Can't Get You Out Of My Head
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"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song recorded by Australian singer
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
for her eighth studio album, ''
Fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
'' (2001).
Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
released the song as the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
on 8 September 2001. "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which was written and produced by
Cathy Dennis Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. She was discovered as a teenager by music manager Simon F ...
and Rob Davis, is a
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
,
techno-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
and
nu-disco Nu-disco is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in the late 1970s disco, synthesizer-heavy 1980s European dance music styles, and early 1990s electronic dance music. The genre was popular in the early 2000s, and exp ...
song that is known for its "la la la" hook. Its lyrics are about obsession with a love interest. Music critics praised the song's production and Minogue's vocals and labelled it a highlight of ''Fever''. The song reached number one on the charts in 40 countries worldwide. It peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and was certified three-times platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI). It also topped the
Australian Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, 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 beca ...
and received a three-times
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
certification from the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
. In the United States, the song peaked at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became Minogue's first US top-ten single in 13 years. , the track has sold over five million copies worldwide.
Dawn Shadforth Dawn Shadforth (born 11 October 1973) is a British director of music videos, TV, and film and a visual artist. She was originally a fine artist making work with objects, light, video and sound. She won the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Award f ...
directed the
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which features Minogue dancing against futuristic backdrops; the white jumpsuit she wore in the video became a fashion statement. Since the song's release, Minogue has included it on the set lists of various concert tours. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" appeared on several decade-end lists compiled by media such as ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''. In 2012, Minogue re-recorded the song for her orchestral compilation album '' The Abbey Road Sessions''.


Writing and release

In 2000, British singer-songwriter
Cathy Dennis Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. She was discovered as a teenager by music manager Simon F ...
and English songwriter Rob Davis had been brought together by Universal Publishing to work on new music. The session for "Can't Get You Out of My Head" began with Davis generating a 125 bpm drum loop using the computer program
Cubase Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-do ...
. Dennis improvised with the line "I just can't get you out of my head", which later became the song's lyric. After three and a half hours, Davis and Dennis had recorded the demo for "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and the vocals were recorded the same day; the pair said the recording process was "very natural and fluid", and did not rely on heavy instrumentation. Prior to pitching the song to
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
, Davis and Dennis unsuccessfully offered it to
S Club 7 S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls. Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Ha ...
and
Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and ...
. Davis then met with Minogue's A&R executive Jamie Nelson, who was impressed by the song's upbeat production and thought it would appeal to clubgoers. Nelson booked the song for Minogue to record. Although Davis thought the recording session would later be cancelled, Minogue wanted to record the song after hearing 20 seconds of the demo. The song was recorded at Davis's home studio in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, England. The music, except the guitar part, was programmed using a
Korg Triton The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's "HI (Hyper Integrated) Synthesis" system and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade o ...
workstation via a
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
interface. Tim Orford was the mix engineer for the song. In a 2011 interview Dennis stated, "even though Kylie wasn't the first artist to be offered the song, I don't believe anyone else would have done the incredible job she did with it". In 2001, Minogue embarked on the
On a Night Like This "On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records as the second single for her seventh studio album, ''Light Years'' (2000), and was distrib ...
tour to promote her seventh studio album ''
Light Years A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by the International Astro ...
'' (2000). She premiered "Can't Get You Out of My Head" on stage during the tour. It was later chosen as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from Minogue's eighth studio album ''
Fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...
'', and released in September 2001, by
Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
.


Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is three minutes and 50 seconds long. In their book ''
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'', Nathan Brackett and Christian David Hoard labelled it a neo-disco track. Justin Myers of the
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
characterized it as a
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
song, ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' Tom Breinan described it as a
techno-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
anthem, and
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Tim Sendra called it a "timeless new wave
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
hit". "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is written in the key of
A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...
. The song, which does not follow the common verse–chorus structure, is composed of numerous fragmented sections. According to Davis, it "breaks a few rules as it starts with a chorus and in comes the 'la's'". Minogue chants a " la la la"
hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...
that is often noted as the song's most appealing part by music critics. According to
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
, the song's composition is "deceptively simple, but its veins run with the whole history of
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
". The writer described the song's
bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
as "pulsing" and influenced by the music of English
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band New Order and German electronic music band
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is about an obsession with an unknown person, who according to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' Dorian Lansky could be "a partner, an evasive
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
or someone who doesn't know he song's narratorexists". Writing for the same newspaper,
Everett True Everett True (born Jeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961) is an English music journalist and musician. He became interested in rock music after hearing The Residents, and formed a band with school friends. He has written and recorded as The ...
identified a "darker element" in the simple lyrics and said this sentiment is echoed in Minogue's restrained vocals. True also said while Minogue's earlier work presented an optimistic romantic future, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" focuses on an unhealthy and potentially destructive obsession. He noted in her earlier songs, Minogue played "the wide-eyed ingénue with alacrity" but that in this track, she is aware of the harmful nature of her infatuation, which True called a "desire that is wholly dependent on her own self-control". In 2012, Minogue re-recorded "Can't Get You Out of My Head" for her
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
l compilation album '' The Abbey Road Sessions''. The 2012 version of the song has an altered musical arrangement and uses a
pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as 'pinched', and sometimes roughly as 'plucked') is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument: * On bowe ...
playing technique in which the strings of a
string instrument In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners. Musicians play some ...
are continuously plucked.


Critical reception

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" received acclaim from music critics for its production and Minogue's vocals. Chris True of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
picked "Can't Get You Out of My Head" as a highlight of ''Fever'', saying it "pulses and grooves like no other she's recorded". ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''s Jim Farber said the song "fully lives up to its title" and compared it to the music of American singer
Andrea True Andrea Marie Truden (July 26, 1943 – November 7, 2011), better known by her pseudonym Andrea True, was an American disco singer and pornographic actress. In addition to her given name, she had multiple stage names, including Inger Kissin, Singe ...
. ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' Jason Thompson described Minogue's vocals as a "sexual come on" and called the song "trim and funky". Dominique Leone of ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' wrote that the song "exudes a catchiness that belies its inherent simplicity, so reassuring during an era when chart acts sound increasingly baroque and producers race to see who can ape electronic music trends first". In 2012, ''The Guardian'' music critic
Everett True Everett True (born Jeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961) is an English music journalist and musician. He became interested in rock music after hearing The Residents, and formed a band with school friends. He has written and recorded as The ...
defined "Can't Get You Out of My Head" as "one of those rare moments in
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
: sleek and chic and stylish and damnably danceable, but with a darker element hidden in plain sight". In a 2014 retrospective review, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s Jason Lipshutz praised Minogue's vocals and said they complement the production, and that; "her voice operates alongside it, finding renewed power in its drive". Olive Pometsey of '' GQ'' deemed it "the sound of the noughties", highlighting the synthesisers that create "a moment of pure pop perfection". Writing for the ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'', Cameron Adams placed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" at the top of his list of Minogue's best songs and called it "a happy accident". Adams wrote, "if you could program a computer to formulate the perfect pop song, it would sound like this". Reviewing ''The Abbey Road Sessions'' version of the song, Tim Sendra of AllMusic said the "most interesting reboot" on the album took place on "Can't Get You Out of My Head", saying the "insistent strings push the song along with tightly coiled electricity that is impossible to resist". Sal Cinquemani of ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' chose the song as one of the album's highlights, saying its arrangement makes up for the absence of dance beats and vocal production. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''s Simon Price wrote while the original version of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" would be "impossible to improve on", the reworked version "turns it into a pizzicato thriller score". According to
Jude Rogers Jude Rogers (born 1978) is a Welsh journalist, lecturer, arts critic and broadcaster. She is a music critic for ''The Guardian'' and also regularly writes features and articles for ''The Observer'', ''New Statesman'' and women's magazines such a ...
of ''
The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...
'', the song's orchestral treatment does not work well for its memorable electronic production. In 2003, ''
Q Magazine ''Q'' was a British popular music magazine. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ''Q'' was published in print in the ...
'' ranked "Can't Get You Out of My Head" at number 694 on their list of the 1001 Best Songs Ever. In 2011, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine placed it at number 45 on their 100 Best Songs of the 2000s list, noting Minogue "seduced the US with this mirror-ball classic". ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' ranked the song at number 74 on their 100 Best Track of the Noughties list, saying it "encapsulated everything enviable in a well-crafted song" and that it is Minogue's best single. In 2012, Priya Elan of ''NME'' placed the song at number four on her The Greatest Pop Songs in History list. In 2012, ''The Guardian'' included the song on their list of The Best Number One Records in the United Kingdom, labelling it "sleek, Arctic-blue minimalism, like an emotionally thwarted retelling of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love'". "Can't Get You Out of My Head" won the award for Best Single at the 2001 Top of the Pops Awards ceremony. At the 2002 ARIA Music Awards ceremony, it won the awards for Single of the Year and Highest-Selling Single, and Minogue won the Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2002, it won a Dutch
Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...
for Single of the Year. At the inaugural
Premios Oye! Premios Oye! (Premio Nacional a la Música Grabada) were presented annually by the ''Academia Nacional de la Música en México'' from 2003 to 2013 with the exception of 2011 when they were not presented, for outstanding achievements in the Mexica ...
in 2002, the song received a nomination in the Song of the Year category.


