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.

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.

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.

"Better the Devil You Know" was written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, who also were the only producers and songwriters of Minogue's two albums after her debut.

Her manager, Terry Blamey, says the move was used to force creative concessions from SAW, who were worried about losing Minogue as an artist.

[2] Originally conceived in a more percussion-heavy, R&B-influenced style, the track was significantly remixed and restructured by Pete Hammond, after Minogue rejected prior versions.

"[4] He added: "The track transferred well onto the dance-floor and heralded a long reign for Kylie as the new queen of disco... a pop princess".

He stated that "musically this is Kylie's best record by a mile, boosted by some invigorating chord changes and strong Seventies soul influence.

"[5] Mike Soutar from Smash Hits felt that Minogue's voice is in "absolutely tip-top shape - there's no doubt she's a much improved singer these days.

"[8] Hunter Felt from PopMatters said along with "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" and "Shocked" are pure pop moments.

[10] In 2014, Matt Dunn of WhatCulture ranked the song at number two in his "15 unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman singles" list.

[11] In 2021, British magazine Classic Pop ranked it number seven in their list of "Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs", adding, "For many the moment Kylie went from virtuous pop star to racy nubile, Better The Devil You Know arrived in a mist of twirling dance-pop and palms-to-the-sky goodness, giving her a touch of avant class.

[13] In 2020, Alexis Petridis of British daily newspaper The Guardian ranked the song at number four in his "Kylie's 30 greatest singles" list, adding that it proves that "Stock Aitken and Waterman could be masterful pop craftsmen" and described it "an effortlessly soaring melody, a perfect updating of disco's cocktail of jubilant music and lyrical heartbreak".

[15] In 2023, Robert Moran of Australian daily tabloid newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald ranked the song as Minogue's fifth best song (out of 183), describing it "a classic", and added: "Kylie strains to rise above the wall of sound production (stuttering synths, piano fills, soaring strings and harmonies)".

"[23] Goldman says that Minogue filmed the video in Australia to escape the creative oversight of her UK label, PWL.

At the time she was dating INXS singer Michael Hutchence, she is wearing one of his rings in the clip, a large silver 'M'.

For the performance, an array of men dressed in red briefs entered the stage for the dance section of the song.

On the On a Night Like This tour, a big band version was performed where Minogue was in full white with a tailcoat and a top hat.

The song opened her seventh act where Minogue wore a white tank top, blue hot pants and an orange feathery throw over.