Better the Devil You Know

"Better the Devil You Know"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Rhythm of Love
B-side	"I'm Over Dreaming (Over You)"
Released	30 April 1990 (1990-04-30)[1]
Studio	London, England
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:54
Label	Mushroom PWL
Songwriter(s)	Mike Stock Matt Aitken Pete Waterman
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"Tears on My Pillow" (1990) "Better the Devil You Know" (1990) "Step Back in Time" (1990)
Music video
"Better the Devil You Know" on YouTube

"Better the Devil You Know" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, taken from her third studio album Rhythm of Love (1990). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and was released as the album's lead single on 30 April 1990 by PWL and Mushroom Records. "Better the Devil You Know" is known as the song that re-invented Minogue with more sex appeal, as her previous albums were presented with her "girl next door" persona. Her music onwards presented a more independent approach.

The song's title is a reference to an idiom. Lyrically, the song was claimed by producer Pete Waterman to be about Minogue's relationship with her then-boyfriend, INXS frontman and singer Michael Hutchence.^[2] However, that is disputed by the song's primary composer, Mike Stock, who insists he was unaware of Kylie's private life at the time.^[2]

After becoming dissatisfied with her minimal creative role in making her first two albums, Minogue demanded creative veto on her new music, which was granted following her decision to work with other producers.^[2] She exercised her veto on early mixes of the single, and the track was then extensively reworked according to her stipulations.^[2]

The song was lauded by music critics, who noted the imagery change in her music. They also complimented the song itself and felt it was one of Minogue's best - a highlight of not just her studio album but her compilations as well. Commercially, it was successful. The song peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and four in her native Australia. In other regions, it managed to peak inside the top forty in all the countries it charted in, including France, Austria, Germany, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.

The accompanying music video for "Better the Devil You Know" was directed by Paul Goldman and was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. Though its imagery was criticised for her mature look, the video has also been iconic to Minogue's artistry, style and imagery beyond the song. The song has been featured in most of Minogue's concert tours. The song was later re-recorded in 2012 at the Abbey Road Studios for inclusion on Minogue's orchestral album The Abbey Road Sessions.