Fever is the eighth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 1 October 2001, by Parlophone. Minogue worked with writers and producers such as Cathy Dennis, Rob Davis, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, TommyD, Tom Nichols, Pascal Gabriel and others to create a disco and Europop-influenced dance-pop and nu-disco record. Other musical influences of the album range from synth-pop to club music.
Fever was well received by critics upon its release, many of whom praised its production and commercial appeal. Over the years the album has received widespread critical acclaim and has been retrospectively declared the greatest album of Minogue's career by publications such as NME. A global commercial success, it peaked at number one in Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Russia, and the UK. In the US, the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); it became Minogue's best-selling album in the country. The album was also certified septuple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). At the 2002 Brit Awards, it won International Album.
Fever produced four singles. The lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" peaked atop the charts of 40 countries. Often recognised as Minogue's signature song, it is her best-selling single with twelve million units sold worldwide. "In Your Eyes" and "Love at First Sight" also became international hits, while "Come into My World" won Minogue her first Grammy Award, for Best Dance Recording, in 2004. To further promote the album, Minogue embarked on her seventh concert tour, KylieFever2002. Fever has sold six million copies worldwide as of 2012 .
Background and production In 1998, Minogue was dropped from her label Deconstruction following the poor commercial performance of her sixth studio album Impossible Princess. She instead signed on to Parlophone and released her seventh studio album Light Years. The disco and Europop-inspired album was a critical and commercial success, and was later certified four times-platinum in Minogue's native country Australia for shipment of 280,000 units, and platinum in the UK for shipment of 300,000 units. "Spinning Around" was released as the lead single off the album and was a commercial success, attaining a platinum certification in Australia for shipment of 70,000 units, and a silver certification in the United Kingdom for shipment of 200,000 units. She promoted the album by embarking on the On a Night Like This tour.
Soon after, Minogue began work on her eighth studio album Fever. On the album, she collaborated with producers and writers such as British singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, who co-wrote two songs out of the three she co-produced, Rob Davis, who co-produced and co-wrote three songs, and Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher, who co-produced and co-wrote five songs ("Love at First Sight", "In Your Eyes", "Love Affair", "Boy" and "Rendezvous at Sunset"). In the vein of Light Years, Fever is a disco and dance-pop album that contains elements of adult contemporary and club music. The album was recorded at studios such as the Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Hutch Studios in Chicago, Olympic Studios in London and Stella Studios.
Music and lyrics
Fever is primarily a dance-pop album, with prominent elements of 1970s-influenced disco and Europop. Jacqueline Hodges from BBC Music wrote that the album is not "pure pop", and is rather characterized by a more adventurous dance-oriented sound. NME critic Alex Needham identified a "filter disco effect", described as "the one that sounds like you've gone under water and then ecstatically come up for air," working on various songs on the album. Furthermore, Jaelani Turner-Williams of Stereogum retrospectively classified the record as a nu-disco album. Needham saw Fever as an "update" from the "frothy disco" of Light Years. Songs like the opening track "More More More" and closing track "Burning Up" are examples of the disco-influenced production of the album. The former is an uptempo song with a "funky" bassline, while the latter was described as a "slow burn" disco song. Teen pop elements appear on songs like "Love at First Sight", which begins with an electric piano intro, and the "aggressive" "Give It to Me".
The lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a "robotic" midtempo dance and disco song. Many critics felt that various songs on the album, particularly "Come into My World", are similar to "Can't Get You Out of My Head". The title track and "Dancefloor" draw influences from synthpop and club music, respectively. "In Your Eyes" contains hints of disco and techno music. Minor influences of ambient music surface on the "atmospheric" "Fragile". Minogue's vocal delivery ranges from "sensuous" (in "More More More") to "sweet" (in "Your Love"). The latter track contains instrumentation from an acoustic guitar. Jason Thompson from PopMatters commented that Minogue "knows how to express herself through irresistible melodies and seductive emoting", such as on the title track, which makes use of "suggestive panting". Unlike Minogue's previous studio efforts, Fever does not contain any ballads.
