Kids in America

For other uses, see Kids in America (disambiguation).

"Kids in America"
European picture sleeve
Single by Kim Wilde
from the album Kim Wilde
B-side
  • "Tuning In, Tuning On" (UK)
  • "You'll Never Be So Wrong" (North America)
Released26 January 1981 (1981-01-26)
Recorded1980
StudioRAK, London
Genre
Length3:27
LabelRAK (UK) EMI (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ricky Wilde
Kim Wilde singles chronology
"Kids in America"
(1981) 		"Chequered Love"
(1981)
Audio sample
"Kids in America 1994"
Single by Kim Wilde
Released2 May 1994 (1994-05-02)
Length3:53 (Cappella Mix)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ricky Wilde
Kim Wilde singles chronology
"In My Life"
(1993) 		"Kids in America 1994"
(1994) 		"Breakin' Away"
(1995)

"Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982,[7] later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. Largely inspired by the synth-pop style of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and number one in Finland and South Africa, and charted in the top 10 of many European charts as well as Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached the top 40 in Canada and the United States. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom,[8] South Africa, Australia and Sweden;[9] and has sold over three million copies worldwide.[10] The song has been covered by many artists from different genres.

  1. ^ Williams, Jonathan (April 2003). "Terminus City/No Holds Barred". Prick. Archived from the original on 18 November 2004. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (19 February 2021). "The Number Ones: Kim Wilde's "You Keep Me Hangin' On". Stereogum. Retrieved 6 October 2023. ... she'd helped introduce the world to new wave. In fact, she may have helped popularize the term. On her 1981 debut single "Kids in America", Wilde made an announcement...
  3. ^ Sheffield, Rob (27 September 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  4. ^ Owen, Tom (30 April 2024). "The top 25 greatest 1980s synthpop songs ever". Smooth Radio. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  5. ^ Scavieli, Tony. "11 Essential Kim Wilde Songs". Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  6. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. ^ Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 264. ISBN 978-0740751189.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ Jones, Peter (19 September 1981). "Wild Route to Success Is Different" (PDF). Billboard. p. 42. Retrieved 1 August 2020 – via World radio History.
  10. ^ Jones, Peter (19 September 1981). "Wilde Route To Success Is Different". Billboard. Retrieved 27 March 2024 – via Google Books.