Kylie Minogue – “I Should Be So Lucky”: Bubblegum Pop with Bite
Released on 29 December 1987, “I Should Be So Lucky” was Kylie Minogue’s UK debut single and the track that launched her into global pop stardom. She was already a household name in Australia thanks to her role as Charlene on Neighbours, and her cover of “The Loco-Motion” had topped the charts back home. That success got the attention of Stock Aitken Waterman—aka SAW—the hit-making trio behind Bananarama, Rick Astley, and Dead or Alive.
The story behind the song is legendary: Kylie flew to London expecting a recording session, but SAW had forgotten she was coming. Pete Waterman scrambled, and Mike Stock and Matt Aitken wrote the song in about 40 minutes while Kylie waited outside. She recorded it in under an hour, line by line, without hearing the full track. Then she flew back to Australia, unsure if anything would come of it.
Synths, Smiles, and Sadness
“I Should Be So Lucky” is pure late-’80s bubblegum pop—bright synths, bouncy drum machines, and a hook that sticks. But underneath the cheerful sound is a surprisingly melancholy lyric. Kylie sings about dreaming of love that never quite arrives, and the chorus—“I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky in love”—is more wistful than it first sounds.
The production is classic SAW: layered keyboards, punchy rhythms, and a melody that’s deceptively tricky to play. Pete Waterman claimed it was inspired by Pachelbel’s Canon, though Mike Stock later denied it. Either way, it’s got that clean, high-energy polish that defined the era.
Chart Takeover
The single hit No. 1 in the UK and stayed there for five weeks. It also topped the charts in Australia, Germany, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, South Africa, and Japan, and reached the top 10 in France, Austria, and New Zealand. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the Dance Club chart.
By the end of 1988, it was one of the year’s best-selling singles in the UK, with over 675,000 copies sold. It won the ARIA Award for Highest-Selling Single and was later added to Australia’s Sounds of Australia registry for its cultural significance.
The Video and the Image
Directed by Chris Langman and filmed at Channel 7 Studios in Melbourne, the music video shows Kylie dancing around her home, giggling, filing her nails, and daydreaming—with scenes of her dancing in front of a colourful chalkboard background intercut throughout. It’s wholesome, playful, and helped cement her girl-next-door image. A second promo video—shot in Sydney—featured Kylie riding in a convertible and waving to fans.
The visuals matched the song’s tone: sweet, slightly silly, and totally charming.
Legacy
“I Should Be So Lucky” wasn’t just a hit—it was the start of something huge. It kicked off Kylie’s long run with SAW, who produced her first four albums, and it turned her from a soap star into a pop icon. The song’s success also helped solidify SAW’s reputation as the defining producers of late-’80s UK pop.
It’s been remixed, re-released, and reinterpreted over the years—including a jazz version on Kylie’s 2009 tour and a special BBC Sport rendition in 2023. And yes, it still gets played at parties, Pride events, and retro nights around the world.