Impossible Princess

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Impossible Princess
Studio album by Kylie Minogue
Released	October 1997 (Japan) January 12, 1998 (Australia) March 23, 1998 (UK) May 26, 2003 (UK re-release) September 19, 2003 (Australian re-release)
Recorded	October 1995–May 1997 in London, England
Genre	Pop, Indie-rock, Dance
Length	47:26 (Australian edition) 47:42 (European edition) 51:69 (Japanese edition)
Label	Deconstruction Records BMG Mushroom Records
Producer(s)	Steve Anderson Dave Seaman Dave Ball Ingo Vauk Rob Dougan Jay Burnett James Dean Bradfield Dave Eringa
Professional reviews
All Music Guide , link Billboard Magazine (Positive), link NME (4/10), link
Kylie Minogue chronology
Kylie Minogue (1994)	Impossible Princess (1998)	Other Sides (1998)

Impossible Princess is the sixth album by Australian dance pop singer Kylie Minogue. It was released by Deconstruction Records on March 23, 1998 across the world. The album was primarily produced by Dave Ball, Ingo Vauk and previous Minogue collaborators Brothers in Rhythm. It received a mixed reception from music critics, some of whom complimented its maturity and personal subject matter, while others felt as though it was uninspired and unbelievable.

It became Minogue's least-successful album release in the United Kingdom, where it reached number ten and was certified silver.^[1] In Australia, however, the album charted more strongly, reaching number four and remained on the chart for nearly forty weeks. Elsewhere Impossible Princess failed to generate much interest, which resulted in low international sales.

The album demonstrated a change in Minogue's musical style and several live instruments were introduced into her songs. In addition, Impossible Princess presented a more confident and involved Minogue since she had contributed to all of the lyrics which appeared on the album. In the UK, the album was retitled Kylie Minogue at the last minute, following the death of Princess Diana in August 1997. A remastered edition of Impossible Princess was issued by BMG in 2003, with a bonus disc of remixes and B-sides.

Contents 1 Making of the record 2 Cover artwork 3 Singles 4 Critical response 5 Chart performance 5.1 Charts 6 Sales & Certifications 7 Track listing 7.1 Bonus tracks 8 Release details 9 Credits and personnel 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Making of the record

Impossible Princess, Minogue's second and final album with Deconstruction Records, took nearly two years to make, becoming the longest period of time Minogue had worked on a project since her time on the Australian television soap opera Neighbours.^[2]

In 1995, Australian artist Nick Cave contacted Minogue, interested in recording a duet with her. Cave had been interested in working with Minogue since hearing "Better the Devil You Know", saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics" and "when Kylie Minogue sings these words, there is an innocence to her that makes the horror of this chilling lyric all the more compelling".^[3] The result of their collaboration was the brooding ballad "Where the Wild Roses Grow", whose lyrics narrated a murder from the points of view of both the murderer (Cave), and his victim (Minogue). The songs chart and critical success demonstrated that Minogue could be accepted outside of her established genre as a dance artist. That year she recited the lyrics to "I Should Be So Lucky" as poetry in London's Royal Albert Hall "Poetry Jam", at the suggestion of Cave, and later credited him with giving her the confidence to express herself artistically, saying, "He taught me to never veer too far from who I am, but to go further, try different things, and never lose sight of myself at the core. For me, the hard part was unleashing the core of myself and being totally truthful in my music".^[4] The following year Minogue began a relationship with the French photographer Stephane Sednaoui, whose presence would have a large influence on her and her work.^[5]

In 1996, Minogue embarked on a series of trips across the United States and Southern China on a mission of self-discovery. The trips and her relationship with Sednaoui made Minogue feel freer and nurtured her own creativity and talent.^[6] Sednaoui also introduced her to several musicians and musical styles such as Björk, U2, and French and Japanese pop musicians such as G. Love & Special Sauce and Towa Tei.^[5] Minogue had written lyrics before, but calls them "safe - just neatly rhymed words and that's that".^[7] For Impossible Princess she took inspiration from Sednaoui and her own experiences as a celebrity. At first Minogue had a hard time embracing her past, looking back on it as a time of pain and confused embarrassment.^[8] Confronting her past and her embarrassment helped her confidence a lot, she said, "It was like I'd climbed Mount Everest, or jumped out of a plane. So many things that I had avoided for so long were right there. That was what Nick (Cave) was saying to me. 'It'll be brilliant: it'll confront all of your past, all in one fell swoop'. And he was right."^[9]

The album featured collaborations with Brothers in Rhythm (who she had worked with on Kylie Minogue) and alternative music band Manic Street Preachers. Minogue first met with Manic Street Preachers' lead singer, James Dean Bradfield at his home. She had brought some lyrics she had written and he strummed his guitar a bit, playing Minogue a Tamla Motown-type track. Bradfield later sent her a demo of "I Don't Need Anyone", which she loved, stating "it was so refreshing to hear something so different from what I had been working on. To have something so fresh come in that somebody else had been working on and taken control of, was a nice break for me."^[10] Minogue gave Bradfield another two sets of lyrics. He took parts from each set and blended them together to create the album's lead single "Some Kind of Bliss".

