"Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album Rhythm of Love (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and was released as the album's lead single on 30 April 1990 by PWL and Mushroom Records. "Better the Devil You Know" is known as the song that re-invented Minogue with more sex appeal, as her previous albums were presented with her "girl next door" persona. Her music onwards presented a more independent approach.
The song's title is a reference to an idiom. Lyrically, the song was claimed by producer Pete Waterman to be about Minogue's relationship with her then-boyfriend, INXS frontman and singer Michael Hutchence. However, that is disputed by the song's primary composer, Mike Stock, who insists he was unaware of Kylie's private life at the time. When it reaches the chorus, the song spans from A-Fm-A-D, and repeats everyline. When it reaches the bridge, the songs chords span from A-Fm-A-F in each line. He added: "The track transferred well onto the dance-floor and heralded a long reign for Kylie as the new queen of disco... a pop princess". Mike Soutar from Smash Hits felt that Minogue's voice is in "absolutely tip-top shape - there's no doubt she's a much improved singer these days." Jonathan Bernstein from Spin viewed it as a "knockout" pop single, that "mirrored her evolution from tomboy to dreamboat." Jason Shawahn from About.com said along with "What Do I Have To Do" and "Wouldn't Change A Thing"; "are nothing if not pop masterpieces." Hunter Felt from PopMatters said along with "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" and "Shocked" are pure pop moments. He then described it "as almost soulful rave-ups". In 2003, English music journalist Paul Morley included "Better the Devil You Know" in his list of "Greatest Pop Single of All Time".
In 2014, Matt Dunn of WhatCulture ranked the song at number two in his "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles" list. In 2021, British magazine Classic Pop ranked it number seven in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs", adding, "For many the moment Kylie went from virtuous pop star to racy nubile, Better The Devil You Know arrived in a mist of twirling dance-pop and palms-to-the-sky goodness, giving her a touch of avant class." In 2024, the same magazine ranked the song at number five in its list of "Top 40 Kylie Minogue songs", and noted that the lyric has drawn attention from darker quarters when vampiric Aussie Nick Cave defined it as "one of pop music's most violent and distressing love lyrics".
In 2020, Alexis Petridis of British daily newspaper The Guardian ranked the song at number four in his "Kylie's 30 greatest singles" list, adding that it proves that "Stock Aitken and Waterman could be masterful pop craftsmen" and described it "an effortlessly soaring melody, a perfect updating of disco's cocktail of jubilant music and lyrical heartbreak". In 2023, in the same newspaper, he listed the song at number four in his "Stock Aitken Waterman's 20 greatest songs – ranked!", adding that it "was a luxurious disco homage... The strings on the 12in version are particularly luscious, the lyrics slightly at odds with the utterly jubilant music". In 2023, Robert Moran of Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald ranked the song as Minogue's fifth best song (out of 183), describing it "a classic", and added: "Kylie strains to rise above the wall of sound production (stuttering synths, piano fills, soaring strings and harmonies)". In 2025, Thomas Edward of Smooth Radio ranked the song fourth in his list of "Stock Aitken Waterman's 15 greatest songs, ranked".
Chart performance
thumb|upright|Minogue performing the song during her [[Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour in 2011.]]
In the UK, "Better the Devil You Know" became Minogue's fifth non-consecutive number two single, being blocked by Adamski's "Killer". The song stayed at number two for two consecutive weeks, and spent a total of 10 weeks in the chart. It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) having sold 340,000 copies. The song peaked at number four in its third week on the chart and spent a total of thirteen weeks in the Top 50. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) with sales exceeding 35,000 copies. However, in New Zealand the song was not a great success, debuting at number thirty-four, but falling out from number forty the next week, then re-entered at number twenty-seven, where it eventually peaked and charted for four weeks. In France, the song debuted at number thirty-eight, and after weeks on the chart it peaked at number thirteen for a single week. The song topped the charts in Israel and reached number eleven in Spain.