Commercial performance

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in 40 countries worldwide. In Australia, the song entered the
singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
at number one and remained there for four consecutive weeks. The
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
certified it three-times
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
, for shipments of over 210,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, it faced competition from
Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline, Lady Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spic ...
's single " Not Such an Innocent Girl" (2001). On the 29 September 2001 UK Singles Chart, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" debuted at number one with first-week sales of 306,000 copies. It spent four weeks at number one and remained for 25 weeks in the UK's top 40. It was certified three-times Platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
. As of 2021, it had sold over 1.53 million copies in the UK, and by 2013 it was the country's 75th best-selling single of all time. In the United States, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" peaked at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and became Minogue's best-selling US single since "
The Loco-Motion "The Loco-Motion" (or "Locomotion") is a pop music, pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down. The song is espec ...
" (1987). The
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
certified "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies. The song was also certified Gold in Belgium, and New Zealand, Platinum in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland; and two-times Platinum in Italy. As of February 2018, it is Minogue's highest-selling single with worldwide sales of over five million copies. In 2023, it was the 92nd best-selling single of all time in the UK.


Music video


Development and synopsis

British director
Dawn Shadforth Dawn Shadforth (born 11 October 1973) is a British director of music videos, TV, and film and a visual artist. She was originally a fine artist making work with objects, light, video and sound. She won the Whitworth Young Contemporaries Award f ...
directed the music video for "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which includes dance routines that were choreographed by American choreographer
Michael Rooney Michael Joseph Kyle Rooney (born March 30, 1962) is an American dancer and choreographer. He is the last surviving son of actor Mickey Rooney, and is best known for his work on music videos. Rooney has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Chore ...
. Minogue's looks—her youthfulness, slim figure and proportionally large mouth–had attracted comments on her exotic image; the British
tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper format characterized by its compact size, smaller than a broadsheet. The term originates from the 19th century, when the London-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. used the term to de ...
''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...
'' suggested she might be an alien. Shadforth and music critic
Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley (born 26 March 1957) is a British music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983, and has since written for a wide range of publications and written his own books. He was a co-founder of the reco ...
took the comments on Minogue's looks into consideration, commenting on her as a "creative, experimental artist" by placing her face close to the camera lens in the music video, distorting her face but retaining her glamour. The video begins with Minogue driving a
De Tomaso Mangusta The De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso between 1967 and 1971. It was succeeded by the De Tomaso Pantera. History The Mangusta replaced the Vallelunga model, on which its chassis was based ...
sports car while singing the song. The next scene depicts a number of couples dressed in black and white costumes performing a dance routine; they are soon joined by Minogue, who has wavy light-brown hair and is wearing a white tracksuit. The setting changes to a room where Minogue, now with straight hair and crimson lipstick, and wearing a white jumpsuit with a neckline plunging down to her navel, is striking poses. The outfit was designed by London-based fashion designer Fee Doran under the label Mrs Jones. According to Minogue, the outfit was inspired by fashion designs worn by Jamaican singer and model,
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
. Minogue then performs a synchronised dance routine with several backup dancers, who are wearing red-and-black suits reminiscent of Kraftwerk's '' Man Machine'' uniforms. As the video ends, Minogue—again with curly hair and wearing a lavender halter-neck dress with ribbon tile trim, performs a similar routine on top of a building at night.


