Kylie: Learning a song in three or four minutes

This clip from a made-for-TV special about Kylie and Jason gives a brief glimpse into the Stock Aitken Waterman juggernaut that dominated pop music in the late 1980s.  

The team wrote and produced Kylie’s early studio albums and are sometimes credited with making her a star. However, Pete Waterman makes it clear in this interview that they recognised her natural talent immediately, noting that during her first meeting she learned the song ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ in a matter of minutes and had it recorded within an hour, highlighting her professionalism. 

Kylie, on the other hand, is very humble in this interview, admitting that she was not convinced she’d done the song justice, while also recognising that she’s a tough critic when it comes to her own work.  

This clip also contains footage from the music video for ‘I Should Be So Lucky’, a breezy pop tune that became an unexpected smash hit, reaching number one on the charts in Australia, the UK and parts of Europe. The song elevated Kylie’s status as a serious contender on the pop music landscape and her girl-next-door image is amplified in the music video as we see her dancing, blowing bubbles in the bath and playing up to the camera. 

The clips from the music video amply demonstrate that, early in her career, the gulf between person and performer was not very wide. The camera captures a fairly shy, self-effacing and lighthearted Kylie Minogue. 

'I Should be So Lucky' was added to the NFSA's Sounds of Australia in 2011.

Notes by Beth Taylor