Background and Composition
After the success of her debut single "Locomotion" in Australia, Minogue traveled to London to work with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, a successful British writing and production team. They knew little of Minogue and had forgotten that she was arriving; as a result, they wrote "I Should Be So Lucky" in forty minutes while she waited outside the recording studio. Mike Stock wrote the lyrics for the song in response to what he had learned about Minogue prior to her arrival. He believed that although she was a successful soap star in Australia and very talented, there must be something wrong with her and figured that she must be unlucky in love. Minogue recorded the song in less than an hour, which Stock attributes to her good ear for music and her quick memorization skills. After Minogue finished the recording session she returned home to Australia to continue work on the soap opera, Neighbours.
"I Should Be So Lucky" is a dance-pop oriented song, which features elements of bubblegum pop and new wave music. According to the music sheet on MusicNotes.com, which was published by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is set in the key of C Major. Minogue's vocals span from the key note of D4 to the key note of C5. The song is set in common time and moves at a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute. Instrumentation of the song features synthesizers, keyboards and guitars. According to PopMatters, they said the song features "numerous orchestra hits to the uncomfortably thin sounding drum machine."
"I Should Be So Lucky" received positive to mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, who thought that the song was an instant highlight and good song within the 80's, while some dismissed the lyrical content. Despite this, the song received commercial attention around the world, where the song peaked in the top ten in many countries including Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Dance charts in the U.S.
The song was also known to many in the late 1980s and early 1990s as one of Minogue's signature songs, which many critics entering the song on their best track or worst track list. And additionally, in 2011, "I Should Be So Lucky" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.
An undisputed classic, "I Should Be So Lucky" later appeared on six of Kylie's hit compilations including Greatest Hits (1992), Greatest Hits 1987-1999 (2003), Greatest Hits 87–97 (2003), Ultimate Kylie (2004), her compilation The Best of Kylie Minogue (2012) and The Abbey Road Sessions (2012).
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