Impact

At the
2002 MTV Video Music Awards The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2002, honoring the best music videos from June 9, 2001, to May 31, 2002. The show was hosted by Jimmy Fallon at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. During the show, Michael Jackson a ...
ceremony, the music video was nominated for
Best Dance Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance was first awarded in 1989, and it was one of the original four genre categories that were added to the MTV Video Music Awards that year. With a revamp of the awards in 2007, the category was cut out along ...
; Rooney won the award for
Best Choreography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...
. The hooded white jumpsuit Minogue wore in the music video is often considered to be one of her most iconic looks, particularly because of its deep, plunging neckline. Minogue's stylist William Baker described the choice of the outfit, saying, "it was pure but kind of slutty at the same time". The outfit was put on display at ''Kylie: The Exhibition'', which featured memorabilia and costumes from Minogue's career, which was held at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
in London, and at the similar ''Kylie: an Exhibition'' at the
Powerhouse Museum The Powerhouse Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), is a collection of 4 museums in Sydney, owned by the Government of New South Wales. Powerhouse is a contemporary museum of applied arts and sciences, explori ...
in Sydney. The jumpsuit was also included in Minogue's official fashion photography book '' Kylie / Fashion'', which was released to celebrate her 25 years in music. The music video served as an inspiration for Morley while writing his book ''Words and Music: The History of Pop in the Shape of a City''. In it, Morley said he "turned the lonely drive inoguemade in the song's video towards a city ... into a fictional history of music". University lecturers Diane Railton and Paul Weston, in their 2005 essay "Naughty Girls and Red Blooded Women (Representations of Female Heterosexuality in Music Video)", contrasted the music video of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" with that of
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
's 2003 single " Baby Boy"; while both videos focus on two singers performing seductive dance routines, Minogue is presented in a calculated manner and "is always provisional, restricted, and contingent", whereas Beyoncé displays a particular "primitive, feral, uncontrolled and uncontrollable" sexuality that is embodied in the black female body. Railton and Weston said the videos are representative of the depictions of white and black women in colonial times and pop culture, respectively.


