"Slow" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her ninth studio album, Body Language (2003). It was released as the lead single from the album by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone on 3 November 2003. The song was written by Minogue, Dan Carey, Emilíana Torrini, and produced by Carey, Torrini, and Sunnyroads. "Slow" is an electropop and synth-pop song in which Minogue invites a man to "slow down" and dance with her.
Upon its release, "Slow" was acclaimed by music critics, many of whom praised Minogue's sensual and seductive vocals. At the 47th Grammy Awards ceremony, the song received a nomination in the category of "Best Dance Recording". Commercially, the song was a success and peaked at number one on the singles charts in Australia, Denmark, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The song also reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs in the United States. In Australia, the song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 70,000 units.
An accompanying music video for the song was shot in Barcelona, Spain, and features Minogue singing the song while sunbathing next to the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc swimming pool. Minogue performed the song on a number of television shows and included it on the set lists of all of her concert tours to date, with the exception of the Anti Tour. In 2012, Minogue named "Slow" as her favourite song from her music career; in 2023, she cited it as a reference point for her album of that year, Tension.
Background and composition
"Slow" was written by Kylie Minogue, Dan Carey, and Emilíana Torrini, and produced by Carey, Torrini, and Sunnyroads. In 2009, Torrini explained how she was approached for writing the song, saying "It was like I had just accidentally walked into the line of fire with, "Hey! You There! It was all quite surreal. I still think Kylie's people were trying to call Jamelia, and they just got the wrong number. It'd be much more funny if that is how it actually happened". Through the lyrics of the song, Minogue urges a man, whom she meets at a club, to "slow down" and dance with her. According to Minogue, the lyrics of the song are about "how time and space have a different meaning when you meet someone". She further said that she "loved the way the song had this push-pull effect; the musical and lyrical combination gives you a sense of that".
Musically, the song is an eighties-inspired electropop and synth-pop track. It utilises a very simple and "minimalist" style of production and was described as an "electro-pop/disco fusion with percolating crackle-and-pop beats and sugary vocal overdubs" by Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine. Additionally, it contains elements of electroclash and club music. According to Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger, the gentle bassline and 'shimmering' backing of "Slow" are derived from the then-popular microhouse genre, comparing it to the music found on the German label Kompakt. Dom Passantino of Stylus Magazine similarly described it as "German minimalist techno" similar to the work of Reinhard Voigt, while Alex Macpherson of The Guardian, in an article of German minimal techno, said "Slow" was "essentially a minimal track with an added pop vocal" and an early instance of the sound achieving mainstream success.
In late 2012, "Slow" was re-recorded by Minogue for inclusion in her orchestral compilation album The Abbey Road Sessions. On the album, Minogue reworked 16 of her past songs with an orchestra, which, according to Nick Levine from BBC Music, "re-imagine them without the disco glitz and vocal effects". "Slow" is approached with a more jazz and trip hop influenced take, with Minogue again delivering sultry and seductive vocals.
Release and artwork
"Slow" was released as the lead single from Minogue's ninth studio album, Body Language, by Festival Mushroom Records in Australia and by Parlophone in Europe on 3 November 2003. The cover art of the single, as well as other promotion shoots related to the album, which was shot by fashion photographers Mert and Marcus, show Minogue striking a pose in a black and white striped crop top, which reveals her midriff, and low-cut pants. Her appearance is similar to that of French actress and singer Brigitte Bardot. Minogue described the promotion shoots as "the perfect mix of coquette, kitten and rock 'n' roll", and revealed that "We shot it on location in the South of France, so it was [easy to] channel the spirit of [Brigitte] Bardot. She's a great iconic reference, particularly that period where she was working with Serge Gainsbourg".