PHOTOS IN THIS FEATURE ARE FROM THE AMAZING KIM WILDE ARCHIVE AT THE WILDE-LIFE WEBSITE.
I am a complete and total Kim and Ricky Wilde stan. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard Kim had a chance encounter with a UFO whilst she was out tending the garden at her home, and that she’d soon felt inspired to make another classic album called Here Come the Aliens, so I thought I’d post a few of my favorite Kim (and Ricky) Wilde tunes from over the years.
So let’s start with couple bubblegum glam numbers from Ricky Wilde from the 1970’s. It’s as good a place to start as any, seeing as Ricky writes and produces a lot Kim’s big hits and is in her band to this day. And obviously their father Marty Wilde was a pop star in the 1950’s. It’s a family affair. So, supposedly Ricky was marketed a bit like Donnie Osmond for the teen set, and I think you’ll find these songs hold up for kids of all ages and eras.
RICKY WILDE “I WANNA GO TO A DISCO”
RICKY WILDE “I AM AN ASTRONAUT”
Ricky started coming into his own as an artist and a songwriter, and in 1980 he demo’d this track with his sis Kim providing some vocals that caught the attention of RAK RECORDS, and it ended up getting her a record deal.
RICKY & KIM WILDE “TEARAWAY”
So obviously Marty, Kim, and Ricky can tell their story better than I can, so here’s a cool clip of them talking about the family business. Marty mentions that Kim likes fashion and boys. And then she also lays down sick cuts in the studio while looking super non-plussed and cool about it. That is Kim Wilde energy.
Okay so let’s get to what everyone is probably waiting for. Kim Wilde. This is MY list of MY favorite Kim songs and I’ll provide commentary where I feel it’s appropriate. We’ll do this somewhat chronologically, starting with stuff from her first album, Kim Wilde (1981)
KIM WILDE “TUNING IN TUNING ON”
KIM WILDE “WATER ON GLASS”
KIM WILDE “KIDS IN AMERICA”
KIM WILDE “CHEQUERED LOVE”
These next few are from her second album Select (1982) which is arguably her best, although the debut is no slouch either! I love this era because it incorporates the most synth and new wave influence, and the aesthetics are strong. Some might argue definitive.
KIM WILDE “WORDS FELL DOWN”
KIM WILDE “BITTER IS BETTER”
KIM WILDE “CHAOS AT THE AIRPORT”
The next Kim Wilde LP was Catch as Catch Can (1983). Times were changing and Ricky and Kim were experimenting in the studio with varying degrees of success. My favorite from the record is “Shoot to Disable” which would fit in well on her first two albums. So it’s classic Kim Wilde. Moody, Icy, Synthy, Wavey.
KIM WILDE “SHOOT TO DISABLE”
Kim’s signed to MCA Records for her fourth album Teases and Dares (1984). My favorites from this are the synthy “Is it Over?” which also appeared in the Chevy Chase vehicle, Fletch, and my other fave is the buoyant and dramatic pop song “Janine” which wouldn’t have been out of place on the soundtrack to The Legend off Billie Jean.
KIM WILDE “IS IT OVER”
KIM WILDE “JANINE”
Another Step (1986) was a massive record for Kim Wilde in the states. The design aesthetic is the best since her earliest work. I love how the records LOOK, and I like her visual aesthetic. The record is not her greatest work, except for two songs, and one of those songs is just fucking massive and that’s her cover of The Supremes “Keep Me Hanging On”. JFC she fucking delivers on that cut it really becomes an extremely urgent and angry anthem without missing a beat or a hook, and It works on the dance floor to boot as it’s got that Stock, Aitken, Waterman influence that was all the rage at the time. My other fave bop on this record is tune called “Victim” and it’s a great bouncy 80’s pop song.
KIM WILDE “KEEP ME HANGING ON”
[vimeo 197332120 w=640 h=360]
Kim Wilde – You Keep Me Hangin' On – Official Music Video – Wide from Omeed Daveedof on Vimeo.
KIM WILDE “VICTIM”
1988 brought us Kim’s album Close. Again I’m into the design aesthetic but the album suffers a bit from late 80’s shmaltz, however one of my favorite Kim Wilde songs is on this album, and that’s “Never Trust a Stranger” which is just massive, and should have been used in a Bond film. The album was a huge hit and she toured with Michael Jackson to support it, but it was after this record I quit paying as much attention until the new millennium breathed new life into her work.
KIM WILDE “NEVER TRUST A STRANGER”
So the 90’s found Kim toiling away with experimentations in R&B like a lot of pop artists did in that era. Aside from “Keep Me Hanging On” which as a child I bought at the mall on 45 in the 1980’s, It was in fact in the 90’s that I picked up my first Kim Wilde 45 on the RAK records imprint. That 45 was “Kids in America”. I was already well on my way to becoming a dyed in the wool new waver and the sound appealed to me and I began to take a deeper dive into her catalog.
It was sometime in the new millennium Kim got back in touch with her roots, collaborated with Nena, and started working with her brother Ricky Wilde again. And in 2018 after a chance encounter with an alien spacecraft whilst tending to her garden, the inspiration for a new record and tour had struck. That record is Here Come The Aliens (2018) and its chock full of stadium anthems, massive melodies, and endless hooks.
KIM WILDE “KANDY KRUSH”
Last year when I heard “Kandy Krush” I tweeted Kim and got a retweet and a follow and it was everything I could do to not put in my twitter bio something like “Followed by Kim Wilde since April 2018”! I posted a feature on 50thirdand3rd at the time, but a lot of the links are broken now, so I wanted to post a refresher.
When I posted that last feature, power pop super producer Travis Ramin, who has worked with everyone from Nikki Corvette to Josie Cotton, commented that Kim Wilde has “the best hair in pop!” And he mentioned his attempt at writing a song influenced by Kim Wilde for Nikki Corvette called “I’ve Got a Heartbreak”. Kim Wilde’s influence continues to reverberate today. I’m toying with the idea of putting together a tribute album on my GIRLSVILLE label, and I might need to call in Travis for an assist!
NIKKI CORVETTE & THE STINGRAYS “I”VE GOT A HEARTBREAK”
Alas my friends, I leave you with this, Kim Wilde covering Elvis Presley:
KIM WILDE “ONE NIGHT WITH YOU”
