While the first single for Disco, “Say Something,” was a hopeful glimpse (and apparently a source of inspiration to Miley Cyrus’ “Midnight Sky” video) into what Kylie Minogue might have to offer us for her fifteenth studio album, she’s somewhat dashed those hopes with her second single, “Magic.” While cliches make the world go ‘round, in this particular case, it’s enough to make it stop, with Minogue’s chorus alone a study in pure laziness. For it can’t be called derivative so much as an outright ripoff for her to repeat, “Do you believe in magic?” just as The Lovin’ Spoonful did in 1965.
Borrowing from one artist is already enough, but sometimes it seems that a pop singer believes if she “borrows” (a polite word for steal) from an array of different sources, it will be adequately diluted to pass off as her own “brilliance,” as was the recent case with Lady Gaga’s “911”. Like the latter, Minogue is channeling some major Madonna vibes in the visual offering for this track, which is slated to be the opener to Disco. Vibes that are noticeably kifed from M’s Confessions on a Dance Floor era (which she went full-tilt with in sampling the very embodiment of the 70s–ABBA–for “Hung Up”). Not only is the video some sort of alternate version of “Sorry” (awash in the aesthetic of disco, complete with roller skating rink), but the blue dress she wears is extremely evocative of the one M donned when she chose to do a surprise night at Misshapes in promotion of the record in question.
It would be one thing if Minogue grafted these tropes of the decade to make something new and complex, but the premise of the video is nothing beyond Minogue acting as some sort of Virgin Mary of Disco, a martyr to murder on the dance floor as she sits on a throne-like chair in a shimmering gold gown that almost looks like a modern take on chainmail.
In between, she appears on the floor herself, equipped with some kind of combination light saber/microphone as though to indicate the Force of Disco is with her. Directed by Sophie Muller, who usually exhibits a bit more innovative flair, the video was filmed at the illustrious Fabric nightclub in London. Muller’s previous videos for Minogue have included “Dancing,” “Stop Me From Falling,” “Golden” and, what else, “Say Something.” While her flair for the visually sumptuous remains intact, there is little in the way of genuine enthusiasm behind the choreographed motions. Or even quarantine-allusive lyrics like, “The time is disappearin’/This moment’s never leavin’.” While Minogue stated that she chose the milieu for the video “to [give] fans a moment of escapism to celebrate on a fantasy dance floor,” it’s already widely known that Dua Lipa has us covered with that thanks to Club Future Nostalgia.
Glittering phantasms begin to join in with the others as the video progresses, as though some unwitting statement on the fact that you’ll probably have to be a phantasm in order to ever safely dance among a crowd again. As the floor lights up with a circular pattern that reminds one of the Looney Tunes logo, Minogue gives us a finishing number filled with as many dancers as possible. Yet when she asks if we believe in magic, it somehow feels more mocking than anything else, particularly considering the times.
