2 Hearts
Encyclopedia
"2 Hearts" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

 from her tenth studio album, X
X (Kylie Minogue album)
X is the tenth studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It is her first release since the greatest hits compilation Ultimate Kylie , and her first studio album since Body Language . X was preceded by lead single "2 Hearts" and released worldwide in November 2007...

 (2007). The song is a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of a track originally recorded by Kish Mauve
Kish Mauve
Kish Mauve is a British electropop group. The group was formed in 2005 in London, England, and consists of Mima Stilwell and Jim Eliot ....

, who also produced Minogue's version. "2 Hearts" was Minogue's first commercial single release since she was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 in May 2005.

"2 Hearts" received mixed reviews from music critics. The song was released on 9 November, 2007, a few days before the album was released. In most countries, the single was released as a CD Single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...

 and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 in most countries.

The song received charting success, peaking at number one in her native Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, her first number one there since her 2003 hit "Slow
Slow (song)
-Charts:-Year-End charts:-Chart procession and succession:-Release history:...

", as well as in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. "2 Hearts" also peaked in the top ten in nine countries, including the UK, Sweden, Italy, Norway and Slovakia, but also received lower success in other regions such New Zealand, where it peaked at number thirty-four, making it Minogue's lowest charting single in the country, and Canada, where it peaked at number sixty.

Background

In 2006, Minogue began recording material in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England for her first album since she was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 in May 2005. "2 Hearts" was written and originally recorded by London-based electro group Kish Mauve, who gave the song to Minogue. Commenting on the song, Minogue said that she "loved it from the moment I heard it". She also described the recording sessions with Kish Mauve as "a joy".

Release

The song and its remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

es were leaked
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...

 onto file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...

 websites on 9 October 2007. "2 Hearts" was released in various formats throughout the world. While most territories received a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...

 and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 release, the song was also released as a limited edition vinyl single
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...

 in the United Kingdom.
The song was promotionally released in New Zealand as a CD Single, where fans got free copies, due to the promotion of Minogue's film White Diamond
White Diamond
White Diamond: A Personal Portrait of Kylie Minogue is a 2007 documentary film directed and produced by William Baker and chronicling the life of Australian singer Kylie Minogue during her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour...

.

"2 Hearts" is used in promotional advertisments for the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 sitcom Cougar Town
Cougar Town
Cougar Town is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 23, 2009. The series focuses on a recently divorced woman in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter, along with her son, ex-husband, and friends who together make...

 starring Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....

.

Critical reception

"2 Hearts" received mixed reviews from pop music critics. Victoria Newton
Victoria Newton
Victoria Newton is an English journalist and showbiz correspondent. She is best known for being the former editor of the Bizarre showbiz column of Rupert Murdoch's The Sun newspaper.-Early life:...

, in a review for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...

, described the song as "a surefire number one", remarking that "it's on a par with "Can't Get You Out of My Head
Can't Get You out of My Head
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue, which was released from her eighth studio album Fever . The song was released worldwide as the lead single from the album, which was released on 8 September, 2001. The song was written and produced...

". Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 reviewer Tom Ewing compared the song to the music of Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....

, and wrote that "it's an unexpected stylistic move" and "it plays to her strengths". However, Sarah Walters of the Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...

 was less impressed, commenting that "it takes more than a bunch of singable wooh's to maketh the memorable single". Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...

 reviewer Alex Denney called "2 Hearts" a "disappointment", stating that "it's a genetic three-way splice of the burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...

 chic Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

's been peddling for the last 12 months to a worldwide chorus of mehs, Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.-Early life:...

's vampish electro shtick and, quite literally, Feist's "1234
1234 (song)
"1234" is a song from Feist's third studio album, The Reminder. It is Feist's most successful single to date. The song was co-written by Sally Seltmann, an Australian singer-songwriter who also recorded under the name New Buffalo, and Feist...

".

Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 ranked "2 Hearts" at number ninety-four on its list of the Top 100 Songs of 2007, even though the song had not been released in the United States. The song also ranked at number forty on Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....

s Top 50 Songs of 2007.

In 2010, the song was voted as Minogue's best single to date, as announced in a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 video.

Music video

The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "2 Hearts" was directed by Dawn Shadforth
Dawn Shadforth
Dawn Shadforth is a British music video and documentary director, as well as an editor and artist. Shadforth began her career as an award winning sculptor before turning her interest to music and directing...

 and filmed at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...

 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England. The video features Minogue in 2 different scenes: dressed black latex catsuit
Catsuit
A catsuit is a close-fitting one-piece garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex , leather, latex, PVC, or velour, and frequently close using a zipper at the front or back.Catsuits, which...

, red lipstick and big curly blonde hair performing with her band & another scene where she has a plain black dress, and in a darker, more mysterious environment. It is similar to Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....

 in Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....

. It begins with Minogue singing into a microphone on top of a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

. The video concludes with Minogue and her band performing on a stage with multi-colored confetti
Confetti
Confetti is a multitude of pieces of paper, mylar or metallic material which is usually thrown at parades and celebrations, especially weddings . Confetti is made in a variety of colors, and commercially available confetti is available in imaginative shapes...

 falling around them.

Minogue drew inspiration from London nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

 BoomBox, where she DJed
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

 during London Fashion Week
Fashion Week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, which allows fashion designers, brands or "houses" to display their latest collections in runway shows and buyers and the media to take a look at the latest trends. Most importantly, these events let the industry know...

