Kim Wilde
The daughter of '50s British pop singer Marty Wilde, Kim Wilde had several hits during the '80s. Initially, her synth-driven pop fit in with the new wave movement, but as the decade progressed, it became clear that her strength was mainstream pop. She continued to record into the 21st century, scoring the occasional hit, either in the dance or adult contemporary field.
In 1980, Wilde signed with producer Mickie Most's Rak Records, releasing her first single, "Kids in America," early in 1981. It climbed to number two on the British charts that spring, while her second single, "Chequered Love," made it into the Top Ten; her self-titled debut album performed as well as her singles. The following year, "Kids in America" became a Top 40 hit in America, while Select kept her in the British charts. However, it wasn't until late 1986 that she had another U.S. hit with a dance cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On," which charted in the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. In the intervening years, and for the rest of the decade, Wilde maintained a strong European chart presence, proving her longevity in the Austrian, German, Belgian and Swiss markets.
Wilde didn't have another hit in America but received a lot of radio play there in the summer of 1987 for "Another Step (Closer to You)," a duet with Junior Giscombe. Later that year, another duet, this time with the comedian Mel Smith on a charity rendition of the Brenda Lee hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," reached number three in her home country, where it became a perennial seasonal record. Her 1988 album, Close, brought Wilde a further Top Ten singles across Europe, including "You Came," "Never Trust a Stranger," and "Four Letter Word." Her European tour in support of the record included dates opening for Michael Jackson on his Bad World Tour.
Wilde's commercial highlight of the '90s was a 1993 cover of the Bee Gees disco track "If I Can't Have You," which charted high in no fewer than eight countries. It appeared on her first proper compilation, The Singles Collection 1981-1993, and naturally, she embarked on a far-reaching "greatest-hits" tour the following year, taking in most of Europe as well as dates in Japan and Australia. Wilde's 1995 set, Now & Forever, failed to take off and became her last studio album for 11 years. She closed the decade as part of a West End production of the Who's Tommy and married her co-star Hal Fowler.
Early in the new century, Wilde took part in the plentiful '80s revival tours alongside regrouped line-ups of the Human League and Five Star. A 2003 collaboration with Nena on a bilingual version of the German artist's 1984 hit "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" went to number one in both Austria and the Netherlands, and hit the Top Ten in numerous other countries, without seeing release in the U.K. Similarly, her 2006 comeback of sorts -- fueled by the EMI album Never Say Never -- took hold in each of the central European countries that had previously shown faith in Wilde, but it barely registered in the U.K. In fact, after 2010's Come Out and Play, 2011's Snapshots and 2013's Wilde Winter Songbook provided diminishing returns across Europe. It was a surprise when the quirky concept album Here Come the Aliens rekindled her career once more, hitting the Top 30 in the U.K. By 2021, Wilde was celebrating her 40th year as a performing artist with a lavish multi-format career retrospective titled Pop Don't Stop: Greatest Hits. She also released a pair of collaborative singles, including "Shine On" with Boy George. The compilation Love Blonde: The RAK Years arrived in 2024; that same year, she released the sparkling single "Trail of Destruction."
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine & James Wilkinson /TiVo
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Discography
52 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Love Blonde: The RAK Years
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Pop on 23 Feb 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Trail Of Destruction
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on 23 Aug 2024
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Catch As Catch Can (2020 Expanded & Remastered Edition)
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Pop on 1 Jan 1983
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Shine On
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on 26 Jul 2024
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Select (2020 Expanded & Remastered Edition)
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Pop on 10 May 1982
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Closer
Pop - To be released on 31 Jan 2025 by Cherry Red Records
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Return of the Aliens (The Deluxe Bonus Tracks)
Pop - Released by earMUSIC on 19 Oct 2018
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Midnight Train
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on 22 Nov 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Amoureux Des Rêves Feat. Laurent Voulzy
Pop - Released by earMUSIC on 1 Oct 2018
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Kim Wilde (2020 Expanded & Remastered Edition)
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Pop on 29 Jun 1981
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
You Keep Me Hangin' On (Live in Vienna)
Pop - Released by earMUSIC on 9 Aug 2019
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Princess Lillifee
Children - Released by Soundcolours on 28 Feb 2014
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Wilde Winter Songbook (Deluxe Edition)
Pop - Released by Wildeflower on 19 Nov 2013
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Wilde Winter Songbook (Deluxe Edition)
Pop - Released by earMUSIC on 19 Nov 2013
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Close (Deluxe) (Expanded Edition)
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 13 Jun 1988
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Hits Collection
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on 26 Jul 2024
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Another Step
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 3 Nov 1986
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo