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Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On" topped the charts. Starting in 1998, while still active in music, she has branched into an alternative career as a landscape gardener.
Kim Wilde is the first studio album by Kim Wilde, released in June 1981.
Most of the music on this album was played by the symphonic rock band The E
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On" topped the charts. Starting in 1998, while still active in music, she has branched into an alternative career as a landscape gardener.
Kim Wilde is the first studio album by Kim Wilde, released in June 1981.
Most of the music on this album was played by the symphonic rock band The Enid and the songs were all written by Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde. Production duties were fulfilled by Ricky Wilde.
Musically, the album was mainly new wave and rock-oriented, but it also featured a reggae track ("Everything We Know") and a brass section appeared on "2 6 5 8 0". Lyrically, Marty Wilde included love songs and also a song ("Water on Glass") about tinnitus (a medical condition that causes ringing in the ears), a song about the deterioration of inner cities ("Our Town") and a song about a theory that sound is alive ("Tuning In Tuning On").
The album entered the UK album charts at #10, moving into the Top 3 the next week and the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of 100,000 copies. During promotion, Kim's band consisted of Ricky Wilde, James Stevenson and later boyfriend Calvin Hayes, who also appeared on the sleeve of the album. Kim later commented that, at that time in the industry, it was passe for a female to attempt to launch a serious career in pop music on her own, and that the backing band had been shown on the sleeve to give credibility to the album. Still, she was attacked for trying to copy the allure of U.S. band Blondie. The album was released in North America in 1982, reaching #86 in the USA and #42 in Canada.
Select is the second studio album by Kim Wilde, released in May 1982.
The first single from this album, "Cambodia", was released in November 1981 and signalled a different sound from the Wilde camp. The Enid was out, synths and electronic music was in. Again, the songs were written by Marty and Ricky Wilde, production by Ricky Wilde. This was a cause for concern for the "serious" music press at the time. The lyrics of the songs were as imaginative as they were on the first album: the second single "View From a Bridge" and the album track "Wendy Sadd" seemed to be about suicide, "Chaos At The Airport" described a nightmare about flying and "Ego" was quite the opposite of a lovesong."Can You Come Over" was recorded at the Wilde's home. The striking cover image was a photograph from Gered Mankowitz.
This eagerly-awaited sequel to the debut album stormed the charts in a host of European countries and hit #8 in Australia although it did not quite surpass the worldwide success of its predecessor. The album was certified Silver in the UK.
Catch as Catch Can is the third studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1983.
Having toured the UK and Europe in November and December 1982, there was a silence of six months. Kim Wilde returned with the single "Love Blonde", a jazz/swing inspired track that lyrically mocked the blonde bombshell image that some media had dealt Kim in the previous years. But the sound was unique to the single; the rest of the album continued the electronic theme that was introduced on Select. Most of the songs were again written by Marty and Ricky Wilde, except the second single Dancing In The Dark, which was written by Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz. Ricky Wilde produced the album.
Some of the songs seemed to be telling a story ("House of Salome" [released as a single in selected countries], "Sing It Out For Love") whereas "Dream Sequence" was one of Marty's more imaginative lyrics, describing what seems to be a random sequence of images. The cool blue cover image was provided by photographer Sheila Rock.
The album suffered from mixed reviews in the press and the lack of successful singles. Even a second European tour couldn't help the decline in sales.
At the time of release, the new Compact disc format was introduced. In Japan, the album was released on this new format. In later years, this release became a much sought after item among Kim Wilde fans, who often paid more than $100 to get their hands on a copy. Elsewhere in the world, the album has been released on CD only once, as part of a 3 cd box set named The Originals (1995). Available for a limited period only, this also has become a collectable item. It was finally re-released on May 18 2009 as a remastered special edition following "Kim Wilde" and "Select" in April.
Teases & Dares is the fourth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in November 1984 via MCA Records.
In end 1983, Wilde left RAK Records, who had released her first three albums, and signed to MCA Records. Her brother, Ricky Wilde, continued to serve as her producer, though was now assisted by their father, Marty Wilde, who also continued to co-write material. For the first time, Kim Wilde also received a co-producer credit and the album also marked the first time in which she earned a sole songwriting credit, for the tracks "Fit In" and "Shangri-la".
The singles taken from the album continued the trend of receding sales figures in her native UK, and both "The Second Time" and "The Touch" were relatively unsuccessful, though "The Second Time" reached the Top 10 in Germany and was also her second single to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it was retitled "Go For It" and peaked at #65. The third single, "Rage to Love" (remixed by Dave Edmunds), returned Wilde to the UK Top 20 for the first time in three years.
Another Step is the fifth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in October 1986.
Boasting 12 tracks (13 on the CD and cassette) and a varied team of songwriters, Another Step was an artistic but not necessarily a commercial triumph for Kim. She had co-written more than half of the tracks herself. The first half ('Side A' in the days of vinyl) was uptempo, whereas 'Side B' consisted of ballads. Most of the tracks were produced by Ricky Wilde, but there were also production duties fulfilled by Rod Temperton and Bruce Swedien known for working with Michael Jackson and there were also Reinhold Heil, Richard James Burgess and Dick Rudolph.
The album's first single was "Schoolgirl", which was released only in Australia and several European countries (although not the UK). This single was the first Kim had co-written herself. The first single released globally was a cover of the Supremes hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On". In the United States it became Wilde's first number one on Billboard Hot 100 chart, in the summer of 1987. It also reached No. 1 in Canada and Australia, and was almost equally successful in the UK, where it peaked at no. 2.
The next single was "Another Step (Closer to You)", a duet with British soul singer Junior Giscombe, which went to top 10 in the UK. The third globally and final single off the album was "Say You Really Want Me", which caused a minor controversy when the video was banned from children's programming because it showed Kim writhing on a bed having fun with a pearl necklace. Despite the raunchy image and publicity which accompanied the specially-remixed song, it didn't set the charts alight and the album saw no further single releases. The album reached US #40, her only album to do better in America than in the UK, where it only hit #88 on the first release. On the other hand, the album was a massive success in Norway, where it hit #2, and in Canada, where it hit #11, and received a platinum certification.
All of the tracks on Another Step were a departure from the synth sound of the previous albums. There were more guitars than before: "The Thrill Of It" and "I've Got So Much Love" had a distinctive 'rock' feel. The ballads were touching and well produced, the most noteworthy being Kim's self-penned and produced "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" which closed the album. The sound of Kim Wilde had obviously matured.
A re-package of this album was released a few months after the initial launch, with a new sleeve design and the addition of bonus tracks, and this time the album made it to #73 on the UK album chart. Although this failed to reignite interest, it has since become a collectors item for fans.
Kim cemented her reputation as a singles artist with this album, as again overall sales were disappointing despite the huge success of the songs released from it. Kim Wilde has since voiced her regret that she did not put more effort into cracking the U.S. market after she had scored her first number one hit.
Close is the sixth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in mid 1988.
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain, Close was the final album on which Marty Wilde had co-writer credits. The album is widely perceived by fans and critics (and Kim herself) as Wilde's most well-balanced, with many kinds of pop represented: dance, ballad, rock and midtempo.
The album's lead single was "Hey Mister Heartache", featuring backing vocals from Junior Giscombe but its success was dwarfed by the follow-up single, "You Came", which hit the Top 10 in many countries and just missed the U.S. Top 40.
"Never Trust a Stranger" and "Four Letter Word" also reached the UK Top 10, although a fifth single "Love in the Natural Way" was less successful. Attention for the album was bolstered by Kim's support slot on Michael Jackson's European tour.
Close reached the Top 10 in the UK, almost all Scandinavian countries, Austria and Germany and went on to become Wilde's biggest selling album, being certified platinum in the UK and shifting more than 2 million units worldwide.
Love Moves is the seventh studio album by Kim Wilde, released in May 1990.
The album contained six tracks written by Ricki and Kim Wilde and four tracks written by Kim Wilde and Tony Swain. It was produced by Ricki Wilde.
Promotion began in the spring of 1990 with the release of the single "It's Here", a track with Spanish guitars.
The album attempted to capitalize on the success of Close, but although a Top 10 in Scandinavian countries, it failed to sell as strongly as its predecessor. Some critics noted the MOR feel of the album and the use of similar production sounds throughout. It includes guests Jaki Graham, who contributed backing vocals, and Deon Estus, playing bass guitar. Wilde herself believed "it was a very strong album, and it was very disappointing that it didn't do well. But it didn't really come as too much of a big surprise, because my career before then had always been very up and down. So it wasn't a complete shock... but it was very disappointing."
This was the first Wilde project to yield no Top 40 releases in the UK ("Time", the second release, is the lowest charting single in her discography). Five singles in total were released across Europe, with "It's Here" becoming a Top 20 hit in Scandinavian countries and "Can't Get Enough" making a Top 20 entry and long run on the French singles chart.
