"What Do I Have to Do" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

from her third studio album, '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990). The song was written and produced by

Stock, Aitken & Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...

. Originally, the song was planned to be released after the single "

Better the Devil You Know "Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman. The song was released as the album's ...

", but instead "

Step Back in Time "Step Back in Time" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her third studio album, '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990). It was released as the album's second single on 22 October 1990, and distributed by PWL and Mushroom as a CD single, cas ...

" was released and this was released as the third single on 21 January 1991. The song received positive reviews from most music critics, who thought the song was an instant rave classic. The song peaked at number eleven in her native Australia. The song did however peak at number six in the United Kingdom, becoming a success there. The song was also hit in France and The Netherlands. The song has been performed on most of Minogue's concert tours, including her

Rhythm of Love Tour The Rhythm of Love Tour was the third concert tour by Kylie Minogue, in support of her third studio album '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990). Beginning on 10 February 1991, the tour visited Australia and East Asia. The concerts showcased a more confi ...

Let's Get to It Tour The Let's Get to It Tour was the fourth concert tour by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue. As stated by Minogue herself in 1991, the tour was technically a continuation of the previous Rhythm of Love Tour which had already visited Australia ...

and

Intimate and Live Tour Intimate and Live was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her sixth studio album, ''Impossible Princess'' (1997). Minogue confirmed the tour after her creative directors, William Baker and Stev ...

. The song has also been performed at the Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour and the Homecoming Tour, and has been most recently been performed at her

Aphrodite World Tour Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, also known as Aphrodite Live, was the twelfth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'' (2010). The tour was officially announced in Sep ...

Background

There are three official promotional mixes of the song. The early, unreleased first version is synth orienated and has multilayered vocals. Much of the synth was omitted, and the drums, bass and vocals were toned down for the second album version. The third version, the 7" Mix, contains a newer drum track, multilayered vocals in the chorus and relies much less on the synthesizers than on the album version. This version of the song also contains samples from American comedian

Sam Kinison Samuel Burl Kinison ( ; December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were characterized by intense sudden tirades, punctuated with his distinc ...

, and was used for the music video. In the UK, a limited edition 7″ single came with postcards with shots from the video. Originally, "What Do I Have To Do" was planned to be released as the follow-up single to "

", but was released as the third single off the album, and the track was remixed for single release. The 1999 biographical book ''Girl Next Door'' identified this track as Kylie's favourite to perform live. The single artwork was photographed by Robert Erdmann.

Reception

Critical response

"What Do I Have To Do?" received positive reviews from many music critics. Jason Shawahn from

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said the song, along with "

" and " Wouldn't Change a Thing", "are nothing if not pop masterpieces." He also labeled it as a "pop classic".Kylie Minogue - Ultimate Kylie
Quentin Harrison from Albumism noted it as "luxuriant electro-pop", adding that Ian Curnow and Phil Harding "rework it into an appetizing, but accessible

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

ditty that emphasizes unity between the single's beat and Minogue's supple vocal." While reviewing '' Rhythm of Love'', Chris True from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

highlighted the song as an album standout. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' voted it as the thirtieth best track of 1991. Eleanor Levy from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' described it as "more mature, in a

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synthpop trio which achieved success in the mid-1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy", from their debut album '' The Age of Consent''. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 s ...

ish way." She added, "More straightforward rhythm than formula pop song, it fizzes predictably rather than sparkles but, like Kylie's ever-elongating fringe, will no doubt grow and grow." Caroline Sullivan from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' called it "supreme", and felt the song "sees a return to the reassuring old Kylie-sound". Jonathan Bernstein from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' viewed it as a "knockout" pop single", that "mirrored her evolution from tomboy to dreamboat." While reviewing ''

Ultimate Kylie ''Ultimate Kylie'' is the second major greatest hits album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, and her first greatest hits released under her contract with Parlophone, her record company between 1999–2015. The compilation was released in many d ...

'', Mark Edwards from

Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...

gave it a positive remark, saying that along with " Shocked" and "

Give Me Just a Little More Time "Give Me Just a Little More Time" is the debut single by Chairmen of the Board, released in 1970 through Capitol Records on Holland–Dozier–Holland's Invictus Records label. "Give Me Just a Little More Time", backed with "Since the Days of P ...

", they "were great songs and suddenly Kylie was a little bit cool."

Chart performance

"What Do I Have to Do" debuted at number twenty-seven on the

Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

, until rising and peaking at number eleven, staying there for two consecutive weeks. The song then debuted at number ninety-nine on the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...

