Over the course of her 32-year music career, Kylie Minogue has released 74 singles and 14 albums. That’s a lot of music. Around 500 hours of music, to be completely imprecise. It’s a daunting discography for Minogue novices to be faced with ahead of her Glastonbury Legends slot later today. There quite literally aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to it all.
So, to save you the trouble of spending a few weeks listening to her music back-to-back, we've rounded up the top ten songs that you should acquaint yourself with as a (very) light introduction to pop's most consistent queen. From the disco bangers to that time she did a duet with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, add these to your daily playlist and give thanks to pop gods for blessing us with so many hits. In no particular order, here's your cheat sheet to Kylie's best bops.
1. 'Slow'
Let's take things slow (sorry, had to) and ease into Minogue's back catalogue of music with this seductive track from 2003. Featuring breathy vocals over seductive synths, it's the kind of song that would soundtrack that moment when you accidentally lock eyes with a hot stranger in a club perfectly – if your life happens to be a nonsensical perfume advert and you also happen to be moving in slow motion, that is. What can we say, the song does what it says on the tin: "Slow" is indeed a slower track, but don't write it off that reason.
2. 'Spinning Around'
Kylie's seventh album, Light Years, gave us one of her most iconic tracks – and looks – to date with "Spinning Around", her disco-infused comeback single from 2000 – and, man, what a comeback it was. From the funky bass to those gold shorts, our pop queen did not return to the charts to play; she came to reign.
3. 'Love At First Sight'
Fun fact: thanks to Kylie's never-ending catalogue of songs, this is actually the second song she released called "Love At First Sight". The first with that title appeared on her debut album, Kylie, in 1988 and, while it's a perfectly reasonable Eighties bop, it does not even come close to matching the brilliance of the song she would go on to record 14 years later for her eighth album, Fever. This 2002 track sees Kylie hone the future-disco vibe she curated on Light Years and take it one step further.
4. 'Step Back In Time'
Look at how much fun Kylie is having in this music video! You too can have this much fun, my friend. All you need to do is crank this 1990 track up to full volume and find yourself a feather boa. In fact, you probably don't even need the boa – this song has the power to take you there all on its own. A homage to the golden age of disco, "Step Back In Time" is a three-minutes-and-seven-seconds taste of what Studio 54 might have been like if Abba had been regulars and we are so completely and utterly here for it.
5. 'In Your Eyes'
Well, whaddya know? Here Kylie is in 2002, serving up another club banger. What are the chances? This time she takes her penchant for disco and gives it a sultry techno twist, clearly still spinning around and riding high on the success of her 2000 comeback single.
6. 'I Was Gonna Cancel'
One of her more recent and wildly underrated tracks, the Pharrell-produced "I Was Gonna Cancel" merged the sound of his Daft Punk collaborations with Kylie's signature pop vocals for a track that sounds unlike anything she'd released before. Alas, this song failed to pick up mainstream momentum, but it still stands out as a unique track among her other singles and, for that reason, is definitely worth a listen if you truly want to get to know every corner of Kylie's artistry.
7. 'Where The Wild Roses Grow'
If disco-pop songs aren't really your thing then a) bravo for making it this far and b) your patience is about to be rewarded, for "I Was Gonna Cancel" was not the only time Kylie took a step out of her comfort zone. This 1995 collaboration with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds is a folk rock ballad that tells the tale of a man (Nick) who murders a woman (Kylie) and is all the evidence you need to see that Kylie is one of the most versatile pop artists in history.
8. 'I Believe In You'
A song that came courtesy of the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and Babydaddy, "I Believe In You" is the sexy dance track in which Kylie gives us a rundown of all the things she doesn't believe in, but reassures her listeners (or perhaps more likely a lover) that she does still believe in us, so it's all good. This also might be one of the most enjoyable Kylie choruses to sing along to; attempting to climb that octave with her will probably hurt the ears of those around you, but at least you're having fun.
9. 'Better The Devil You Know'
An absolute classic. If you don't already know all of the words to this then, I'm sorry, but I'm judging you. Just where have you been for the past 29 years? Widely regarded as the track that transformed her from a blushing ingénue into the superstar she is today, for many artists a song like "Better The Devil You Know" would be the highlight of their careers; for Kylie, it's just one of many.
10. 'Can’t Get You Out Of My Head'
The sound of the noughties, "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" is Kylie's bestselling song, having sold more than one million copies in the UK and five million worldwide. Here, she returns to the sultry synth sound that runs through so many of her other bangers for a moment of pure pop perfection. And you know what? After listening to it once, you won't be able to get it out of your head. La, la, la...
Follow us on Vero for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our Editors and high-profile talent.
Read more:
The best Janet Jackson songs sampled by other artists
We speak to ‘kawaii metal’ vanguards Babymetal about fox gods and Glastonbury
Stormzy has already proved that he deserves to headline Glastonbury, so why are we doubting him?