Kylie Minogue’s Kiss Me Once era had its faults, but the fate of “Golden Boy” was surely the most egregious. One of two songs produced by alt super-producer Ariel Rechtshaid, the shimmery bop was originally slated for the Japanese edition. That was scrapped and it eventually appeared as a limited edition vinyl as part of Record Store Day 2014, before being unceremoniously dumped on streaming services as part of a compilation in 2018. It’s shocking because “Golden Boy” is better than some of the singles released from the album.
“Here we are again, dancing in the dark,” Kylie begins over light and airy, ’80s-inspired synths. “All the flashing lights, bend me a spark.” That takes us to the sing-along chorus. “Now I’m banging on your door, just like four up on the floor,” she coos. “This is happening too soon, why are we battling the moon? You are my golden boy.” If sanity had prevailed, this would have been the album’s second single after “Into The Blue.” However, Kiss Me Once wasn’t easy to curate — as Kylie admitted to us in a 2014 interview.
“I can’t tell you how many versions of this album have been put into a list,” she said of Kiss Me Once. “I’ve made more lists in the last year than I care to think of. And, really down to the very end, there were so many contenders. I felt like no matter which way the song list went, there was going to be some disappointment [over what was cut] on my side and on the side of other writers and producers.” Kylie also realized that there would be other opportunities to share the gems. “The songs will find the right home when it’s the right time.” Listen to “Golden Boy” below.
