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Thursday, September 30, 2021

"The Loco-Motion" by Kylie Minogue

Top 10 Alert!
Gold Record Alert!
Song#:  3629
Date:  08/27/1988
Debut:  80
Peak:  3
Weeks:  27
Genre:  Dance-Pop, Hi-NRG


Pop Bits:  The Aussie singer got hooked up with the British Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting/production team and recorded her debut album Kylie. Its first single, "I Should Be So Lucky," performed fairly well reaching #28 Pop (#10 Dance). Next up for release was this cover tune. Minogue had recorded a version of the song earlier in '87 with producer Mike Duffy and it became a huge #1 hit in Australia. She then re-recorded the track with the SAW team for her debut album. It would be issued out as a single (except in Australia/New Zealand) and would become her second major hit making the Top 10 in many countries. In the US, the tune would get stuck in the #3 spot for a couple of weeks while getting to #12 Dance. It remained on the chart for quite a long time and that helped the single go gold. Minogue's debut album would then top out at #53. Eventually it would go gold.

ReduxReview:  The timing of this single was perfect. With Tiffany hitting #1 with her updated remake of "I Think We're Alone Now" and Rick Astley topping the chart with an SAW track, that combo of nostalgia along with a hip sound from a hot new production team was ideal for Minogue. It appealed to a wide audience and nearly topped the chart. I initially liked the song and even bought the single, but it soon wore me out. I tired of the track quickly and it became a bit annoying. But that was back when the song was constantly on the radio. These days I find it a fun little tune that has double nostalgia - first as a remake of a classic and then for its 80s trademark SAW production.
 
ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This is a remake of a song that was originally a hit for Little Eva in 1962. Written by the famous team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Little Eva's single would hit #1 and be her only Top 10 hit. Later in 1974, American rock band Grand Funk Railroad covered the song and released it as a single. It too would reach the top of the Pop chart. "The Loco-Motion" then became only the second song to reach #1 by two different artists (seven other songs would later achieve that feat). The first instance occurred when Donny Osmond hit #1 in 1971 with another King/Goffin song "Go Away Little Girl." It had previously been a #1 single for Steve Lawrence in 1962. With Minogue's version reaching #3, "The Loco-Motion" then sort of set a record as being the first song to make the Pop Top 3 three times in three different decades. Oddly, although the lyrics stated that "everybody's doin' a brand new dance now," there was no specific loco-motion dance when the original single was released. As it started to become a hit, Little Eva had to create one for her performances.

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