cole Remix [71]
30 October 2020 Apple Music at Home Sessions [72]
6 November 2020 7" vinyl
  • Original
  • acoustic
 [54]

References
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