Wikipedia

I Begin to Wonder

"I Begin to Wonder" is a song co-written by Dannii Minogue, Jean-Claude Ades, Dacia Bridges and Olaf Kramolowsky for Minogue's 2003 album Neon Nights. The song was released as the album's second single in March 2003. The single reached the top twenty in multiple countries, and topped the club charts in the United Kingdom.[1] In 2003, it was certified gold in Australia.[2] "I Begin to Wonder" received positive reviews from music critics, and is considered by Minogue to be her "signature tune".[3] Its futuristic music video, directed by Phil Griffin, features Minogue dancing in a room with the song's title swirling around her in numerous languages.[1]

"I Begin to Wonder"
Single by Dannii Minogue
from the album Neon Nights
B-side
  • "Hide and Seek"
  • "Nervous"
Released3 March 2003 (2003-03-03)
Genre
Length
  • 3:40 (album version)
  • 3:29 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)J.C.A.
Dannii Minogue singles chronology
"Put the Needle on It"
(2002) 		"I Begin to Wonder"
(2003) 		"Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling"
(2003)
Music video
"I Begin to Wonder" on YouTube

Background and reception

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"I Begin to Wonder" was originally performed by German dance music producer Jean-Claude Ades. Minogue's record label, London Records, played the song for her and she thought that it "could definitely be a pop hit". She approached Ades and asked him if he would be willing to transform "I Begin to Wonder" from a club song to a pop song. Together they added additional lyrics and rearranged its instrumentation.[4] Minogue considers the track to be her "signature tune" and is one of her favourite songs to perform live.[3]

In a review for Musicomh.com, Alexis Kirke described it a "simple but energetic" song with a "striding electro-bass line and some heavy vocal effects".[5] Cristín Leach of RTÉ Entertainment called "I Begin to Wonder" one of the best songs on Neon Nights.[6] MSN Entertainment called the track a "decent slice of sparkly radio pop with big synths and 'sexy' vocals".[7]

"Begin to Spin Me Round"

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Simultaneously with the release of the original single, an alternative version of "I Begin to Wonder" was released, entitled "Begin to Spin Me Round", a mashup with the 1984 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive, and especially with the "Murder Mix" of the latter.[8] This version helped expand the single's success to other European countries, such as Germany.[9]

Music video

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Minogue in the video with the song's title swirling around her in several different languages.

The music video was directed by Phil Griffin and filmed in late 2002.[1] The video opens with a scene of Minogue walking down a futuristic hallway covered in photographs used to promote Neon Nights. She is then shown sitting and dancing in a blue room with the song's title swirling around her in numerous languages. The video concludes with scenes of Minogue crouching in a ventilation shaft and cutting her hair.

The music video was released commercially on various enhanced CD single formats. It was also included on The Hits & Beyond special edition companion DVD (2006) and Dannii Minogue: The Video Collection (2007).

Chart performance

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"I Begin to Wonder" was released in the United Kingdom on 3 March 2003 as two CD singles and a cassette single.[10][11] The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 15 March 2003 at number two.[12] The following week, "I Begin to Wonder" fell to number seven and exited the chart in its eleventh week of release.[12] The track became Minogue's sixth Upfront Club Chart number one in the UK.[1] It has sold over 113,000 copies in the UK as of March 2016.[13] In Ireland, the track reached number 22 on the singles chart[14] and number seven on the Irish Dance Chart[15] The song was also successful in Europe. It reached the top ten in France[16] and the top fifty in Belgium,[17] the Netherlands,[18] Sweden[19] and Switzerland.[20]

In Australia, "I Begin to Wonder" debuted at number fourteen on 6 April 2003.[21] It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association in 2003.[2] On the ARIA end of year chart for 2003, the track charted at number eight on the Dance Singles chart[22] and at number sixteen on the Top Australian Singles chart.[23] In the United States, the song reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart,[24] and peaked at number two on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart.

Formats and track listings

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Personnel

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The following people contributed to "I Begin to Wonder":[25]

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United Kingdom 3 March 2003
  • CD
  • cassette
 London [10][11]
Australia 24 March 2003 CD [37]
United States 6 October 2003 Rhythmic contemporary radio Ultra [38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Dannographii: Singles: I Begin to Wonder". DanniiMusic.com. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  3. ^ a b The Hits & Beyond (CD album liner notes). All Around the World. June 2006.
  4. ^ Slomowicz, Ron. "Dannii Minogue Interview" Archived 18 September 2005 at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  5. ^ Kirke, Alexis. "Dannii Minogue - I Begin To Wonder (London)" Archived 20 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Musicomh.com. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  6. ^ Leach, Cristín. "Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights". RTÉ Entertainment. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  7. ^ "Album Reviews: Dannii Minogue: "Hits & Beyond"". MSN. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  8. ^ Wheway, Daniel (13 March 2017). The Mad, Bad and Dangerous Guide to Dead Or Alive and Pete Burns. Daniel Wheway. ISBN 978-1-5208-2416-1.
  9. ^ "Dead or Alive vs. Dannii Minogue - Begin to Spin Me Round". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b Doherty, Sean (8 March 2003). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 11. p. 14. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 March 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1 March 2003. p. 21. Retrieved 2 September 2021. Misprinted as 10 March on source.
  12. ^ a b "Official Charts Company: Dannii Minogue - I Begin to Wonder". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  13. ^ Copsey, Rob (10 March 2016). "This week in 2003: Dannii Minogue bags her biggest UK hit". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Discography Dannii Minogue". Irish-Charts.com. eMedia Jungen. 3 November 2008.
  15. ^ "GFK Chart-Track". Chart-track.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  16. ^ a b (in French) "Discographie Dannii Minogue" Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. LesCharts.com. eMedia Jungen. 3 November 2008.
  17. ^ a b c (in French) "Discografie Dannii Minogue". UltraTop.be/nl. Hung Medien. 3 November 2008.
  18. ^ a b (in Dutch) "Discografie Dannii Minogue". DutchCharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
  19. ^ a b "Discography Dannii Minogue". SwedishCharts.com. eMedia Jungen. 3 November 2008.
  20. ^ a b "Discography Dannii Minogue". SwissCharts.com. Hung Medien. 3 November 2008.
  21. ^ a b "Discography Dannii Minogue" Archived 5 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Australian-Charts.com. eMedia Jungen. 3 November 2008.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Dance Singles 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  23. ^ 2003 "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 20 Australian Singles 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  24. ^ a b "Dannii Minogue Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  25. ^ "I Begin to Wonder" (CD single liner notes). London Records. March 2003
  26. ^ "The ARIA Report!" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 23 August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2003. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  27. ^ "Begin to Spin Me Round by Dannii Minogue and Dead or Alive - Music Charts". αCharts.
  28. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  29. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  32. ^ "Dannii Minogue Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  33. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003". ARIA. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  34. ^ "SNEP French Singles Chart 2003". SNEP. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  35. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2003" (PDF). Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  36. ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Dance Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. 17 December 2004. p. 56.
  37. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 24th March 2003" (PDF). ARIA. 24 March 2003. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2003. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  38. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1524. 3 October 2003. p. 32. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
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