"Success" is a dance-pop song performed by Australian singer Dannii Minogue. The song was written by Minogue and Alvin Moody, and produced by Moody and Vincent Bell for Minogue's debut album Love and Kisses. It was released as Minogue's second single in September 1990 in Australia. It was remixed and released on 6 May 1991 in the United Kingdom. The song's lyrics discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity. It entered the top forty in Australia, Ireland and the UK.
Background and reception
Six months after signing a recording contract with Mushroom Records in Australia, Minogue traveled to New York City to begin recording songs for her debut album. While in the United States, she worked with record producers Alvin Moody and Vincent Bell. The recording studio, located in Brooklyn, had been the site of several shooting. This made it difficult for Minogue to get to it because taxicab drivers would not drive her there. Minogue found the recording experience in New York City both "awesome" and "terrifying". "Success" was the first song Minogue co-wrote and its lyrics discuss the highs and lows of being a celebrity. In a review for Allmusic, John Lucas called the song "rather dated" and wrote "its aspirational lyrics became something of an albatross for Minogue given her struggle to achieve the career momentum of her sister". Dannii performed this song when she was invited to perform on The Royal Variety Show in front of the Queen.
Music video
The music video for "Success" was directed by Paul Goldman and Craig Griffin and filmed in Australia. The video features Minogue dancing and having her makeup done. It begins with Minogue dancing in a studio with four male dancers. She is then shown dancing by herself in front of a red background. Scenes of Minogue having her makeup applied, a young boy dressed as a boxer and her dancers practicing are intercut throughout. Minogue wanted the video to incorporate visual ideas from the Australian nightclub scene. While conducting research for the video, she saw "these brilliant kids dancing" and asked them to be a part of the video. The video was released commercially on The Videos in 1996 and The Hits & Beyondspecial edition companion DVD in 2006.
Chart performance
"Success" was officially released in Australia in September 1990. The song debuted on the singles chart at #51 for the week ending 16 September 1990. It peaked at #28 in its fifth week on the chart, and spent 11 weeks in the top 100. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, "Success" was released on 6 May 1991. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart at #21. Two weeks later, the song reached its peak position of #11, and remained there for three consecutive weeks. In Ireland, the track reached number fifteen.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Success". Australian Cassingle
