Red Blooded Woman

Background and composition

Following the global success of her eighth studio album Fever, Minogue began working on her ninth studio album Body Language. Aiming to create a dance-pop album inspired by electronic music from the 1980s, Minogue enlisted collaborators such as Johnny Douglas (who had previously worked with her on Light Years) and Karen Poole. The duo wrote "Red Blooded Woman" together, while Douglas also handled the production of the song. It was selected as the second single from Body Language and was released globally on 1 March 2004. In the United Kingdom, it was released on 10 March 2004.

"Red Blooded Woman" is a hip hop and synthpop track, the former being a genre Minogue newly experimented with on the album. It features a vocoded "Boy! Boy!" hook and "candy-coated la la la's" which are repeated during the bridge. A choir of men also provide backing vocals in a "ghostly" manner, according to Slant Magazine editor Sal Cinquemani. Similar to numerous songs from the album, "Red Blooded Woman" contains a reference to music from the 1980s: its line "You got me spinning round, round, round, round like a record" alludes to British band Dead or Alive's 1985 song "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Remixes by English electronica artists Narcotic Thrust and Whitey were included on the 12-inch picture single.

Critical response

Billboard critic Keith Claufield singled out the song as a highlight from the album and called it "a cousin of Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River'." Also from Billboard, Michael Paoletta called it a "sexy, skittery, beat-driven hip-pop number that sounds like a Timbaland production". He concluded that "["Red Blooded Woman"] definitely deserves a shot at mainstream top 40 and rhythmic success". Like Paoletta, Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine too compared the production of the song to that of Timbaland. The "Boy! Boy" hook of the song and its synthpop style were praised by Spin magazine, who felt that they "demonstrate that even in the 21st century, Kylie wears the 1980s well." Writing for NME, John Robinson found "Red Blooded Woman" to be better than "Slow", the lead single from the album, and called it "excellent cutting edge pop in a great single by the Justin Timberlake or Sugababes way." Adrien Begrand from PopMatters favoured its "almost garage-like beat" and appreciated the lyric "You'll never get to Heaven if you're scared of getting high." Louis Vartel from the LGBT oriented website NewNownext, ranked it at number 46 on his list of the singer's 48 greatest songs, in honor of her 48th birthday. He hailed it a "sweaty dip in self-possession and sex appeal". A reviewer from Sputnikmusic called it "equally as strong as (if not stronger than)" lead single "Slow".

Commercial performance

"Red Blooded Woman" debuted and peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia. The following week, it dropped out of the top ten to number eleven. The single had a short run on the chart, lasting for five weeks in total. In New Zealand, it entered the singles chart at number 34 and later peaked at number 19. It charted for 12 weeks and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for completing sales of 7,500 units.

In Europe, the song reached the top twenty in numerous countries. In both Denmark and Italy, "Red Blooded Woman" peaked at number ten and appeared in the top twenty for three weeks. In Germany, the song peaked at number 16 and charted for a total of 10 weeks. It debuted at number eight on the Spanish Singles Chart and fell one place to number nine the next week. It appeared on the chart for a short period of time of four weeks. In Switzerland, "Red Blooded Woman" peaked higher than its preceding single "Slow", reaching number 15 on the Schweizer Hitparade. "Red Blooded Woman" entered the UK Singles Chart at number five, becoming Minogue's 26th top-ten hit in the country. It was a moderate success, charting for nine weeks inside the top 40 of the chart.

Music video

The music video for "Red Blooded Woman" was directed by Jake Nava, an English film director who had previously worked with artists like Beyoncé and Kelis. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California, in December 2003. It begins with a scene of a congested traffic jam in which Minogue is caught. She is shown seated in her car singing to the song in a sensual manner, with the camera repeatedly focusing on her eyes and lips. Her outfit is composed of a black and white singlet, a satin waist cincher, jeans with chain fringes, and a black sheepskin shrug (this outfit was donated by Minogue to the Arts Centre Melbourne and is displayed in the Kylie Minogue Collection). A few seconds later, she gets down from her vehicle and playfully makes her way to a tank. Climbing up on its ladder, Minogue dances seductively to the chorus of the song. She then resumes walking on the street and is accompanied by two doberman puppies who escape from a nearby car. After entering into the backseat of another car, Minogue begins unwrapping a red dress and proceeds to change into it as she is watched by various onlookers. As the second chorus starts, Minogue is seen dancing with a group of backup dancers at a different location. Her attire consists of a fluorine yellow bustier worn underneath a pastel pink dress designed by French fashion house Balenciaga. The scene changes back to the street, where Minogue is shown entering a truck. She dims the lights and then dances in a different outfit, consisting of a black bikini, red leggings, and laced gloves. However, she exits the truck in the same red outfit she donned earlier. The rest of the video rapidly intersperses scenes of Minogue dancing inside and in front of the truck, on a car, with the backup dancers, and near a gang of motorcyclists.

Live performances

A one-off concert show, Money Can't Buy, was held at entertainment venue Hammersmith Apollo, London, on 15 November 2003 to promote Body Language. "Red Blooded Woman" was included on the set list of the concert and was performed during the first act "Paris by Night." On 20 February 2004, she appeared on British music chart television programme Top of the Pops to perform the song. Minogue later performed "Red Blooded Woman" at German music awards, ECHO Awards, on 6 March 2004.

"Red Blooded Woman" was included on the set list of Minogue's Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in 2005. Minogue was unable to complete the tour as she was diagnosed with early breast cancer and had to cancel the Australian leg of the tour. After undergoing treatment and recovery, she resumed the concert tour in the form of Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in 2007, and "Red Blooded Woman" was again added to the set list. In 2009, she performed the song during concert shows of the For You, for Me tour, which was her first tour of North America. The performances of the song during all three of the tours contained an excerpt from "Where the Wild Roses Grow" and were preceded by a segment showing numerous male backup dancers showering.