Body Language is the ninth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 10 November 2003 by Parlophone. Following the commercial success of her eighth studio album Fever (2001), Minogue enlisted a diverse group of writers and producers to aid in creating a new album, including Cathy Dennis, Dan Carey, Emiliana Torrini, Johnny Douglas, and Kurtis Mantronik among others. Influenced by the musical works of the 1980s and artists like Prince and Scritti Politti, Body Language musically differs from Minogue's previous albums, which mainly featured disco-oriented dance-pop tracks, and instead explores genres like synth-pop, electroclash, R&B, and hip hop. Lyrically, the album touches upon themes of flirtation, romance, introspection and heartbreak.

Following its release, Body Language received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented Minogue for experimenting with new genres and the overall production of the album. Some critics, however, opined that many songs lacked catchy material and were not suitable for dancing. Commercially, Body Language peaked at number two on the albums chart of Australia and was certified double-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number six and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Three singles were released from Body Language. "Slow" was released as the lead single in November 2003 and was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the singles charts of Australia, Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom. "Red Blooded Woman" was released as the second single and reached the top five in Australia and the United Kingdom. "Chocolate" was released as the final single and peaked inside the top 10 in the United Kingdom. Minogue performed at a one-off concert-show titled "Money Can't Buy", on 15 November 2003 to mark the release of the album. Body Language became notable for displaying another change in Minogue's persona and is cited as an example of her numerous "reinventions". The album sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. It was reissued for the album's twentieth anniversary, on vinyl for the first time ever, on 8 March 2024.

Background and development

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Body Language received an average score of 62 based on 17 reviews which indicates "generally favourable reviews". The Irish Times review of the song called the album a "worthy successor to 2001's smash hit Fever, a supremely danceable collection of electro-pop songs that's clearly in thrall to the 80s" and complimented Minogue's versatile vocal delivery. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt Body Language was a better album than Fever, calling it "less immediate and more experimental, a midway point between the alternative/electronica of 1997's Impossible Princess and Minogue's more mainstream post-millennium work", and praised it for being cohesive. He also complimented Minogue's "willingness to try something new – even if it's within the confines of dance-pop – is what's made her an international sensation 15 years running". Helen Pidd from The Guardian favoured the blend of 1980s musical styles on the album, but felt that it lacked danceable songs, saying "Problem is, as with the majority of other tracks – including, most disappointingly, the Dennis-penned "After Dark" – you would be hard pushed to dance to it, which could well be Body Languages downfall".

Elsewhere, Body Language peaked at number 23 on the Austrian Albums Chart According to Nielsen SoundScan, Body Language had sold 177,000 units in the US as of March 2011. The album sold 2.1 million copies worldwide. At the 2004 Brit Awards, the singer received her third-consecutive nomination for "Best International Female Solo Artist". At the 47th Grammy Awards ceremony held in the year 2005, lead single "Slow" was nominated for "Best Dance Recording", and in 2012, Minogue picked the song as her all-time favourite song from her 25 years in music.

Following its release, Body Language was considered to be an example of Minogue's constant "reinventions". During this period, Minogue was often referred to as "Bardot Kylie" due to the Brigitte Bardot-inspired look she sported on the cover, and Body Language was seen as a step forward from the "slick, minimalist and postmodern" image she had adopted during the release of Fever. Chris True from AllMusic regarded the album as "another successful attempt [by Minogue] at broadening her sound (with electro and hip-hop for instance) and winning more fans".

In 2006, Larissa Dubecki from The Age commented that "Kylie has beaten her early detractors by inhabiting almost a dozen identities, from the "singing budgie" who emerged from Neighbours to score her first hit single with a cover of the Little Eva classic "Locomotion" in 1987, to the 1960s ingenue of her most recent album, 2003's Body Language". Mark Elliott from the website Dig! called it "pleasingly experimental", noting that Body Language has come to be regarded as "one of the most interesting and ultimately rewarding entries among the best Kylie Minogue albums". Similarly, writing for its twentieth anniversary, Quentin Harrison of Albumism opined that it is "one of the subtlest and most creatively defiant vehicles within her canon".

Track listing

Notes

  • signifies a vocal and additional producer
  • "I Feel for You" features an extract from "It's My House" by S. Buchanan and Earl Buchanan.
  • Some digital editions of the album include the radio edit of "Chocolate".
  • On Australian limited edition "Slow Motion" is titled "Slo Motion".

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Body Language.

Musicians

  • Kylie Minogue – lead vocals, backing vocals
  • Ash Thomas – backing vocals, extra chorus "pops"
  • Alexis Strum – backing vocals
  • Lion – extra chorus "pops"
  • David Billing – backing vocals
  • Miriam Grey – backing vocals
  • Johnny Douglas – all instruments, backing vocals
  • Dave Clews – keyboards ; programming
  • Karen Poole – backing vocals
  • A Guevara – MC / additional vocals
  • Green Gartside – additional vocals
  • Richard "Biff" Stannard – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Julian Gallagher – keyboards, programming
  • Dave Morgan – keyboards, guitars
  • Alvin Sweeney – programming
  • Simon Hale – string arrangements, conducting
  • The London Session Orchestra – orchestra
  • Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader
  • Chris Braide – all instruments, backing vocals
  • Cathy Dennis – all instruments, backing vocals
  • Dave McCracken – programming

Technical

  • Sunnyroads – production
  • Mr. Dan – mixing
  • Baby Ash – production ; mixing ; vocal production
  • Rez – production
  • Dave Clews – Pro Tools ; vocal engineering
  • Johnny Douglas – vocal production, additional production ; production, mixing
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – mixing
  • Damon Iddins – mixing assistance
  • Kurtis Mantronik – production
  • Electric J – production
  • Richard "Biff" Stannard – production
  • Julian Gallagher – production
  • Alvin Sweeney – recording, mixing
  • Niall Alcott – orchestra recording
  • Cathy Dennis – production
  • Danton Supple – engineering
  • Dylan Gallagher – pre-production engineering
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Geoff Rice – engineering assistance
  • Geoff "Peshy" Pesh – mastering

Artwork

  • Tony Hung – sleeve direction, design
  • Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for Body Language in 2003–04

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2003–2004)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)

| 1

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| European Albums (Billboard)

| 9

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI)

| 3

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| 43

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Singaporean Albums (RIAS)

| 9

|-

! scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)

| 28

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for Body Language Vinyl Release in 2024

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2024)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

!scope="row"|Australian Vinyl Chart (ARIA)

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums (HDU)

| 21

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)

| 7

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|UK Albums

|34

|-

!scope="row"|UK Vinyl Albums

|3

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2003 year-end chart performance for Body Language

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

| 54

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)

| 3

|-

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

| 63

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2004 year-end chart performance for Body Language

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

| 85

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)

| 6

|-

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

| 166

|}

Certifications and sales

Release history

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ Release dates and formats for Body Language

|-

! scope="col"| Region

! scope="col"| Date

! scope="col"| Label

! scope="col"|

|-

! scope="row"| Japan

| 10 November 2003

|rowspan="7"| CD, cassette

| EMI

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Australia

| rowspan="2"| 14 November 2003

| Festival Mushroom

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Germany

| rowspan="2"| EMI

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| France

| rowspan="2"| 17 November 2003

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| United Kingdom

| Parlophone

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"|Various

|8 March 2024

|Limited edition 20th anniversary vinyl

|Parlophone

| align="center"|

|-

|}

References

Footnotes

  • Body Language at Kylie.com (archived from 2004)