The ABC of ‘Kids in America’ covers
When Kim Wilde unleashed her debut hit ‘Kids in America’ in 1981, little did she know she’d inspire dozens of bands and solo singers to record their own version of the song. Over 40 years later, it’s even possible to create an alphabet of all those artists. So here it is, a listing of the best and most remarkable cover versions of THAT song.
A stands for Atomic Kitten. The UK trio released their debut album in 2000 and subsequently went on tour. Although they never recorded a studio version of ‘Kids in America’, their live tribute made it onto DVD, when a live performance in Belfast was recorded and released in 2003. Their performance looks a bit like three girls karaoke’ing in their dorm room, but as a cover it isn’t all too bad, albeit a tad unremarkable.
B stands for Bloodhound Gang. A successful band in their own right, they had a top 10 hit in the UK with ‘The Bad Touch’ in 2000. Their debut album Use Your Fingers, released in 1995, featured a cover version of ‘Kids in America’ in true rock style.
Cstands for Cascada. This German band clocked up five top 10 hits in the UK between 2006 and 2010, including a charttopper with ‘Evacuate the Dancefloor’ in 2009. Their first hit was ‘Everytime We Touch’. The debut album of the same name included a Eurodance version of ‘Kids in America’.
Dstands for the Donnas. An all-female band from California which started in 1993. They released their debut album in 1997 and three more albums between 1998 and 2001. Their cover version of ‘Kids in America’ was a contribution to the soundtrack of the movie Nancy Drew. A year later the band fell apart.
Estands for the Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ singer had a pretty impressive career with several hit singles. Just like many others in 2020, she was in lockdown as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. She decided to have ‘Kitchen Disco’ parties online, during which she would perform her own songs as well as some covers pretty much every other week. One of those covers was — you guessed it — ‘Kids in America’.
Fstands for Foo Fighters. Perhaps an unlikely cover version, coming from a band led by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. On the other hand, Nirvana actually played ‘Kids in America’ live on at least one occasion… Anyway, the Foo Fighters recorded their version of ‘Kids in America’ on a 10" EP released for Record Store Day in 2015, Songs from the Laundry Room. The tracks on the EP actually date back to Grohl’s days playing in punk bands in Virginia. The disc includes early demos of Foo Fighters songs ‘Alone + Easy Target’, ‘Big Me’, the previously unreleased ‘Empty Handed’ and of course the ‘Kids in America’ cover.
Gstands for Gino Marinello Orchestra. This list wouldn’t be complete without one of those clumsy instrumental versions of ‘Kids in America’ - of which there have been a few. The version by the Gino Marinello Orchestra appeared on several cheapo compilations of synthesizer tunes. Gino Marinello is actually a pseudonym of the Dutch synthesizer player Roel Zaadnoordijk, who recorded dozens of cover versions in this clumsy synth style.
Hstands for Charlotte Hatherley. You may know her name from her guest appearance on Kim Wilde’s 2006 album Never Say Never, because she appeared on the track ‘Kids in America’. But hang on, because she also recorded that same song solo! Prior to Never Say Never Charlotte had released her own album Grey Will Fade in 2004. On that album was a track called ‘Kim Wilde’. The single ‘Bastardo’, taken from the album and released in 2005, featured an acoustic cover version of ‘Kids in America’. This attracted Kim’s attention and which is how she ended up guesting on Never Say Never.
Istands for It’s a cover up. There must be loads of anonymous bands that record versions of hits songs, ending up on cheap compilations. One of them is It’s a cover up, a band that consists of studio musicians. You can listen to it here.
Jstands for Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers. Jive Bunny gained notoriety as a novelty pop act during the 1980s, compiling rock ’n’ roll tracks into medleys for hit singles like ‘Swing the Mood’ and ‘That’s What I Like’. When asked whether Jive Bunny was allowed to do a cover version of one of her songs, Kim Wilde replied: ‘I would protest against that. Jive Bunny is just out to make fun of everybody. I don’t feel I should be part of that.’ Still, in 2001 ‘Kids in America’ appeared on Jive Bunny’s 2001 album Ultimate 80s Party.
Kstands for Kim-Lian. Kim-Lian van der Meij was a fan of Kim Wilde even as a child. She appeared on a Dutch TV show miming to ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and went on to become a model and actress in Dutch TV shows. She released her debut album Balance in 2004, which featured a version of ‘Kids in America’. When the track was released as a single, it reached number 15 in the Dutch Top 40.
Lstands for Lawnmower Deth. A list like this is not complete without mentioning Lawnmower Deth. Kim said their version was her favourite cover of ‘Kids in America’. It appeared on the band’s 1994 album Billy. It was also released as a single, featuring several versions, including a De La Soul-inspired one called the ‘De La Deth Mix’. Eventually they even worked together: Kim appeared with the band on stage and they recorded a Christmas single, ‘F U Kristmas’, in 2017.
