User:CaliforniaDreamsFan/TooFar

"Too Far" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue from her sixth studio album Impossible Princes (1997). The song was written by Minogue and produced by Brothers in Rhythm and Minogue, making it Minogue's first song she co-produced and written entirely. "Too Far" was one of the first songs recorded and produced for the album and was a strong contender for being the first single, but the idea was scrapped. The song eventually became the first and only promotional single on the album. Musically, "Too Far" is a drum and bass song that is influenced by dance music and rock music. The lyrical content talks about Minogue's frustration and anger towards the media industry, who frequently criticized her about her musical and image change.

Upon its release, "Too Far" was critically lauded from music critics. Some critics praised the experimental and production-wise nature and felt it would have been a better lead single. Since there was not promotion, the song only received a digital and vinyl release and did not chart anywhere; no music video was produced either. The song has been featured on her Intimate and Live Tour, Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour and Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour.

Background
In late 1992, before Minogue was at the brink of signing with Deconstruction Records, she released her two singles "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before) and "Celebration". According to tabloids back then, they were observant on PWL creating too similar music for other artists that signed to the label. Although she signed for three albums with PWL, she recorded four in total, with Let's Get To It being her first album to feature songwriting credits by Minogue. Her final album with PWL charted successfully and was certified platinum and gold in both countries respectively. She left PWL and signed with Deconstruction to create the eponymous album in September 1994. Her first album not being produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it included a variety of new producers and songwriters including Steve Anderson, Dave Seaman and Brothers in Rhythm. Both Anderson and Brothers in Rhythm had worked with Minogue previously – on her 1992 single, "Finer Feelings". It yelled three singles; the successful hit "Confide In Me", "Put Yourself In My Place" and "Where Is the Feeling?". The album was released on 19 September 1994 and peaked inside the top 5 in Australia and the UK.

Minogue began a personal relationship with French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui. Together they embarked on a series of trips across the United States and southern China to help her become inspired for the album. The trips and her relationship with Sednaoui made Minogue feel free to express her own creativity and talent. Sednaoui also introduced her to the work of musicians including Björk, Shirley Manson and her band Garbage, Japanese pop artist Towa Tei and the band U2, all of whom would influence the musical styles on Impossible Princess.

Composition
"Too Far" was written in Chelsea, London by Minogue. In an promo interview for Impossible Princess, Minogue said that she wrote the song "very quickly and in a very bad state." Based on the lyric "Caught up in this house / Trapped my very own self in the snare of my mind", she said "it comes from where it sounds like it comes from [...] which was exactly the way that I felt." Minogue recalled feeling angry, hurt and frustrated while writing the song in her home and decided to walk to a local cafe which she visits "a lot" and decided to write the song there. She said that the song represented her "escape" from being hurt and angry from the press and the media who frequently criticized her new image and musical style; she described the song as "claustrophobic". The verses also represents her desperation for help and the chorus is a sense of release.

Musically, "Too Far" was produced by Minogue and Brothers in Rhythm and is a drum and bass song. Nick Levine from Digital Spy said that the song along with "Drunk" and "Limbo" are the toughest club cuts of Kylie's career. Minogue composed the song "Too Far" on a grand piano; additional instruments were added during production.

Critical reception
"Too Far" received positive reviews from most music critics. Allmusic's Chris True, who gave the parent album four stars and a positive review, highlighted the song as an album standout. A reviewer from the publication FasterLouder said "She experiments with spoken word (‘Too Far’) pure pop (‘Some Kind Of Bliss’), trip-hop (‘Jump’), rock (’Did It Again) and dips her toe into electro-pop, which would dominate commercial music (and her own records) for years to come." Sal Cinquenmani from Slant Magazine was positive, saying "The opening track, "Too Far," mixes crisp breakbeats with a Moby-style piano progression and lush strings [...]" In retrospect, while reviewing her tenth studio album X (2007), Evan Sawdey from PopMatters said "Kylie’s all-time greatest tracks (“Shocked”, “Too Far”, “Come Into My World”, and yes, “The Locomotion”) all have one thing in common: they are top-notch moments of escapism, three-minute bursts of joy that are nothing short of radio-ready brilliance."

Live performances
The song was used as the intro song for her Australian and European tour Intimate and Live, which opened in support of the parent album in 1998. She then used "Too Far" again on her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, in promoting her compilation Ultimate Kylie. During a brief hiatus after her cancer diagnosis, Minogue started her Australian Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour and included the song on that setlist.

Track listing

 * Digital download
 * 1) "Too Far" - 4:44


 * Vinyl single
 * 1) "Too Far (Brothers In Rhythm Mix)" - 10:21
 * 2) "Too Far (Junior Vasquez Remix)" - 11:44