Minogue experienced a greater freedom in crafting Impossible Princess to be the way she wanted it to sound. Deconstruction's A&R department had not been present for much of the recording of the record due to the poor health of its head Pete Hadfield.^[11] This left Minogue with creative control over the project. At first she believed that the album contained too many musical styles, but changed her mind stating "I thought, partly to justify it to myself, but mainly because it's the truth, that if I had a whole album that sounded like "Some Kind of Bliss", or a whole album that sounded like "Too Far", it would be a lie, because I'm all over the place as a person".^[10]

Originally titled Impossible Princess, the album's title was changed in the United Kingdom after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, resulting in the release date being pushed back multiple times until its release six months later in March 1998. "I've lived with that title for two years," Minogue said. "And I had already done a lot of press talking about the name, but after the tragedy of Princess Di occurred we had to rethink. It didn't hit me immediately, because I found it so hard to comprehend. But then I thought I don't want to be constantly explaining or upsetting people. So we've taken the name off for now, but I'd like to keep the option for putting it back in the future. That's what the album is called; it just won't be on the cover."^[12]

The title Impossible Princess came from the book of poetry Poems To Break The Hearts of Impossible Princesses by Billy Childish. The book was given to Minogue as a gift by Nick Cave and she has said that the poems summarised where she was at, at that time in her life.^[13]

[edit] Cover artwork

After months of delays due to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Minogue's record label Deconstruction announced the album's release date, pushing her creative department into a panic. Minogue and Sednaoui wanted to create a special three-dimensional cover for a limited edition of the album to represent the more three-dimensional person she had become. Tensions were high on the long shoot, as Minogue's relationship with Sednaoui was coming to an end.^[14]

The shoot ran for a week, with Minogue not leaving the studio until three or four in the morning. Shooting a cover in 3-D requires multiple static cameras and for Minogue to pose for long periods of time, which she quickly grew tired of.^[14] To achieve the background of swirling lights, Sednaoui dressed from head to toe in black, ran and jumped around Minogue with a kitchen light covered with plastic gels. Other photographs were taken at the shoot, but most remain unreleased. These pictures featured Minogue posing in front of castles and city backdrops, representing the many kingdoms of an impossible princess.^[14]

The 3-D cover was released in Japan in 1997 and was accompanied by four limited edition postcards. The cover was made available elsewhere in the world as a limited edition.^[15]

[edit] Singles

"Some Kind of Bliss", the lead single, became Minogue's least successful lead single release, reaching number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart and number twenty-seven in Australia. Written with James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers, the song gave Minogue an edgier sound, with guitars taking the place of the drum machine beats heavily featured in earlier efforts.^[16]

The second single "Did It Again" featured an aggressive vocal style, with alternative and Eastern musical influences,^[17] and became a top-twenty hit for Minogue in the UK and Australia. The song also featured a music video, directed by Pedro Romanhi. Minogue satirised her image in the video, in which four major incarnations of her career, "Indie Kylie", "Dance Kylie", "Sex Kylie" and "Cute Kylie", battled for supremacy.

"Breathe", the third single, reached the top-twenty in the UK, and was successful in other parts of the world reaching the top-forty in Australia, Russia and South Africa.

Due to the success of Minogue's Australian concert tour Intimate and Live, "Cowboy Style" was released as a single in Australia only, where it reached the top forty.

[edit] Critical response

The album received varied reactions from international music critics. Billboard Magazine described it as "stunning" and concluded that "it's a golden commercial opportunity for a major [record company] with vision and energy [to release it in the United States]. A sharp ear will detect a kinship between Impossible Princess and Madonna's hugely successful album, Ray of Light".^[10] John Mangan, in a review for The Age said that the album "sounds right and constitutes another step in the right direction", praising the moody trip-hop style of "Jump" and the funky hoe-down sound of "Cowboy Style".^[18] Who Magazine in Australia compared Minogue's vocal style to a young Sinéad O'Connor, crediting her for her range in vocal styles displayed on the album. The magazine also commented that the album "sounds right and constitutes another step in the right direction" towards Minogue gaining credibility in the music industry, and rated the album eight out of ten stars.^[19]

In Britain, Music Week gave a negative assessment, "Kylie's vocals take on a stroppy edge ... but not strong enough to do much".^[20] Ben Willmott in a review for NME was less than impressed with the album and Minogue's musical direction, calling her "a total fraud" and "unconvincing". Willmott was very critical over Minogue's collaborations with James Dean Bradfield, calling "Some Kind of Bliss" "supremely irritating". In his review he gave the album a low four out of ten stars.^[21]

[edit] Chart performance

In March 1998, Impossible Princess debuted at number ten on the United Kingdom albums chart, the second lowest debut Minogue ever had on the albums chart in the UK. After a further three weeks outside the top ten, the album dropped off of the charts completely, becoming the least successful of her career. It has achieved a silver certification in the UK, with sales of 100,000 copies.^[22]