. The costumes worn by Minogue and her band were designed by Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh is an English fashion designer. He currently lives and works in Paris.-Career:At 14, Pugh began working as a costume designer for the English National Youth Theatre. He started his fashion education at City of Sunderland College and finished his degree in Fashion Design at Central...

 and Christopher Kane
Christopher Kane
-Biography:Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman and housewife mother....

. The video premiered on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...

 on 10 October 2007.

Live performances

Kylie performed the song on the following concert tours:
  • KylieX2008
    KylieX2008
    KylieX2008 was the tenth concert tour by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, in support of her tenth studio album, X . Originally announced as just a European tour, rumors of Minogue taking the tour to Australia, Asia, and America had surfaced in the international media...

  • For You, For Me Tour
    For You, For Me Tour
    The For You, For Me Tour was the ninth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. This is Minogue's first concert tour in North America. The concert has received very favorable reviews from music critics...

  • Aphrodite World Tour (only in Japan)

The song was also performed on:
  • The Kylie Show
    The Kylie Show
    The Kylie Show is a one-off television special from Australian artist Kylie Minogue that aired on ITV on 10 November 2007 and was recorded at The London Studios...

     2007 TV Special

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "2 Hearts" was officially solicited to radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 on 10 October 2007. The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 at number twelve on 11 November 2007, based solely on digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...

 sales. It reached a peak position of number four on 19 November 2007, and remained in the top seventy-five for a total of thirteen weeks. "2 Hearts" debuted at number twenty-nine on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...

, a week before its physical single release. The track reached a peak position of number twelve in the Ireland the following week, and remained in the top fifty for seven weeks.

Elsewhere, "2 Hearts" was largely successful, reaching number one in Spain and the top five in Italy and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. In Australia, it debuted at number one on 19 November 2007, selling 6,149 copies. The song became Minogue's tenth number one single in Australia. "2 Hearts" exited the top ten after three weeks and remained in the top twenty of the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

 for six weeks. In New Zealand, it charted at number 34, but fell out the charts, then charted again at 38, then fell out. It was her last single in New Zealand, until her 2010 single "Higher
Higher (Taio Cruz song)
"Higher" is the fifth single from English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz's second studio album Rokstarr. It was written and produced by Cruz and Sandy Vee, and was released on 26 November 2010. This song was originally written for Australian singer Kylie Minogue's album Aphrodite, but plans fell through...

".

In Asia the song climbed to number one in Taiwan Singles Chart and number 3 on Japan. It was also a hit in Channel V Asia countdown.

Track listings

Digital download

(Released 4 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"


UK CD 1

(CDR6751; Released 12 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "I Don't Know What It Is" (Rob Davis, Paul Harris, Minogue, Julian Peake, Richard Stannard)


UK CD 2

(CDRS6751; Released 12 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe
    Alan Braxe
    Alain Quême, also known as Alan Braxe, is a French electronic music artist. Braxe is most widely known for his collaborative work with electronic bassist Fred Falke and Kris Menace. In 2005 Alan released The Upper Cuts, a collection of his previous released material.-History:Alan Braxe began work...

     remix)
  3. "King or Queen" (Kurstin, Minogue, Poole)
  4. "2 Hearts" music video


UK 12" picture disc

(12R6751; Released 12 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe remix)
  3. "2 Hearts" (Studio
    Studio (band)
    Studio is a Swedish electronic music band. They have been described as the missing link between The Cure and Lindstrøm - while simultaneously touching upon Can, Neu, Happy Mondays and The Smiths - in their creation of a "afrobeat-dub-disco-indie-pop" adventure...

     remix)


Australian CD single

(5144245992; Released 10 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe remix)
  3. "King or Queen"
  4. "I Don't Know What It Is"
  5. "2 Hearts" music video


Russian CD single

(Released 18 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "I Don't Know What It Is"

MSN UK digital download #1

(Released 4 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"
  2. "I Don't Know What It Is"
  3. "2 Hearts" (Harris and Masterson Extended mix)


MSN UK digital download #2

(Released 4 November 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe remix)
  2. "King or Queen"
  3. "2 Hearts" (Version by Studio)


UK promotional CD #1

(HEARTS001; Released 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts"


UK promotional CD #2

(Released 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe remix)
  2. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe dub)
  3. "2 Hearts" (Studio version)
  4. "2 Hearts" (Mark Brown Pacha Ibiza Upper Terrace remix)
  5. "2 Hearts" (A cappella)


UK promotional 12" single

(HEARTS2; Released 2007)
  1. "2 Hearts" (Alan Braxe remix)
  2. "2 Hearts" (Mark Brown Pacha Ibiza Upper Terrace remix)
  3. "2 Hearts" (Kish Mauve remix)
  4. "2 Hearts" (Studio version)
  5. "2 Hearts" (Paul Harris Extended mix)


Charts

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Chart (2007) Peak
position


Year-end charts

Chart (2007) Position
Australian Singles Chart 81
UK Singles Chart 77
Chart (2008) Position
European Hot 100 Singles 62

Personnel

The following people contributed to "2 Hearts":
  • Kylie Minogue – lead vocals
  • Kish Mauve - production
    Record producer
    A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

  • Dave Bascombe - mixing
    Audio mixing (recorded music)
    In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

  • Geoff Pesche - mastering
    Audio mastering
    Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...


Release history

Region Date
Europe 9 November 2007
Australia 10 November 2007
United Kingdom 12 November 2007
Russia 18 November 2007
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