Live performances

On 2 September 2001, Minogue performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" at the
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
''One Big Sunday'' show in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, UK. She sang the song on 8 November 2001 at the
MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
ceremony in
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. At the
2002 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2002 was the 22nd edition of the Brit Awards, an annual pop music awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. It was organised by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 20 February 2002 at Earls Court in London. The award fo ...
held on 20 February 2002, Minogue performed a mash-up version Stuart Crichton remixed of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and New Order's song " Blue Monday" (1983). The performance was ranked at number 40 on ''The Guardian'' 2011 list of 50 Key Events in the History of
Dance Music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
. The mashup was titled "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head"; it was released as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of "
Love at First Sight Love at first sight is a personal experience and a common theme in creative works: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. It has been desc ...
" and was included on Minogue's
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
''
Boombox A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape players/recorders and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered thro ...
'' (2008). On 16 March 2002, Minogue performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" along with "
In Your Eyes In Your Eyes may refer to: Film * ''In Your Eyes'', a 2004 film featuring Michael DeLorenzo * In Your Eyes (2010 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2010 film), a Philippine romantic drama * In Your Eyes (2014 film), ''In Your Eyes'' (2014 film), a film writt ...
", on the US television show ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. On 13 December 2002, Minogue performed the song alongside "
Come into My World "Come into My World" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album ''Fever (Kylie Minogue album), Fever'' (2001). Written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis (musician), Rob Davis, it is a dance-pop so ...
" on ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...
''. In 2001, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" was included on the set list of Minogue's "On a Night Like This" tour and the encore segment of the
KylieFever2002 KylieFever2002 was the seventh concert tour by Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, in-support of her eighth studio album, ''Fever'' (2001). The tour began on 26 April 2002 with four consecutive dates at the Cardiff International Arena in Wales ...
tour, which promoted ''Fever''. In 2003, Minogue performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" at the one-night concert
Money Can't Buy Money Can't Buy was a one-off, 75-minute concert show held on 15 November 2003 at the Carling Apollo in London to promote Australian singer Kylie Minogue's ninth studio album ''Body Language'' (2003). Its title alludes to the fact that tickets ...
at the
Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
in London in support of her ninth studio album ''
Body Language Body language is a type of nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use o ...
''. In 2005, she performed the song on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits tour and on her Showgirl: The Homecoming tour in 2006–2007. In 2008, she sang "Can't Get You Out of My Head" on the
KylieX2008 KylieX2008 was the tenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her tenth studio album, '' X'' (2007). The tour began on 6 May 2008 in Paris, France, at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy and concluded on 22 ...
tour. In 2009, Minogue performed the song on the
For You, for Me In 2009, Australian singer Kylie Minogue embarked on her first concert tour of North America. It was her eleventh concert tour in total. The tour took place following the release of her tenth studio album '' X'' (2007), and previewed material f ...
tour, which was her first concert tour of North America. A rock-oriented version of the song was performed during the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour in 2011. The following year, Minogue promoted ''The Abbey Road Sessions'' by performing at the BBC Proms in the Park at
Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a , historic Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Parks of London, Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington P ...
. During the event, she sang the orchestral version of "Can't Get You Out of My Head". She performed the same version of the song on series nine of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2012. A "slower, darker version" of the song was included on Minogue's Kiss Me Once Tour (2014–2015) set list. She also included "Can't Get You Out of My Head" on the 2015
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
performance as part of her A Kylie Christmas concert. An acoustic-guitar-driven version of the song was performed on the
Golden Tour The Golden Tour was the fifteenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her fourteenth studio album, ''Golden'' (2018) and visited Europe and Australia. It began on 18 September 2018 in Newca ...
(2018–2019). In 2019, during her Glastonbury Festival set, Minogue was joined by English singer
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...
and they performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" together. Minogue performed "Can't Get You Out of My Head" during the
season 21 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
finale of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' in a medley with her 2023 single "
Padam Padam Padam Padam may refer to: * " Padam, padam...", a 1951 song by Édith Piaf * "Padam Padam" (song), a 2023 single by Kylie Minogue * ''Padam Padam'' (TV series), a 2011 South Korean television series {{Disambiguation ...
"; for the former, she was joined by Nutsa, one of the contestants. During the performance, Minogue wore a black high-slit dress and over-the-knee leather boots. On 7 March 2024, Minogue joined
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
to sing an a cappella version of the song on the North American leg of
the Celebration Tour The Celebration Tour was the twelfth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It began on October 14, 2023, at the O2 Arena, the O2 Arena in London and ended on May 4, 2024, with a free concert on Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Copacaban ...
. In 2025, Minogue included "Can't Get You Out of My Head" on the set list of her
Tension Tour The Tension Tour is the ongoing sixteenth headlining concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It commenced on 15 February 2025 in Perth, Australia, and is set to conclude on 26 August 2025 in Monterrey, Mexico, consisting of ...
.


Legacy

According to author Lee Barron, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" "further established Minogue's cultural and commercial relevance in the new millennium". He said the song "with its hypnotic 'la la la' refrain and the deceptively uncomplicated, catchily repetitive beats and synth-sound, marked yet another clearly defined image transformation from the camp-infused ''Light Years'' to an emphasis upon a cool, machine-like sexuality". Everett True of ''The Guardian'' wrote the song continued Kylie's transition from the girl-next-door to "flirtatious, sophisticated persona" that started with the release of "
Spinning Around "Spinning Around" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her seventh studio album, '' Light Years'' (2000). Written by Ira Shickman, Osborne Bingham, Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul, the song was initially meant to be recorded by A ...
" in 2000. True said the success of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" was one of the motivating factors behind "manufactured" pop music gaining "new postmodern respectability" and marked a "clear shift in attitude towards pop music among the 'serious' rock critic fraternity". Publications like ''The Guardian'' and ''Rolling Stone'' recognise "Can't Get You Out of My Head" as Minogue's
signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...
. In 2012, the UK agency
PRS for Music PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertake ...
, which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers, named "Can't Get You Out of My Head" the most popular song of the decade because it received the most airplay and live covers in the 2000s decade.


