Where does the time go? Sorry for the lull in posting, but I've been juggling a ton of stuff at the moment and have also been bouncing between the city and my mom's place out on Long Island (where access to a computer is sporadic at best). In any case, on my train ride back into the city this morning, "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde came blipping into my headphones and it reminded me of a discussion thread on the I Love Music boards I started back in 2005, which I'm updating for you now. Yay.
I believe I thought it was crap at the time --- shitty pop attempting to jump on the Punk/New Wave bandwagon ("there's a New Wave come, and I warned ya" indeed). Wilde also struck me as the prototype sleazoid svengali's puppet -- marginally attractive, pouty blonde with a passable voice (yet devoid of any discernible charisma, let alone vital signs) dispassionately cooing tough-cookie lines to a modern beat. I can't help but think of the Kids In the Hall sketch featuring Bruce McCulloch as Tammie singing "Ain't Gonna Spread for No Roses" every time I see the admittedly brilliant, time-capsule-worthy video.
Wilde didn't remain a Numanoid replicant, though. Her later singles (er...videos) saw her sorta emoting (I'm thinking "Cambodia" and later on, her utterly pointless cover of "Keep Me Hanging On"), but it's "Kids in America" that still defines her.
Some thoughts:
- Who the hell are songwriters Ricky & Marty Wilde? Her brothers? Her creepy uncles?
- Allegedly, Kim had never set foot in the States at the time of this single (which might explain that clunky "East California" line) -- so all her utopian proclamations about everybody living for the music were purely projections. If anything, it's the kids in the UK who truly live for the music (arguably a huger part of British popular culture -- you can buy music in supermarkets there, it's pleasingly ubiquotous, or at least compared to the States).
- Irrefutably, the best part of the song is when Kim shuts the hell up and let's the boys shout the chorus like a half-assed Sham 69 cover band while someone plays with the synthesizer.
I love it now, incidentally. No one makes music that actually sounds like this anymore. It's unsurprisingly been covered a couple of times (though every version falls pretty flat). The Muffs' version is alright. Slick/creepy teen glop No Secrets' version is horribly reprehensible and lamely glosses over the original's vibe of dystopian malaise. Shame.
My favorite bit of original video is the slowly descending hand lacerating itself over the (evidently very sharp) blinds.
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