11 Essential Kim Wilde Songs

Kim Wilde Songs

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Our 11 most essential Kim Wilde Songs lists takes a look at the career of Kim Wilde and how she straddled the line between pop music, new wave and ultimately dance. Kim Wilde was born in Chiswick, West London in 1960. She was born the daughter of Marty Wilde who was a 1950’s rock and roll singer. Marty Wilde also co-composed all the songs along with his son Rick Wilde on Kim Wilde’s first album. Her mother Joyce was a singer in the group the Vemons Girls. Kim Wilde broke onto the music scene big time in 1981 with her huge worldwide smash “Kids In America.” The album entitled Kim Wilde also contained the hit singles “Water On Glass,” and “Chequered Love.”

Over time, the sound of Kim Wilde’s records would transcend further into the dance genres and away from her early new wave sound that had brought her great success. However, in the years 1983 and 1984 pop music had begun a return to more dance oriented music furled by the success of the soundtracks to Footloose and Flashdance. It wasn’t a full return to the days of disco but rather a groove with less funk and more straight ahead snare and a great deal of hair.

While Kim Wilde may have disappeared from the spotlight in the United States, she has continued to release music throughout the 80’s, 90’s and into the 2000’s and 2010’s. Kim Wilde has released 13 albums since her debut in 1981. Her lasted release Wilde Winter Songbook was issued in 2013.

# 11- Cambodia

The song “Cambodia,” was issued on Kim Wilde’s Select album. The record was issued in 1982 as the follow-up to her debut record in 1981. The song “Cambodia,” was the album’s first single release. The song was written by Kim Wilde’s father and brother Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde,

# 10- Keep Me Hanging On

Kim Wilde’s cover version of the Supremes’ ionic songs would prove to be her first number one hit in the United States. The song was released in 1986 on her Another Step album.

# 9 – Love Blonde

“Love Blonde,” was an interesting release from Kim Wilde. It was the song that pretty much served as the first peek into the dance music genres that she seemed to be heading towards.Its interesting because “Love Blonde,” was released on her third album Catch as Catch Can in 1983.

# 8 – View From A Bridge

Kim Wilde’s second album contributed two major singles to popular music culture in the 1980’s. The great track “View From A Bridge,” was the second single released from her Select album in 1982.

# 7 – Dancing In The Dark

While this song may share the same title as Bruce Springsteen’s classic Dancing in the Dark Song, the similarity stops right at the title. And to be fair to Kim Wilde, the title Dancing in the Dark  originated way before the Born In The U.S.A. album as the title to the classic 1949 film Dancing in the Dark that starred William Powell. Kim Wilde’s Dancing in the Dark was the follow-up single to Love Blonde. Both songs were released on her 1983 Catch Me As You Can LP.

# 6 – The Second Time

The classic Kim Wilde song “The Second Time,” was released on her fourth album Teases & Dares in 1984. “The Second Time,” was a bit of a return to her original sound and proved to be extremely successful on a worldwide basis. The album Teases & Dares was also Kim Wilde’s first release for MCA Records.

# 5 – The Touch

The song “The Touch,” was the second single released from the Teases and Dares album. The song was also the opening track on her great MCA Records debut. Since this was issued in 1984, one can hear the prominent sounds of the Yamaha DX 7 Synthesizer all throughout the track.

# 4 – Chequered Love

Three out of the top 4 songs on our essential Kim Wilde Songs list hail from her debut album Kim Wilde in 1981. The classic song “Chequered Love,” opened up side two of the record that launched the rock and roll career of Kim Wilde. The song was released as the second single from the album after the release of “Kids In America.”

# 3 – Anyplace Anywhere Anytime

In 2003, Kim Wilde recorded an amazing duet with the legendary Nena entitled “Anyplace Anywhere Anytime.” The song was originally released on Nena’s album Nena feat. Nena. The song had originally been recorded by Nena in 1985. However, in 2003 Nena re-recorded the song with Kim Wilde and released it as a single.

# 2 – Water on Glass

“Water on Glass,” was originally released on Kim Wilde’s debut album in 1981. The songs spirited 1960’s melodic groove meets late 1970’s new wave proved to become a fan favorite. One can hear very much the influence of her fathers 1950’s and 60’s rock and roll career in the song’s composition.

# 1 – Kids in America

If you were a kid in America or any other place in the world in the 1980s, you most definitely remember this song. In as few words as possible, this was great stuff. A song that would become a classic. More than just a pop rock song, but rather a representation of the music and times at the dawn of the 1980s.

Updated August 7, 2022

Top 10 Kim Wilde Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com©

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