Speakerphone (song) explained

Speakerphone
Border:yes
Artist:Kylie Minogue
Album:X
Released:21 November 2007
Label:Parlophone
Producer:Bloodshy and Avant

"Speakerphone" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her tenth studio album X (2007). It was produced by Bloodshy & Avant duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, who co-wrote it with Henrik Jonback and Klas Åhlund. The song featured dance, electronic, and funk elements. It heavily used Auto-Tune and vocoder, which caused some critics to liken it to music by Britney Spears and Daft Punk. "Speakerphone" received mixed responses from critics. The song appeared on the Canadian Hot 100 and the Hot Canadian Digital Singles Billboard charts.

"Speakerphone" was performed on the KylieX2008 and For You, for Me concert tours. In 2008, Fanny Pak performed to the song for the season two premiere of America's Best Dance Crew. In 2009, a competition was held for fans to create a video for the song, which was won by Hungarian animator Rudolf Pap.

Background and release

Bloodshy & Avant duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg produced "Speakerphone" and co-wrote it with Henrik Jonback and Klas Åhlund.[1] Kylie Minogue talked about the song, which was included on her tenth studio album X, in an interview, "Xposed – Interview with Kylie".[2] She described the song as catchy, and said she particularly enjoyed the lyrics. She likened her vocals to a "quite straight delivery", which she compared to a person singing or humming around their home.

"Speakerphone" was released on 21 November 2007 as part of X; it was removed from the album's Chinese edition, along with "Like a Drug" and "Nu-Di-Ty", due to censorship laws.[3] On 20 January 2015, the song was uploaded to Minogue's YouTube account as part of a X playlist.[4] [5]

Composition and lyrics

Opening with a harp instrumental, "Speakerphone" includes the lyrics "track repeat go on and on" and "set [our] mind on Freaky Mode".[6] [7] [8] Critics labelled the song as a dance, electronic, and funk song. Writing for the New York Times News Service, Kelefa Sanneh called it a "meta-dance song intoxicated with itself". Likening the lyrics to a sexual version of Operation, NewNowNext.com's Louis Virtel said the song is about "connecting our collarbone to our neckbone to our jawbone".

In the song, Minogue's voice is heavily processed through Auto-Tune and vocoder.[9] [10] Critics compared the style to the "robotic hypno-funk" of Daft Punk and noted that its use of "array of robo voices" had similarities with the music of Britney Spears.[11] [12] Music journalist Craig Mathieson described Minogue's vocals as "taken to fetishistic levels, wiping the person and leaving the digital construct", and said she had "disappear[ed] into the ether". In 2013, the composition was a subject of a lawsuit in which Salsoul Records claimed Minogue and Warner Bros. duplicated the "entire rhythm" of Gaz's 1978 song "Sing Sing" for "Speakerphone".[13]

Reception

The song received mixed responses from critics. Music journalist Robert Christgau and the Scripps Howard News Service's Chuck Campbell cited it as one of the album's high points.[14] British GQ's Alexis Petridis praised "Speakerphone" as "cool electro".[15] Louis Virtel included it on a listicle on Minogue's top 50 songs, and called it an earworm. VH1's Christopher Rosa recommended "Speakerphone", as well as Minogue's other songs "Too Much" (2010) and "Love Affair" (2001), for people unfamiliar with her music.[16] PopMatters' Evan Sawdey preferred Minogue's robotic vocals on "Speakerphone" to those of Britney Spears in her fifth studio album Blackout (2007), writing that she "never falters once, hitting the mark each and every time".[17] In a 2010 Instinct interview, Minogue described the song as one of the "moments that were a bit ahead of their time".[18] During a 2012 HuffPost interview, she said that people questioned why "Speakerphone" or "Like a Drug" were not released as singles.[19]

Some critics identified the song as one of the album's low points. The Morning Call's Andy Hermann labelled "Speakerphone" and "All I See" as "clunkers".[20] The Vancouver Sun's Amy O'Brien dismissed "Speakerphone" as a "forced attempt at originality", saying that she wanted to skip it.[21] AllMusic's Chris True felt the song would have been more appropriate for Robbie Williams' seventh studio album Rudebox (2006),[22] and Pitchfork's Tom Ewing believed it was too similar to Daft Punk's music.[6] Criticizing the vocoder as excessive, Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine wrote that the song indicated a hip hop influence on the overall album, which he felt was "wholly inappropriate" for Minogue.

