Neon Nights

Despite producing a top-five hit with 1997's "All I Wanna Do", Minogue was dropped by record label Warner Brothers after her third studio album Girl became a commercial disappointment, and she saw herself as effectively retired from the music industry.[2][3] She appeared in productions of Macbeth and Notre-Dame de Paris during this time.[4][5]

In 2001, Minogue was approached by DJ Pete Tong to record vocals for the trance instrumental "Stringer" by DJ duo Riva, which was becoming a hit in European clubs. The track became "Who Do You Love Now?", which peaked at number three and remains as her longest-charting entry with sixteen weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

The success of "Who Do You Love Now?" led to a six-album record deal with London Recordings, and work on a new album soon began with London giving Minogue free rein of its production, with a goal that sounded like remixes of pop songs:[7] "[the blueprint was] to translate stuff that’s happening in the clubs and more underground onto a pop record. No other pop artists at big labels were getting that opportunity."[2]

The album's initial output mimicked "Who Do You Love Now?"'s trance sound, which was discarded in favor of an early '80s pop and French house direction. Neon Nights received a generally positive reception from music critics, some of whom complimented its mix of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility,[8] and some of whom felt as though its 1980s retro sound was too dated.

In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number one on the dance chart.[9] The song is widely regarded as Minogue's comeback song. In Australia, the song peaked at number fifteen, while in the United States the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number twelve on the Billboard Dance Club chart.[10] In 2001, Minogue signed a six-album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.[11]

Neon Nights became Minogue's most successful album release, and reached number eight in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Gold.[10] In Australia the album was initially a moderate success, reaching #25 on the albums chart. However, when re-issued for its 20th year anniversary, the album reached a new peak of #17 - the highest position for any of Minogue's albums, besting the chart position of her debut album in 1990.[12] The album was also nominated for Best Pop Release at the 2003 ARIA Music Awards, making it Minogue's only ARIA nomination to date.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[13]
AllMusic	[14]
BBC Music	positive[15]
MusicOMH	positive[16]

Neon Nights was met with generally positive reviews. John Lucas of AllMusic described it as a "varied collection, a veritable pick and mix of the European dance scene at the turn of the century" and felt that it "flows better than any of Dannii's albums have before."[14] Jack Smith of BBC Music called it "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility" that "goes a long way to remind the world of Dannii's powerful vocals."[15] Alexis Kirke of MusicOMH praised the singles "Who Do You Love Now?", "Put the Needle on It" and "I Begin to Wonder" and stated that "if Dannii cannot win and hold a position of new popularity with this album [...], she may never get another chance."[16] Ron Slomowicz of About.com felt that Neon Nights is "good pop music", though "generic in some songs" with some "obvious filler".[13] In a retrospective for the album's 10th anniversary, Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that "it's one thing to create an excellent three-and-a-half-minute dance-pop song, but another to sustain the appeal over an entire album. Kylie managed it with Fever, Madonna followed suit on Confessions on a Dance Floor. Dannii's contribution to the genre is every bit as good as those classics."[17]

On 1 April 2023, Minogue confirmed the deluxe, expanded anniversary issue of Neon Nights would be released later in 2023.[18] On 16 June 2023, Minogue released Neon Nights 20; the 33-track album was made available on all digital outlets and CD and vinyl.[19][20][21] The reissue release saw the album re-chart at number 17 in Australia, higher than the original issue's peak of 25, and number 55 in the UK.

Multiple samples are featured on the album:

1. "Mighty Fine" contains a sample from "Thighs High" performed by Tom Browne.
2. "Push" contains a sample from "White Horse" performed by Laid Back.
3. "Begin to Spin Me Around" is a mash-up between Minogue's song "I Begin to Wonder" and Dead or Alive's 1984 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)".
4. "Don't Wanna Lose This Groove" is a mashup between Minogue's song "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" and Madonna's 1985 hit "Into the Groove".[24][25]

All editions released by London/Warner Music Group/Ultra Records.

• DanniiMusic.com – official website (including lyrics to the songs on Neon Nights).