Say Something

Album: Disco (2020)
Charted: 56
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This disco-inspired pop anthem finds Kylie Minogue looking for love.

    We're a million miles apart in a thousand ways
    Baby, you can light up the dark like a solar scape
    And I can almost feel you coming and your heartbeat race
    Someone, somebody, something, in the choice we make


    That elusive source of love may not currently be in Kylie's orbit, but she knows it's out there somewhere. She told BBC Radio 2: "This song is about all of our eternal quest for love and the searching and knowing that there's something or someone out there that you can relate to and makes you a better person."
  • Kylie wrote "Say Something" in September 2019 with longtime collaborators Biff Stannard and Ash Howes, plus Jon Green, who worked on her previous album, Golden. It was recorded during Minogue's first session for Golden's follow-up before she even had a timeline or a record planned.

    She told Apple Music how the song spilled out of them that day: "I knew that the three of us would do something different, but I didn't know it would be this. It started as a beat, and we were all just singing into a microphone to capture everything."
  • Oh, we're just, just tryin' to find ourselves in the storms we chase
    Baby, in an endless summer, we can find our way


    Though a lot of the song is a stream of consciousness, here Minogue reflects on taking a risk that could change the course of her life. She explained to the BBC: "Sometimes you wonder, 'Why am I doing this? Why am I putting myself through this?' Or "'this might not be the safest road to take,' but I think it's through adversity that we find ourselves."
  • Kylie Minogue sang this live for the first time on the September 17, 2020 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Minogue's remote pre-recorded performance was shot on a 1980s era BBC News television camera as she sang against a VHS-style intergalactic green screen.
  • Director Sophie Muller filmed the video at the Black Island Studios in London. The clip features Minogue and a dancer, Kaner Flex, moving around in front of a galactic backdrop. The singer also rides a golden horse sculpture traveling through the universe.
  • Kylie Minogue released "Say Something" as the lead single from Disco on July 23, 2020.
  • When Disco debuted on top of the UK albums chart, Kylie became the first female artist to score a #1 UK album in five consecutive decades: the '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s and '20s.
  • During the pandemic, Kylie Minogue took full control of her music production by learning how to self-record. She often recorded vocals on the go, even sending in last-minute additions from hotel rooms or unexpected places like a bath! This newfound independence allowed her to complete her Disco album without needing a traditional studio, a significant shift in her creative process that empowered her as an artist.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"They're Playing My Song

Wilder's hit "Break My Stride" had an unlikely inspiration: a famous record mogul who rejected it.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Justin Timberlake

Justin TimberlakeFact or Fiction

Was Justin the first to be Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher? Did Britney really blame him for her meltdown? Did his bandmates think he was gay?