Love Is is the eighth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in spring 1992.
Kim Wilde found herself working with Rick Nowels on this album, the same songwriter who had written for Belinda Carlisle and later for Madonna amongst others. Three of the eleven tracks were produced by him while the remaining eight were produced by Ricky Wilde.
The majority of the tracks on this album were co-written by Kim. She'd taken a long hard look at herself, resulting in the song "Who Do You Think You Are?", in which she reflects on how she had behaved through the years in her career. There were more love songs on this album; titles such as "Touched By Your Magic" and "Heart Over Mind" are an indication of the themes of the lyrics.
Nowels provided "Love Is Holy", a song that immediately struck a chord with Kim when she heard it in his studio in America. It became the first single release, giving Kim her first UK Top 20 hit in nearly four years. Although the following two singles fell short of equalling its success, the project as a whole was well-received by critics, who noted the Carlisle connection in some tracks. The rest of the album, however, was more consistent with the Wilde sound: guitar riffs over synths. Overall, the sound is more introspective and organic than the commercial pop of Love Moves, and especially haunting was the closing track, "Too Late", in which the loss of love is described in mournful tones.
Now & Forever is the ninth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1995 via MCA Records.
After three albums featuring a consistent pop sound, Wilde decided it was time for another change and chose to make an album with a decided soul/R&B feel to it. Ricky Wilde still produced, but joined forces with CJ Mackintosh for four of the album's tracks and co-produced with the Serious Rope team for seven others.
Opening with "Breakin' Away", an obvious dance track, and including R&B tracks like "C'mon Love Me", "You're All I Wanna Do" and "Where Do You Go From Here", the album was a departure from the familiar Wilde sound and didn't please fans and audience. It was her first album not to chart in the UK, and Radio One refused to add "Breakin' Away" to its airplay lists. The album was a daring move for Wilde, who wanted to make something to please herself first and foremost. Her interest in music by artists such as Chaka Khan and Pebbles heavily influenced the album.
Lyrically, the songs were either very happy ("Sweet Inspiration", "Heaven", "High on You") or bordering on depression ("Now & Forever", "Hold On"). Two singles were released in the UK, the second being "This I Swear", a dubious choice given the array of more radio-friendly songs on the album. The flip-side, "Heaven", was remixed twice (once mix by Matt Darey) and helped sales, but "This I Swear" stalled at No. 46 in early 1996.
Now & Forever was Wilde's last album before she started working in the musical Tommy and wound down her pop career. During the twelve month run of the play, she remixed and released a version of the disco track "Shame", which had been recorded in the Now & Forever sessions but not included on the album.
Never Say Never is the tenth studio album by Kim Wilde and was released in September 2006. It was a comeback album after being away from the music business for a number of years and her first studio album for eleven years. The album features several of Wilde's hits that have been updated with modern dance beats, interspersed with eight new songs.
The album was co-produced by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, a former member of German band, Nena and Wilde's brother and long-time collaborator, Ricki.
After a comparatively long period of negotiations, Kim Wilde finally signed a new record deal with the German division of EMI in late 2005. In July 2006, it was confirmed that a new album, entitled Never Say Never, would be released in Germany on 8 September 2006. The album has since been released in Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, South Africa, Turkey and Japan.
A single, a re-working of Wilde's 1988 hit "You Came", preceded the album and became her biggest European hit in years. Wilde had announced that the sound of the album would be strongly reminiscent of her earlier work. The 14-track album featured eight new songs and six new versions of earlier hits, including "You Keep Me Hangin' On" as a duet with Nena and "Kids in America", as a duet with Charlotte Hatherley. "Cambodia" appears as a bonus track in a remix by Paul Oakenfold.
The second single was "Perfect Girl", released in November 2006 and voted by fans through a poll on Wilde's official website. "Perfect Girl" spent 9 weeks in the German singles Top 100, reaching #52. It was also released in Belgium, Switzerland and (download only) in the Netherlands. A third single, "Together We Belong", was released in March 2007, while a fourth, "Baby Obey Me", was released in August 2007 in two versions: the original album version and a remix featuring German rap artist Ill Inspecta.
The album was a success, reaching the Top 20 in several European countries.
Come Out and Play is the eleventh studio album by British singer Kim Wilde. It was released on 27 August 2010 in Europe and is her first album with Sony Music. The track "Lights Down Low" was released as the album's lead-single, reaching No. 34 in Germany. It included a previously unreleased song called "Snakes & Ladders". A second single called "Real Life" is due for release in November 2010.
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