Mstands for Morella’s Forest. Although a version by the Muffs is certainly better known, this writer prefers the version by Morella’s Forest, because it’s certainly unique. It’s a slow, dreamy version which stands out from all the rock-infused versions like the one by the Muffs. The album From Dayton With Love was released in 1998, and it was the second of three albums by the band, which existed between 1992 and 2002.
Nstands for Nasty Habits. Would you believe, a ‘transgender cover band’? It’s certainly a unique proposition. Based in Seattle they play cover versions from synthpop to punk. Since ‘Kids in America’ lies somewhere in between these two extremes, it’s logical that the song ended up on their playlist.
Ostands for One Direction. Harry Styles may be the hottest thing in pop right now, but his beginnings with One Direction were pretty impressive too. They formed in London in 2010 and participated in the TV show X Factor, where they performed — yes, of course — ‘Kids in America’. The band ended up in third place, but this didn’t stop the band from becoming quite successful, releasing five albums in five years. In 2016 the band went on hiatus, and Harry Styles went on to pursue world domination.
Pstands for Plunk. A Dutch band formed in 1994. Their debut album Swell sold almost as much albums in Japan as it did in Europe. When the track ‘More than I can take’ is released as an EP, ‘Kids in America’ is included as a bonus track.
Qstands for QL. We mustn’t forget that ‘Kids in America’ has also been recorded in other languages. Perhaps the weirdest one is ‘Generika’ by the Swiss band QL. Their punk style is nothing new — it has been done before by Lawnmower Deth, Naked Aggression, Orange Sector and many others — but the German Swiss dialect makes the lyrics quite impenetrable.
Rstands for Rude Boy George. Named after the Culture Club frontman, this American band uses reggae and ska rhythms to pimp up ‘Kids in America’. It’s a creative take on the classic. The official music video adds some fun to this version.
Sstands for Shebang. The Swedish pop duo Shebang, consisting of Marina Ljung and Elisabeth Dittrich, was very successful in their homeland during the first five years of this century. Their third album Go! Go! Go! was also their last, but at least ‘Kids in America’ was released as a single with an official music video.
Tstands for TikTak. The Finnish band TikTak was quite popular at the turn of the century. An all-female group with each member playing their own instruments, they released five albums before breaking up in 2007. Their second album, released in 2001, featured ‘Kaupungin Lapset’, a Finnish version of ‘Kids in America’ previously recorded by Mona Carita, Jonna and Make Lentonen. In January 2002 the band performed the song together with Kim Wilde for a TV show in Finland. TikTak then recorded an English version of ‘Kids in America’ for an expanded version of their second album later that year.
Ustands for Ursüla. Another punk version of ‘Kids in America’, but it actually sounds quite mellow. Ursüla was a French band that released three albums before disbanding in 2015.
Vstands for Virgin Suicides. This punk band recorded a rather basic version of ‘Kids in America’ for the quaintly titled album Fuck the Monarchy. You can listen to it here.
Wstands for Sarah Walker. Sarah Walker started her career as a model and actress in 1996. She appearanced in movies like The Rock and George of the Jungle. In 2000, she started a singing career. Her debut single was a cover of ‘Kids in America’. She played live, opening for bands like Scooter, Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk. More recently she has become involved in creative art direction and styling.
Xstands for X Appeal. Also known as Lyane Leigh and S.E.X. Appeal, this trance music act came to be when Leigh left E-Rotic after disagreements with producer David Brandes. Instead of trying to obtain the E-Rotic band name, she started her own ‘side project’ with Raz-ma-taz, and thus S.E.X. Appeal was born. The debut album Peeping Tom featured several sex-inspired titles, but ‘Kids in America’ was included as a bonus track.
Ystands for Young Knives. Founded by Henry Dartnall, Thomas Dartnall and Oliver Askew in 1998, the Young Knives broke into the music industry in 2002 with the release of their debut mini-album The Young Knives… Are Dead, but began to gain recognition when they released the single ‘The decision’ in 2005. In 2006 they released their first proper album Voices of animals and men, which peaked at number 21 in the UK album charts. Also in 2006, they recorded a cover version of ‘Kids in America’, which was released on a bonus 7″ single with the LP version of ‘Voices of animals and men’. The track was also included on a CD sampler included with NME magazine in November 2006, which remains the track’s only release on CD.
Zstands for 혜은이. There are no acts, so far, starting with ‘Z’ that have covered ‘Kids in America’, but this Korean version is certainly an interesting one. 혜은이 is transcribed as ‘Hye-eun Lee’, and the song’s title ‘질투’ translates as ‘Jealousy’. I’m sure you’ll agree that it sounds suspiciously like the song this article is about.
