Rocktrospectiva: The Mellow And Poppy "Enjoy Yourself" Turns 35

Released on 9 October 1989, "Enjoy Yourself" was the second studio album by Australian artist Kylie Minogue, who reunited with the producers Stock Aitken Waterman, who produced and wrote nine of the album's ten tracks, in London in February 1989. The recording sessions took place there from February until July, coinciding with Minogue filming her first feature film The Delinquents.

The album is a bubblegum pop, dance-pop, and disco music that mainly discusses romantic relationships. It received mixed reviews from music critics, who criticised its similarity with her debut release. Despite of that, the album debuted in the UK at No. 1, also peaked the same position in Ireland, top ten in Australia, Japan and New Zealand, but couldn't connect with the audiences in the United States. Four singles were released from the album, including UK chart-toppers "Hand on Your Heart" and "Tears on My Pillow". Two other singles, "Wouldn't Change a Thing" and "Never Too Late" peaked in the top five. 

 

Minogue relocated to London after filming her final scenes for Neighbours in June and July 1988. In November, she lent her voice to "Especially for You", a duet with her then-boyfriend Jason Donovan, who also played her love interest in Neighbours. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW), it became the fourth highest-selling single of 1988 and the first number-one single of 1989 in the United Kingdom. In February 1989, she reunited with the producers at PWL Studios.

 

Stock, Aitken and Waterman wrote and produced the entire album apart from "Tears on My Pillow", which was written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis. Minogue and the producers decided that the album would be more diverse than the previous effort, which was mainly dance music. The album contains many R&B basslines, which Stock felt shows different aspects of pop music and gives "a slightly more soulful, more American angle, a kind of serious feel". He wrote simple lyrics about romantic relationships to give the songs "extra resonance and profundity".

 

The opener "Hand on Your Heart" is a beat-heavy song that contains a message about honesty and communication in a relationship. "Wouldn't Change a Thing" deals with believing someone even if no one can understand, while "Never Too Late" follows Minogue's optimistic philosophy. The happy and bouncy track "Nothing to Lose" tells a story about taking risks to get what you want. It is followed by "Tell Tale Signs", a jazz-oriented blues and string-laden torch song, in which Minogue realizes the signs of a relationship falling apart. The offbeat baroque pop "My Secret Heart" contains unusual rhythms, key changes, stuttering cello sounds, and jaunty lyricism. Minogue characterized "My Secret Heart" as an innocent and hopeful fantasy song that reminds her of the 1940s romantic Hollywood films. "I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)", the seventh track, in a celebratory and joyous way. Its subject matter centres around finding the courage to face the end of a relationship.

 

"Tears on My Pillow", an innocent ballad that differs from Johnny Nash's 1975 reggae hit of the same name. Minogue found her version "smooth and easy to listen to" and fairly true to the original. The melodic "Heaven and Earth" shows Minogue's view on the environmental issues, and encourages people to conserve and protect the environment, "Enjoy Yourself" lyrically, it reminds people to be happy and enjoy themselves.

 

The critics were mixed compared Minogue's debut album, and described it as an unimaginative extension of Kylie others  opined that despite the lack of strong tunes, the album still had more variety than her first one and Minogue was "at her most ingenuous"

 

Enjoy Yourself Track List: 

 

1. Hand On Your Heart

2. Wouldn't Change A Thing

3. Never Too Late

4. Nothing To Lose

5. Tell Tale Sings

6. My Secret Heart

7. I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)

8. Tears On My Pillow

9. Heaven And Earth

10. Enjoy Yourself