Anyone who doubts that pop music is an ageist industry just needs to look at the criticism Madonna faces on an almost daily basis. Sure, her albums don’t sell as well as they used to, but it’s near impossible to find an article about her 21^st century output that doesn’t mention her advancing age. Plus, there’s the reaction to her outfits, the jokes about her falling off the stage at the BRITs, the furore following her recent kiss with Drake – you wouldn’t blame her if she just picked up her ball and went home.

Whatever happened to respecting your elders? While the chart of 2015 has plenty of homogenous rave-pop and worthy, acoustic singer-songwriter nonsense courtesy of a seemingly endless supply of fresh-faced urchins, acts over the age of *shudder* 35 can’t buy a place on the Radio 1 playlist, regardless of their previous success (Robbie Williams, Take That, Nicole Scherzinger et al.)

However, surely the most egregious example of this in recent memory is the absolute non-success of Right Here, Right Now, the lead single from Giorgio Moroder’s upcoming album, Déjà Vu. This track didn’t just feature Giorgio Moroder – producer extraordinaire and the brains behind I Feel Love – but vocals courtesy of Kylie Minogue, a woman who knows a thing or two about making amazing songs.

In a post-Get Lucky world, it seems barely believable that Right Here, Right Now wasn’t a massive smash. It’s got a great, squelchy riff going through the verse, choppy Nile Rodgers guitar licks, a perfectly-judged bridge to build tension, and a thrilling release of a chorus. It’s fit to hold a candle to the finest disco tracks of the 1970s and it celebrates the brilliance and immediacy of being purely in the moment – what’s not to love?

 
Right Here, Right Now contains the level of skill and craft that flows out of natural song-makers. It follows a simple template, yet the hooks and melody are so naggingly addictive, that to hear it once feels like you’ve known it all your life.

Despite being a no.1 single in Argentina and a hit in both Belgium and Finland, Right Here, Right Now failed to chart in the UK. The week it was released, it was outsold by tracks as modern as Make Me Smile by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac. In theory, democracy is a good thing, but clearly the people of the UK can’t be trusted to make sensible decisions.

Entered chart: It didn’t. Well done, everyone.

Who could sing this today and have a hit? This track probably couldn’t be bettered but if anyone has to take it into the charts, why not Carly Rae Jepsen?

Published by Joe Rivers

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