Despite never being released as a single, "Speakerphone" charted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 87 based on high downloads from the album.[23] It also peaked at number 56 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles Billboard chart on 15 December 2007.[24]

Promotion

Minogue was initially concerned about how she would perform "Speakerphone" live due to its layered vocals. She performed the song on the KylieX2008 and For You, for Me concert tours in 2008 and 2009, respectively.[25] [26] It was the opening number for KylieX2008, in which Minogue descended on stage in a gold hoop. During the first Australian show, Minogue wore a gladiator-style dress, and for her Auckland performance, she had an Egyptian-inspired costume instead.[27]

During For You, for Me, "Speakerphone" was the second song on the set list after "Light Years" from the 2000 album of the same name.[28] For the performance, Minogue was accompanied by backup dancers dressed like robots. Minogue's performances of "Speakerphone" were included in the video album KylieX2008 (2008) and the live album Live in New York (2009).[29] [30] The first half of For You, for Me was streamed live on 12 December 2009 via Minogue's YouTube account.[31]

"Speakerphone" was also performed by Fanny Pak for the season two premiere of America's Best Dance Crew in 2008.[32] In 2009, a competition was held to make a video for the song; it was won by Hungarian animator Rudolf Pap.[33]

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. X. liner notes. Kylie Minogue. Parlophone. 2007. 5139522.
  2. Minogue. Kylie. Kylie Minogue. Xposed – Interview with Kylie. X. Parlophone. 21 November 2007.
  3. X. liner notes. Kylie Minogue. EMI. 2007. 50999 513952 0 9.
  4. Web site: X. YouTube. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708035040/https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1lh-G-SB1fJcsdv7QM7Gb1KKEPhJZsJU. July 8, 2019. live.
  5. Web site: Kylie Minogue - "Speakerphone" - X. January 20, 2015. YouTube. https://web.archive.org/web/20190608121839/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzAkOmENcsc. June 8, 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Kylie Minogue: X Album Review. Ewing. Tom. November 30, 2007. Pitchfork. https://web.archive.org/web/20190217030140/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10947-x/. February 17, 2019. live.
  7. News: Diva Delights. Sanneh. Kelefa. November 27, 2007. . 33-27. 2023-01-26. Newspapers.com.
  8. Web site: Virtel . Louis . Louis Virtel . May 28, 2017 . Kylie Minogue's 50 Best Songs, Ranked! . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180919125914/http://www.newnownext.com/kylie-minogue-best-songs-ranked/05/2017/ . September 19, 2018 . NewNowNext.com.
  9. Web site: Review: Kylie Minogue, X. Hughes. Dave. February 18, 2008. Slant Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328185715/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/kylie-minogue-x/. March 28, 2019. live.
  10. [Speakerphone (song)#Mathieson2009|Mathieson (2009)]
  11. News: Kravitz gets lost in love. Campbell. Chuck. February 15, 2008. . G20 . 2023-01-26 . Newspapers.com.
  12. News: Quick Hits (and Misses). Sperounes. Sandra. December 1, 2007. . 39 . 2023-01-26 . Newspapers.com.
  13. Web site: Kylie Minogue Stole Rhythm For 'Speakerphone,' Suit Says. October 9, 2013. Law360. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417212608/https://www.law360.com/articles/479467/kylie-minogue-stole-rhythm-for-speakerphone-suit-says. April 17, 2019. live.
  14. Web site: Consumer Guide Reviews: X. Christgau. Robert. RobertChristgau.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20150301040244/http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=5943&name=Kylie+Minogue. March 1, 2015. live.
  15. Web site: The Spice Girls reunion tour proves that in pop, personality is everything. Petridis. Alexis. February 8, 2018. British GQ. https://web.archive.org/web/20190706142003/https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/spice-girls-reunion-tour. 6 July 2019. live.