The lyrical content of Fever chiefly focuses on themes of love and enjoyment. Thompson described the album to be "all about dancing, fucking, and having a good time". In the song "Love at First Sight", Minogue describes how she fell in love with her partner at "first sight" and how it led to good things happening for her. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" was termed a "mystery" as the singer never mentions who her object of desire in the song is. Lynskey Dorian from The Guardian suggested that Minogue refers to either "a partner, an evasive one-night stand or someone who doesn't know she exists" as her obsession. The production of "Give It to Me" contrasts with its lyrics: Minogue urges her partner to "slow down," but the beat "goes in the opposite direction and tells your body to push it a little more on the dance floor." The lyrics of "Fragile" are simple and aim directly at the "[listener's] heart". "Come into My World" is a "plea for love" as Minogue invites her partner into her life. On the other hand, "Dancefloor" focuses on issues like dealing with an end of a relationship, with Minogue celebrating a break-up by "[losing] it in the music".
Artwork and release Minogue's close friend and stylist William Baker, collaborated with graphic designer Tony Hung to create the artwork's concept of electro-minimalism. On the cover, which was photographed by Vincent Peters and inspired by the cover of Grace Jones' Island Life (1985), Minogue is seen "bound by a microphone cord, literally tied to her craft" and dressed in white leotard designed by Fee Doran, under the label of Mrs Jones, and shoes made by Manolo Blahnik. In her 2012 fashion retrospective book Kylie / Fashion, Minogue commented on the album's theme, saying: "The whole campaign was so strong, sure, ice cool. Willie's [William's] styling was incredible and [Peters'] photography made for a second amazing album cover with him." A new cover was issued for the US version of the album and features a close-up of Minogue biting on a bracelet. The US version cover also served as one of two CD single covers for second single of the album, "In Your Eyes".
Fever was released by Parlophone on 1 October 2001, in Australia, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. In the United States, the album was released by Capitol Records on 26 February 2002, and was Minogue's first album to be released in the country since her second studio album Enjoy Yourself (1989), but that project failed to chart there. Thus, Minogue was reintroduced to the US after nearly 13 years of inactivity in the region. A special edition of the album, containing a previously unreleased track entitled "Whenever You Feel Like It", was released on 19 November 2002.
Promotion Tour
Minogue launched the KylieFever2002 concert tour to promote the album. The tour was split in seven acts and "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "Come into My World", "Fever", "In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Burning Up" were the songs from the album to be included on the setlist. For the performances, Minogue wore "skimpy" and skin-tight outfits, and was often seen wearing a glittering silver bikini and skirt coupled with silver boots. The outfits were designed by Italian luxury industry fashion house Dolce and Gabbana, and Minogue went through a total of eight costume changes during the tour. The performances that took place at the Manchester Evening News Arena, England, were filmed for inclusion in the live DVD for the concert tour entitled KylieFever2002: Live in Manchester, which was released on 18 November 2002. The DVD was certified platinum in Canada for sales of 10,000 units, gold in Germany for sales of 25,000 units, and double-platinum in the United Kingdom for shipments of 100,000 units.
Singles
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" was released as the lead single from the album on 8 September 2001. The song was well received by music critics, many of whom complimented its vibe and danceability. Commercially, the single was a massive success and peaked at number one on the charts of every European country (except Finland) and Australia. The song was released in the United States on 18 February 2002 and managed to peak at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Minogue's best selling single in the region since "The Locomotion". It was certified triple-platinum in Australia for shipment of 210,000 units, platinum in the United Kingdom for shipment of 600,000 units, and gold in the United States for shipment of 500,000 units. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Dawn Shadforth and features Minogue and a number of backup dancers dancing in various futuristic backdrops.
"In Your Eyes" was released as the second single of the album on 21 January 2002, but in Europe, the release was delayed to 18 February due to the success of "Can't Get You Out of My Head". It received generally positive reviews from music critics and was praised for its house influences. It became the second consecutive single from the album to peak atop the Australian Singles Chart. The song was also commercially successful internationally and peaked in the top ten of charts in countries like Italy, Finland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It was certified gold in Australia for sales of 35,000 units, and silver in the United Kingdom for sales of 200,000 units. An accompanying music video for the song was again directed by Shadforth, and features Minogue performing a dance routine and striking various poses in a colourful neon-lighted room.
"Love at First Sight" was released as the third single from the album on 3 June 2002. It received positive reviews from music critics, with many favouring its production. The song was a commercial success and peaked in the top ten of charts in countries like Australia, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and United Kingdom. The song was remixed by Ruff and Jam and this version was released in the United States, where it managed to chart at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was certified gold in Australia for sales of 35,000 units and in New Zealand for sales of 7,500 units. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Johan Renck and features Minogue dancing in a futuristic environment sporting cargo pants and teal eyeshadow. The song was later nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2003.