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Better the Devil You Know" was directed by Paul Goldman and was filmed in Melbourne. The video caused some controversy as it presented Minogue in a much more mature image than videos from earlier years. The making of the video was the first time Minogue "felt part of the creative process". She said: "I wasn't in charge but I had a voice. I'd bought some clothes on King's Road for the video. I saw a new way to express my point of view creatively."
Goldman says that Minogue filmed the video in Australia to escape the creative oversight of her UK label, PWL. In the video, Minogue can be seen dancing more suggestively than in her previous efforts. At the time she was dating INXS singer Michael Hutchence, she is wearing one of his rings in the clip, a large silver 'M'. His mother, Patricia Glassop, a make up artist did the make up. The reaction of some at PWL to the video was strongly negative, with Goldman claiming he was slammed by a senior staff member for "fucking up" the video, damaging Kylie's image and, potentially, hurting her career.
- "Better the Devil You Know" – 3:52
- "Better the Devil You Know" (the Mad March Hare mix) – 7:09
- "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" – 3:21
- 7-inch and cassette single
:A. "Better the Devil You Know" – 3:52
:B. "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" – 3:21
- 12-inch and maxi-cassette single
:A. "Better the Devil You Know" (the Mad March Hare mix) – 7:09
:B. "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" – 4:54
- Digital EP
- "Better the Devil You Know" – 3:52
- "Better the Devil You Know" (the Mad March Hare mix) – 7:06
- "Better the Devil You Know" (Dave Ford remix) – 5:48
- "Better the Devil You Know" (alternative mix) – 3:18
- "Better the Devil You Know" (7-inch instrumental) – 3:52
- "Better the Devil You Know" (7-inch backing track) – 3:52
- "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" (remix) – 3:20
- "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" (extended remix) – 4:54
- "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" (remix instrumental) – 3:20
- "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)" (remix backing track) – 3:20
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1990)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI)
|6
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|6
|-
!scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)
|7
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)
|align="center"|1
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Spain (AFYVE)
|12
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1998)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
|59
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1990)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
|55
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
|19
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|36
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (European Airplay Top 50)
|33
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Topplistan)
|83
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)
|38
|}
Certifications
Steps version
British pop quintet Steps recorded a version of "Better the Devil You Know" for their sophomore studio album, Steptacular (1999). The song was also included on the North American edition (1999) of their debut album, Step One (1998), which featured a mixture of tracks from both Step One and Steptacular. Thus, the song was eventually featured as the opening track of Steps' third album, Buzz (2000). "Better the Devil You Know" was released as a double A-side with the song "Say You'll Be Mine" in December 1999, the third release from Steptacular. A limited-edition of the single was released as a digipack that included a doubled-sided poster in the sleeve; one side was the group pictured in their dance outfits, and the other side shows the group in their costumes and the different scenes that are shown throughout the music video.
The single peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Though it did not manage to match the global success of the original version, it did have some success, including reaching No. 21 in Australia and charting in several European markets.
Track listing
- "Say You'll Be Mine" – 3:32
- "Better the Devil You Know" – 3:49
- "Better the Devil You Know" (2T's 2 Go Mix) – 5:53
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Buzz.
Recording
- Recorded in 1999 at PWL Studios (Manchester, England)
- Mixed in 1999 at PWL Studios (Manchester, England)
- Mastered at Transfermation (London, England)
Personnel
- Songwriting – Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Pete Waterman
- Production – Mark Topham, Karl Twigg, Pete Waterman
- Mixing – Dan Frampton
- Engineering – Tim "Spag" Speight
- Drums – Dan Frampton
- Keyboards Karl Twigg
- Bass Mark Topham
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2000)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)
|21
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
|102
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2000)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)
|170
|}
Other cover versions
Australian singer Penny Flanagan recorded a cover version for the 1997 film Dust Off The Wings.
In 2009, European pop group Village Boys made a version of the song. In 2010, Miss Fitz, from Eurovision: Your Country Needs You, sang this song. Miss Fitz was also in X Factor the year before but only made it to bootcamp stage.