Padam who? A definitive ranking of Kylie Minogue’s 10 best lead singles

Padam? Padam.

In case you haven’t heard, the Song of the Summer has arrived (according to Gay Twitter) and it’s “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue. Never mind that the solstice is still weeks away. When Mother Minogue calls, you answer. 

The infectious track is drowned in synths and sex appeal with an a**-shaking beat to get your heart racing, which is fitting considering its title refers to the pound of a heartbeat. 

Within hours, fans were already creating memes honoring the song’s addictive refrain and celebrating the Australian pop queen’s upcoming sixteenth album Tension. In a tweet, she called the record “a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic highs,” and we’re counting down the days until it drops on September 22.

But as any self-respecting Kylie fan knows, the 54-year-old diva does not play when it comes to her lead singles. With an expansive discography dating back to her soap opera days in 1988, Minogue has made a point to put her best high-heeled toe forward with every era.

While not everyone pays the multi-talented songstress the respect she deserves, there’s a reason why Minogue remains the highest-selling Australian solo artist of all time. With effortless charisma, chameleonic pop sensibilities, and a loyal following of (mostly gay) fans, she reminds us with each release that she’s still at the top of her game. 

And considering her new single is more addictive than a hit of poppers on the dance floor, we can almost guarantee that’s not changing anytime soon. 

In honor of “Padam Padam,” we’re counting down Miss Minogue’s 10 best lead singles. Did we miss one? Sound off in the comments!

10. “Hand On Your Heart”

Kylie Minogue was just 20-years-old when she released “Hand on Your Heart” from her 1989 sophomore album Enjoy Yourself. Simply… it’s quintessential ’80s cheese. There’s a beat that won’t quit, an abundance of backing vocals, and a colorful video featuring pre-Internet era special-effects and lots of heart tapping. Still, Kylie brings an air of defiance and assuredness to an otherwise basic breakup bop. The bones were there!

Bonus points for her soft, acoustic reworking on 2012’s The Abbey Road Sessions, which pulls heartbreak out of the lyrics to create a different interpretation worth a listen.

9. “Confide in Me”

If Kylie Minogue was tasked with recording a James Bond theme, it would probably sound something like 1994’s “Confide in Me” from her self-titled fifth album. What the single lacks in surprise, it makes up for in seductiveness, mystery, and drama. Taking inspiration from Middle Eastern sounds and the best of ’90s indie music, she gave us something experimental and unexpectedly dark. Jewel and Sinéad O’Connor, eat your hearts out!

This makes its vibrantly colored video especially intriguing, as she seems to reference the commodification of her different facets with a wink and sinister smile. Though this was an invitation we wanted more from, the uneasy visual remains one of her best.

8. “Say Something”

Yes, the list of should’ve-been-chart-topping Kylie Minogue singles is a mile long. But the fact that there was never an era of club dominance for “Say Something,” the twinkling intro to 2020’s Disco, especially hurts! To be fair, the track arrived during a global period of solitude –– and that was kind of the point. Unity inspired both the song and Minogue’s fifteenth album, which were mostly recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

If lead singles are an album’s thesis, “Say Something” is proof Kylie understood the assignment, hinting at Disco‘s sound with an intergalactic sparkle and mirrorball kiss. Never before has a chorus left us yearning this desperately for more (“S-s-s-say something / Tell me how you’re feeling,” she whispers just as the psychedelic production peaks) and the trippy visual left Space Mountain shaking. Throw in that ginormous golden horse, a Gucci bodysuit, and an allusion to the gays (“Love is love / It never ends”), and we were QUAKING.

7. “2 Hearts”

We’ve reached the glam rock era! This underrated gem from 2007’s X marked Kylie’s first single after recovering from breast cancer, and there’s an encumbered joy in her performance. With a devil-may-care attitude and London swagger, she puts on her best Marilyn Monroe drag to reinvent herself once more with stomping piano chords and jarring “wooo”s.

Though the track was originally recorded by Kish Mauve, the electronic duo returned to produce Minogue’s cover. Her impact! And while she’s no stranger to love songs, it was refreshing to hear the singer wail about romance with a gruff, jagged edge. We were ready to don Ziggy Stardust makeup and raid a seedy thrift store… in the best way possible.