Track listings

* Benelux and French 2-track CD, European cassette and US 7-inch single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Boy" – 3:47 * European, UK and Australian CD maxi-single 1 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Boy" – 3:47 # "Rendezvous at Sunset" – 3:23 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (video) – 3:47 * European and UK CD maxi-single 2 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (K & M's Mindprint mix) – 6:34 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Plastika mix) – 9:26 * Australian CD maxi-single 2 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (K & M's Mindprint mix) – 6:34 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Plastika mix) – 9:26 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Todo Mamado mix) – 8:32 * Spanish CD maxi-single (Remixes) # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (K & M's Mindprint mix) – 6:34 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Nick Faber remix) – 5:59 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Todo Mamado mix) – 8:32 * European 12-inch single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Plastika mix) – 9:26 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Deluxe's Dirty dub) – 6:53 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Leadhead dub) – 7:00 * UK 12-inch double single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Deluxe's Dirty dub) – 6:53 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Deluxe's Dirty dub instrumental) – 6:52 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Plastika mix) – 9:26 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Todo Mamado mix) – 8:35 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (K & M's Mindprint mix) – 6:35 * UK limited edition 12-inch single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (extended version) – 5:57 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (extended instrumental) – 5:57 * UK and European 7-inch single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:50 # "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head" – 4:01 * US 12-inch single # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" – 3:48 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (K & M's Mindprint mix) – 6:33 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Nick Faber remix) – 5:58 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Todo Mamado mix) – 8:31 * Digital download # "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head" (live in Manchester) – 4:54 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (extended instrumental) – 6:00 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (extended mix) – 5:59 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Nick Faber remix) – 6:00 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Radio Slave remix dub re-edit) – 5:01 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Radio Slave vocal re-edit) – 10:25 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Leadhead dub) – 7:05 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Todo Mamado mix) – 8:34 # "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Superchumbo Voltapella mix) – 1:58 * Digital download (Peggy Gou's Midnight Remix) # "Can't Get You out of My Head" (
Peggy Gou Kim Min-ji (; born 3 July 1991), known as Peggy Gou ( ; ), is a South Korean DJ, singer, songwriter and record producer based in Berlin, Germany. She has released seven Extended play, EPs on record labels including Ninja Tune and The Vinyl Fact ...
's Midnight remix) – 4:31


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of number-one singles of 2001 (Australia) * List of number-one hits of 2001 (Austria) *
Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 2001 Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiza ...
* Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2001 *
List of number-one songs of the 2000s (Denmark) Single Top 20, later as Single Top-20 and Track Top-40 is a record chart that ranks the best-performing songs of Denmark. Chart was owned by IFPI Danmark and Nielsen Music Control. Listings were provided through ''Billboard'' magazine under its " ...
* List of European number-one hits of 2001 * List of number-one singles of 2001 (France) * List of number-one hits of 2001 (Germany) * List of number-one singles of 2001 (Ireland) *
List of number-one hits of 2001 (Italy) This is a list of the number-one hits and albums of 2001 on Italian Charts. See also *2001 in music * List of number-one hits in Italy References External linksFIMI archives
* List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2001 *
List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand) In New Zealand, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) compiles the top forty singles chart each week. Sales of songs determined 75% of the sorting information, and radio airplay figures were responsible for 25%. From 18 April ...
*
List of number-one songs in Norway This list shows the songs which have been number one on the official chart list (VG-lista) in Norway. The single list started in 1958, and the albums list in 1967. The show is broadcast every Wednesday by NRK P3, one of Norwegian Broadcasting ...
*
List of number-one singles of 2001 (Spain) This is a list of the Spanish PROMUSICAE Top 20 Singles number-ones of 2001. Chart history See also *2001 in music *List of number-one hits (Spain) References {{Spanish number-one hits 2001 The year's most prominent event was the Se ...
* List of number-one singles of the 2000s (Sweden) * List of number-one singles of the 2000s (Switzerland) * List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s * List of number-one dance singles of 2002 (U.S.)


References


Notes


Citations


Further reading

*


External links


"Can't Get You Out of My Head"
at Kylie's official website (Archived). {{DEFAULTSORT:Can't Get You Out of My Head 2001 singles 2001 songs ARIA Award-winning songs Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles Dance-pop songs European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Kylie Minogue songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Poland Number-one singles in Romania Number-one singles in Spain Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Parlophone singles SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Cathy Dennis Songs written by Rob Davis (musician) UK singles chart number-one singles Nu-disco songs