In Australia, the album debuted at number four on the ARIA albums chart, and ultimately became one of the years most successful records. With sales boosted by a successful live concert tour, it became Minogue's highest selling album in Australia since her debut Kylie in 1988. It has achieved a 2x platinum certification in the Australia, with sales of 140,000 copies.^[22]

[edit] Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Israeli Albums Chart	1
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	4
UK Albums Chart	10
German Albums Chart	78

[edit] Sales & Certifications

Country	Certification	Shipments	Sales
Australia	2x Platinum	140,000+
UK	Silver	60,000+	100,000

[edit] Track listing

1. "Too Far" (K. Minogue) – 4:43
2. "Cowboy Style" (K. Minogue/Steve Anderson/Dave Seaman) – 4:44
3. "Some Kind of Bliss" (K. Minogue/J. Bradfield/S. Moore) – 4:22
4. "Did It Again" (K. Minogue/S. Anderson/D. Seaman) – 4:13
5. "Breathe" (K. Minogue/D. Ball/I. Vauk) – 4:38
6. "Say Hey" (K. Minogue) – 3:37
7. "Drunk" (K. Minogue/S. Anderson/D. Seaman) – 3:59
8. "I Don't Need Anyone" (K. Minogue/J. Bradfield/N. Jones) – 3:13
9. "Jump" (K. Minogue/R. Dougan) – 4:03
10. "Limbo" (K. Minogue/D. Ball/I. Vauk) – 4:06
11. "Through the Years" (K. Minogue/D. Ball/I. Vauk) – 4:20
12. "Dreams" (K. Minogue/S. Anderson/D. Seaman) – 3:44

[edit] Bonus tracks

All bonus tracks appear on the Japanese edition of Impossible Princess.

1. "Tears" (K. Minogue/D. Ball/I. Vauk) – 4:27

All bonus tracks appear on the re-release edition of Impossible Princess.

1. "Love Takes Over Me" (K. Minogue/S. Anderson/D. Seaman) – 4:19
2. "Too Far" (Inner Door mix) – 6:19
3. "Did It Again" (Did It Four Times mix) – 5:49
4. "Breathe" (Tee's Dancehall mix) – 6:21
5. "Tears" – 4:27
6. "Too Far" (Junior's Riff dub) – 5:49
7. "Breathe" (Tee's Dub of Life) – 7:55
8. "Some Kind of Bliss" (Quivver mix) – 8:39
9. "Did It Again" (Razor-n-Go dub) – 9:53
10. "Breathe" (Tee's Glimmer mix) – 4:46
11. "Too Far" (North Pole mix) – 5:44
12. "This Girl" (K. Minogue/U. Classen) – 3:09

[edit] Release details

All editions released by Deconstruction/BMG/Mushroom Records unless otherwise stated.

Release format	Country	Cat. No.	Release date
Regular album	Europe	74321 51727 2	March 1998
Cassette album	Europe	74321 51727 4	March 1998
Australian album	Australia	MUSH33069.2	January 1998
Japanese album	Japan	BVCP-6068	October 1997
UK Re-release album	United Kingdom	BMG 82876511152	May 2003
Australian Re-release album	Australia	FMR 337322	September 2003
German Re-release album1	Germany	Arista 82876511152	September 2003
Polish Re-release album1	Poland	BMG 82876511152	October 2003
Japanese Re-release album1	Japan	BMG BVCM37437	November 2003

¹ released by Artista Records.

[edit] Credits and personnel

Lead and backing vocals — Kylie Minogue Keyboards — Steve Anderson, Nick Nasmyth Synthesizer — Kylie Minogue Grand piano — Steve Anderson Guitar — Steve Anderson, Geoff Bird, Greg Bone, James Dean Bradfield Bass — James Dean Bradfield, Livingstone Brown, Steve Walters Trombone — Neil Sidwell Saxophone — Simon Clarke, Tim Sanders Trumpet — Guy Barker, Roddie Lorimer Violin — Gavyn Wright Viola — Peter Lale Strings — Gini Ball, Sally Herbert, Claire Orsler, Jocelyn Pook, Anne Stephenson Cella — Martin Loveday

Fiddle — Johnnie Hardy, Bogislaw Kostecki Flute — Simon Clarke Drums — Sean Moore, Steve Sidelnyk Percussion — Andy Duncan, Steve Sidelnyk Programming — Steve Anderson, Alan Bremmer Engineers — Alan Bremmer, Sunny Lizic, Richard Lowe, Paul Wright Mix engineer — Richard Lowe Mixed by Alan Bremmer String arrangements by Brothers in Rhythm, Dave Eringa, Sally Herbert, Will Malone, Nick Nasmyth Orchestra lead by Gavyn Wright Photography by Stephane Sednaoui Art direction by Farrow Design

[edit] See also

• List of unreleased songs by Kylie Minogue – songs written and/or recorded by Minogue during the Impossible Princess sessions that remain unreleased.
• Intimate and Live Tour – Minogue's concert tour in support of the album.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Kylie.com — official website.
• LiMBO Kylie Minogue Online (kylie.co.uk) — extensive UK based fansite.
• MixKylie — Fansite with gallery and discography.