It also reached the top ten in various European countries and appeared on several component charts in the United States and Canada.

Shot in Los Angeles, it was visually inspired by the works of The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) and elements of Americana culture.

Furthermore, the track's success has been credited as a pioneer in bridging a generational gap between younger audiences and mature performers through social media and airplay.

After wrapping up promotional activities for her fifteenth studio album, Disco (2020), Minogue appeared on BBC Radio 2 to talk about new music, saying, "Perhaps it's going a bit more electropop.

"[1] Minogue confirmed this in a June 2022 interview with Vogue, citing her 2003 single "Slow" as inspiration for the album's sound.

"[3] After finishing the song, they weren't sure who would record it, so they considered pitching it to British singer Rita Ora or a Eurovision contestant.

[10] It was released on 18 May 2024 by BMG and Minogue's company Darenote and serves as the opening track and lead single for Tension.

[b] Shore Fire Media stated: "From the euphoric vocals, to the ridiculously infectious chorus and the heart-thumping electronic drum beat - this is an instant Kylie classic.

According to Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic, the song "pops through woozy production as a hypnotic groove throbs beneath the surface", while Pitchfork writer Harry Tafoya found the track's vibe to be "silly", with Minogue "vamping through pounding piano house to deliver some truly ridiculous lyrics.

[35] NME editor Hollie Geraghty praised the song's "thumping earworm refrain", while Jon Stickler of Stereoboard described it as "the catchy pop banger" with a "infectious chorus.

[38] The song was described as a "shiny bubble of dance-pop joy" by Owen Myers of The Guardian, "unburdened by its performer's personal narrative, freeing Minogue up to play sunny showgirl once more.

[42] Michael Cragg of Crack dubbed it her best lead single since "Slow", describing it as "hot, heavy, and primarily controlled by Kylie's deepest desires.

[44] Guy Oddy of The Arts Desk described it as an "absolute banger and has been touted as one of her best tunes in years - with good reason.

"[34] Jeremy Allen, writing for The Quietus, identified key elements to the success of "Padam Padam", including "red herring, borrowed judiciously and tethered to some icy electro in a minor key, adorned with subtle musical arabesques", and how those qualities worked for her with her singles "Confide in Me" in 1994 and "Can't Get You Out of My Head" while "keeping things fresh by always being adventurous.

"[45] Helen Brown of The Independent called the track an "Advance slam-dunker", while Devon Chodzin of Paste saw it as the album's "glimmering thesis statement—a bouncy cut under three minutes that recounts a sultry dance floor encounter and the possibilities it presents.

"[46] Despite its lack of personal depth, Harry Tafoya of Pitchfork praised its "charm" and called it one of the album's "camp highs", while Loud and Quiet writer Orla Foster thought the song was about "jumpstarting the pulse of your nightclub conquest.

[86] In Ireland, it peaked at number seven on the regional singles chart, marking her highest-charting performance since "Higher" with Taio Cruz.

[119] The visual was inspired by the films of American director David Lynch and Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976).

[120] Muller described the music video as conveying "a sense of otherworldliness, a strangeness" that mirrored the track, adding, "There's something unusual about [the song], darkness and unease.

[123] It then shows Minogue in a junkyard wearing a custom Mugler catsuit with a cape, alongside a group of backup dancers dressed in red.

[123] Extra scenes from the original shoot were released on the music video's extended edit, along with a visualizer featuring Absolute's remix.

[127] It received positive feedback from publications; Phoebe Luckhurst of The Australian described Minogue's "vampiric femme fatale" look and the set as a "candy-coloured Americana dreamland".

[147][148] According to Yeung of AllMusic, the song was a "surprise smash" and part of "this mainstream resurgence that once again connected her to a new generation of fans[...]".

[151] Other critics have pointed out that it is unusual for a middle-aged artist to achieve media success in recent decades.

[e] According to Variety, chart analyst and historian James Masterton believes the single's success is significant because Minogue has "bridged a generation gap with a hit record that is reaching out both to her loyal (and ageing) acolytes but also a new generation of music fans," the latter attracted thanks to the TikTok platform, which "contributed to the explosion of Kylie's single; [...] bypassing all traditional media avenues.

"[159] Furthermore, Karen Tongson, popular culture and gender studies specialist at the University of Southern California, noted its positive significance in comparison to the violence against LGBTQ people in the United States through 2023, saying, "There's something about the release of "Padam Padam" that coincided with this sort of moment of despair and conflict, and that reminded us of the kind of intensity, lightness, and kind of queer joy, the celebratory nature of queerness.

[162] Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, posted a video on Instagram of herself dancing to the song at a Pride event at the Stonewall Inn.

"[165] Lostboy, the track's producer, spoke out about the situation, saying that while its inclusion was a "small victory," it was ultimately "a bit of an insult...".

[4] Lucy Anna Gray of The Independent wrote a lengthy article about the song, expressing similar concerns about its lack of airplay.

Padam All Weekend remix edit Cassette – The Mixtape[19] Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tension.