, until peaking at number eighty-one for one week. The song then debuted and peaked at number fifty on the

French Singles Chart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

Impact and legacy

English DJ and record producer

Nicky Holloway Nicky Holloway (born 12 June 1963) is an English DJ and record producer, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, and has been called "a prototype of the superstar DJ". Biography Nicholas Holloway was born in Isleworth, London. He began play ...

chose "What Do I Have to Do" as one of his top 10 vinyl thrills in 1996, saying, "I've had so much fun with this over the years. You don't realise what you're dancing to until it's too late to stop! It's got a long intro so people are dancing away and don't realise that it's Kylie Minogue until they're sucked into it."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was directed by Dave Hogan. In relation to this video, Minogue is quoted as saying "how many Hollywood stars can you look like in three and a half minutes". Her younger sister

Dannii Minogue Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show ''Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on th ...

also appears in the video. The music video begins with clips of the dance scene intercut with Minogue's emerging from a swimming pool and her love interest seeing her with another man. The love interest is played by Zane O'Donnell, the same model who would appear in the video for Minogue's subsequent single "Shocked". Minogue then goes out to the balcony overlooking a fairground and the man follows. The video then shifts to the man watching Minogue dancing with a female friend in a club. The next scene is Minogue waking up in her lover's bed as he prepares to leave the bedroom. After this, Minogue singing on the bed is intercut with scenes of her singing and dancing in front of a white backdrop. The video goes back to her and her friend having fun in the club as the man stares at her again. Later, she sits on the bench overlooking the scene and takes a glance at a lookalike of her lover next to her. Following this, she gets up to dance as the man watches. Finally, she gets a tattoo of a black panther on her back and shows it to her lover. The video concludes with all of Minogue's performance scenes intercut with her doing the ironing in an apron and on a date with her lover. The final shot is of Minogue and her lover who are walking across a bridge. The video received

heavy rotation In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely sh ...

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initially, MTV serve ...

. While reviewing the DVD version of ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'', John Galilee said "Her most outrageous but greatest video moment is where she parodies certain movie stars in the chic video for "What Do I Have to Do?", and because of her heavy eye make-up almost earns herself the title drag-queen Kylie (watch out for sister Dannii who briefly stars in the video, wearing a blonde wig)."

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "What Do I Have to Do". * 7" vinyl single # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Mix) – 3:32 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Instrumental) – 3:48 * 12" vinyl single # "What Do I Have to Do" (Pumpin' Mix) – 7:48 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Instrumental) – 5:08 * CD single # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Mix) – 3:32 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Pumpin' Mix) – 7:48 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Instrumental) – 5:08 * iTunes Digital EP – Remixes (Not available at time of original release. Released for the first time as part of

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

PWL Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record prod ...

archive release in 2009) # "What Do I Have to Do" (12" Instrumental) # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Mix) # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Backing Track) # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Instrumental) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Album Backing Track) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Album Instrumental) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Between the Sheets Mix) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Album Mix) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 12" Backing Track) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 12" Instrumental) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 7" Backing Track) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 7" Instrumental) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 7" Mix) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers 12" Mix) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Movers & Shakers Do the Dub) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Pumpin' Mix) * iTunes Digital EP – The Original Synth Mixes (released 8 November 2010) # "What Do I Have to Do" (Billy The Fish Mix: Part I) 3:44 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Billy The Fish Mix: Part II) 7:30 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Original 12" Mix) 7:09 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Album Mix II) 8:42 * iTunes Digital EP – What Do I Have to Do? # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Mix) — 3:33 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Pumpin' Mix) — 7:47 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Album Mix) — 8:07 # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Instrumental) — 3:33 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Extended Instrumental) — 5:07 # "What Do I Have to Do" (7" Backing Track) — 3:33 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Album Instrumental) — 3:43 # "What Do I Have to Do" (Album Backing Track) — 3:43 # "Things Can Only Get Better" (Album Instrumental) — 3:55 # "Things Can Only Get Better" (Album Backing Track) — 3:55

Live performances

Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours: *

On a Night Like This Tour On a Night Like This was the sixth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her seventh studio album, ''Light Years'' (2000). The tour began on 3 March 2001 at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland, and con ...

* Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (as part of the "Smiley Kylie Medley") * Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour (as part of the "Everything Taboo Medley") *

For You, for Me For You, for Me (promoted as KylieUSA2009) was the eleventh concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. The tour began on 30 September 2009 in Oakland, California, at the Fox Oakland Theatre, Fox Theatre and concluded on 13 October 2009 in ...

(as part of the "Everything Taboo Medley") *

Summer 2019 Summer 2019 is a European tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her fourth major greatest hits album, '' Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection'' (2019). The tour commenced on 20 June 2019 in Kingston upon Thame ...

The song was also performed on: * '' An Audience with Kylie Minogue'' 2001 TV special, performed as part of the hits medley.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:What Do I Have To Do 1991 singles Kylie Minogue songs Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Songs written by Mike Stock (musician) Songs written by Matt Aitken Songs written by Pete Waterman 1990 songs Mushroom Records singles Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Torch songs Eurodance songs