Oh Boy!: Kylie Minogue’s “Better the Devil You Know” Turns 30

April 30, 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of one of Kylie Minogue’s signature songs, “Better the Devil You Know.” The lead single from her third studio album, Rhythm of Love, it goes down as one of her biggest career-defining moments, marking her transition from bubble-gum pop (and soap opera) star to slightly more brazen pop siren. (Kylie was no longer with fellow soap star, Jason Donovan, and had started dating Michael Hutchence at this time, representing a shift in her personal life as well.)

With its stuttering synthesizer sounds, rattling tambourine and thumping beat, never before has a song about repeatedly forgiving an unfaithful partner sounded so good. “Devil” has become a staple in many of Kylie’s concerts throughout the decades, as seen in the brilliant compilation below, created by “Kylie Minogue Video.” As one comment states, rightly so: “This made me emotional.”

The compilation captures Kylie:
Devil horns and all from Intimate and Live (1998);
Donning top hat and tails from Live in Sydney (2001);
As the braided beauty from KylieFever2002: Live in Manchester;
Decked out in blue feathers from Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (2005);
Presenting a pink plume in Showgirl Homecoming (2006);
Rocking the cutoff shorts in Aphrodite Les Folies (2011);
As a cowgirl in pink from Golden - Live in Concert (2019);
In the legends slot at the Glastonbury Festival 2019.

Some favorite moments: 0:21 captures the blast of brilliance at the start of Showgirl Homecoming; that million-dollar smile at 2:15 in the blue Showgirl outfit; 2:57 as she bows to the fans that made this song a Kylie classic.

Madonna Singin’ in the Ring & “Causing a Commotion”

Check out this “fight to the finish.” Filmed in Yokohama, Japan on Madonna’s “Blond Ambition Tour” (1990), the pop star and her two backing vocalists, Donna De Lory and Niki Haris, duke it out during “Causing a Commotion.” It’s the third song in the set list and one of the best in the show, for it captures some of the elements that make this such an iconic tour:

Style with sociological substance: Jean-Paul Gaultier’s versatile designs have Madonna going from corset to athletic (hoodie) wear, specifically a colorful jacket that smartly stretches to accommodate the famous cone bra. And then the gloves go on. Gaultier and Madonna play with traditional gender roles and iconography: doll-like ponytail; a pants-suit with lingerie (as outerwear); exaggerated (bullet) bra; unhinged garters; her character almost an engineered construct of masculine prowess and Metropolis-inspired (robo) femininity, with Madonna stating, “Let’s show these people how ladies can act.”

“The moves, baby”: Choreographed punches and uppercuts, and by the end Madonna is full of “below the belt” bragging rights, after the intentionally tongue-in-cheek “grudge match” of cartoon (“Three Stooges”) proportion.

Band: The bass intro with percussion congas; Jonathan Moffett on drums (2:10 captures his impressive speed to keep the beat). With Madonna on the main card, it’s important to remember that there’s actually a solid live band (3:09).

This is just one of the many performances that confirms the Blond Ambition Tour is still a clear winner… T.K.O.