6. “Slow”

Kylie typically swings for booming and bombastic lead singles, but “Slow” was the opposite. Leaning into minimalistic crackle-and-pops and breathy delivery –– early-aughts pop trademarks, remember Willa Ford? –– she gave us a bop both sensual and electronic. While the vibe remains low key, her sexy invitation to “Read my body language” cut through the noise, and even inspired the title for her ninth album.

Thanks to its techno undertones, “Slow” dominated the 2003 dance charts, yet still feels fresh 20 years later. And if you’re looking for a masterclass in looking hot and mysterious while sunbathing, check out the video, filmed amongst a gaggle of hotties in Barcelona.

5. “Dancing”

Every pop girl needs a country era. Our fave visited Nashville, grabbed a guitar, and put on some cowboy boots for her unexpected and slightly divisive (but completely danceable) fourteenth album Golden. It’s only fitting that the first single was called “Dancing.” Arriving a month after Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, a very specific type of queer listener was eating well in 2018.

While it’s more dive-bar ditty than club-thumping anthem, you’ve got to admit, she knows how to make line dancing look HOT. With all the earnestness of an Aussie Dolly Parton, she gave us an irresistible chorus –– and let’s be real, who else could top Billboard‘s Dance Club Songs chart with a country-pop song?

4. “Better the Devil You Know”

I’LL FORGIVE! AND FORGET! IF YOU SAY YOU’LL NEVER GO! A modest hit in the UK and Australia, “Better the Devil You Know” may be over 30-years-old, but this slinky and synthy track feels timeless.

The bop introduced Minogue’s third LP Rhythm of Love, our first taste of the sexually liberated image and dance-pop sound she’s honed over the years. And in retrospective, the video feels like a moment in Herstory. Not only do those silhouette scenes look like a direct inspiration for Apple’s iPod commercials, but it’s clear Kylie was charting a new path: ditching the child star image, dating a bad boy, and twisting phrases like she was twirling her hair.

3. “Spinning Around”

This Aussie diva was dropped by her label. She walked into the studio mad as hell and gave us a reinvention anthem for the ages. As the lead from 2000’s Light Years (her first album under Parlophone), the track marked a return to form for Minogue. While its lyrics described a self-assured night out (“I’m spinning around / Move out of my way”), they also applied to the singer’s attitude towards her career: “Did I forget to mention that I found a new direction / And it leads back to me.” Poetry!

Co-written by Paula Abdul (who originally intended to record the track), “Spinning Around” was Kylie’s reminder to us — and herself – that she still has it. The video, set at a swanky club, is filled with seductive slides across the bar, dancing, and scene-stealing golden hot pants that could make the monster from Rocky Horror Picture Show blush. No wonder they’re on display at the Arts Centre Melbourne museum!

2. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”

Is it basic to rank “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” so high on this list? Yes, and we don’t care. After all, there’s a reason why the earworm was a Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit, remains a fixture on club playlists, and Kylie knew in “about 20 seconds” that she wanted to record it: “La, la, la.”

But even without its addictive hook, the lead from 2001’s Fever is a perfect single. Its bold and futuristic music video (directed by Dawn Shadforth) ushered in the new millennium with visions of a sleek and mechanical world powered by nu-disco, synchronized cityscape dance sequences, and that f*cking white jumpsuit.

Taking on the role of a fixated narrator, she engulfed us in her obsession. How ironic that we couldn’t get this one out of our heads?

1. “All The Lovers”

As our first taste of 2010’s Aphrodite, “All the Lovers” was a fitting intro. With this thumping and euphoric ode to finding the one, Kylie solidified herself as pop’s resident goddess of love, stating her missive with opening lyric: “Dance.” Not only does she give us flawless production, pulling from the best elements of electronic, disco, and retro pop, but the chorus is nothing short of anthemic.

And then there’s the video! In the middle of a downtown intersection, the infectious track commands a city to strip down and shamelessly make out, forming a pyramid of love with Minogue perched on top. There’s also some doves, an elephant balloon, and a white horse, because why not?

Though the single is a tribute to love in general, it was especially meaningful to her LGBTQ+ fans. According to director Joseph Kahn, Minogue was asked to remove same-sex kissing from the visual by international markets and refused. When she said “All the lovers,” she meant all, and the powerful imagery made us all feel seen.