  16. Web site: 9 Reasons Why Americans Should Get On Board With Kylie Minogue. Rosa. Christopher. May 28, 2015. VH1. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123021530/http://www.vh1.com/news/21813/kylie-minogue-is-awesome/. January 23, 2016. live.
  17. Web site: Kylie Minogue: X. Sawdey. Evan. 31 March 2008. PopMatters. https://web.archive.org/web/20181117020958/https://www.popmatters.com/kylie-minogue-x-2496163896.html. 17 November 2018. live.
  18. Web site: My Kylie Minogue Interview (Part Two), And 'Aphrodite' Charts In The U.S. Top 20. D'luv. July 14, 2010. Chart Rigger. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708055307/http://chartrigger.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-kylie-minogue-interview-part-two-and.html. 8 July 2019. live.
  19. Web site: Kylie Minogue Discusses 25-Year Music Milestone, 'Holy Motors,' And Best Advice She's Received. Michelson. Noah. November 13, 2012. HuffPost. July 8, 2019.
  20. News: Disc Reviews. Hermann. Andy. April 5, 2008. . 36 . 2023-01-26. Newspapers.com.
  21. News: Blond bombshell Minogue cranks up the sex appeal. O'Brian. Amy. November 27, 2007. . 31 . 2023-01-26 . Newspapers.com.
  22. Web site: AllMusic Review by Chris True. True. Chris. AllMusic. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402174948/https://www.allmusic.com/album/x-mw0000784634. April 2, 2019. live.
  23. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kylie minogue|chart=Billboard Canadian Hot 100}} Kylie Minogue – Chart history: Billboard Canadian Hot 100]. Billboard. 4 February 2014.
  24. Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales: "Speakerphone". Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708035420/https://www.billboard.com/music/kylie-minogue/chart-history/hot-canada-digital-song-sales/song/557701. July 8, 2019. live.
  25. Web site: Kylie opens tour in spectacular style. December 15, 2008. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708035303/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/kylie-opens-tour-in-spectacular-style-20081215-gdt6nq.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true. July 8, 2019. live.
  26. Web site: Review: Kylie Minogue's like a bad Madonna impression. Harrington. Jim. October 1, 2009. The Mercury News. https://web.archive.org/web/20170509042720/http://www.mercurynews.com/2009/10/01/review-kylie-minogues-like-a-bad-madonna-impression/. May 9, 2017. live.
  27. Web site: Gig review: Kylie Minogue in Auckland (+pics). Schulz. Chris. January 31, 2009. Stuff.co.nz. July 8, 2019.
  28. Web site: Review: Kylie Minogue @ Hammerstein Ballroom. Underwood. Brian. October 12, 2009. Flavorwire. https://web.archive.org/web/20140428142643/http://flavorwire.com/42897/review-kylie-minogue-hammerstein-ballroom. April 28, 2014. live.
  29. Web site: Super 16 Captures KYLIE Concert. Smith. Michelle. December 2008. VisionARRI. ARRI Rental Group Marketing Department. 8 May 2008.
  30. Web site: Kylie Minogue To Release New York Live Set. Smirke. Richard. 4 December 2009. Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20130213055106/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/266508/kylie-minogue-to-release-new-york-live-set. 13 February 2013. live.
  31. Web site: Kylie. Kylie. https://web.archive.org/web/20091207065548/http://www.kylie.com/news/1770208. 7 December 2009. dead.
  32. Web site: 'America's Best Dance Crew 2': Step up for the season premiere. Phillips. Jevon. Crabtree. Sheigh. June 17, 2008. Los Angeles Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20150913024741/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/06/americas-best-2.html. September 13, 2015. live.
  33. Web site: Kylie "Speakerphone" Competition Winner Announced!. May 10, 2009. Kylie.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20091008014641/https://www.kylie.com/news/1767481. October 8, 2009. dead.

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