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Leading off with her signature tune with that throbbing bass keyboard in a typical new wave sound, "Kids In America" about the rough life of the rough, poverty-ridden American streets, where "kind hearts don't make a new story/kind hearts don't grab any glory." [Kim Wilde]

Another gloriously 80's punk/new wave song is "Chequered Love" with its explosions of rock guitar, then frantic and energetic: "sad days end in confusion/sad days end in delusion/but that's the name of game." [Kim Wilde]

"Water On Glass" is in the same vein and is about the sound of water running over glass. [Kim Wilde]

The sobering "Cambodia" is about an American soldier sent on bombing raids in Cambodia and haunted by his actions, which mentally affects him and his girl: "he had the saddest eyes a girl had ever seen/he used to cry some nights/as though he lived a dream/and as she held him close/he used to search her face as if though she knew the truth/lost inside Cambodia." [Select]

The bad love affair song "View From A Bridge" begins with a wind effect before going into the usual bouncy new wave beat. [Select]

With an ominous beat, "Child Come Away" warns children to beware of strangers who kidnap and molest children, and tells of a police scene, complete with marks in the sand and a note saying "She is mine." [Catch As Catch Can]

"Love Blonde" is about a teasing seductress--"she's got that sensuality." The horn section and a heavy male chorus of backing singers enhance the chorus: "she's a love blonde." [Catch As Catch Can]

The strong "The Second Time" returns to the spirit of 80's with a bass-heavy synth and rhythmic horns, and an organ-synth in the chorus. [Teases & Dares]

With a "Doobee doobee doo-doo bop bop" and a beat reminiscent of 1950's rock, "Rage To Love" describes how a girl is feeling after being disillusioned by lame clubs and acts. [Teases & Dares]

Then comes her only #1 US single, her cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On." It's got a harder-edged/hard-driving rock sound than the original, with matching intensity when she says, "Get out, get out of my life/and let me sleep at night." [Another Step]

The similarly hard-edged "Another Step (Closer To You)" is a duet between her and the Michael Jackson-sounding Junior. The added horns weren't on the original, if I recall. [Another Step]

The bouncy "You Came" is heavily on the pop side, but is one of my all-time favourite Wilde songs as it romanticizes the coming of a new love. [Close]

"Never Trust A Stranger" has a rock guitar and advises girls "never trust a stranger with your heart." Why, what happened? Answer: "Like a tiger you hunted and tracked me down/savaged my soul and took over control." [Close]

The heartbreaking pop with lush strings of "Four Letter Word" is another favourite. Love is a four letter word because "the feeling is bad/it's the pits of the world." [Close]

What, no singles from her Love Moves album?

The celebratory romantic pop of "Love Is Holy" makes me believe more that Kim is a tried-and-true romantic. From the opening, she says "Love is holy, don;'t forget it/It will heal you if you let it/Love will strip you, leave you naked/Love is sexy, love is sacred." The sound is something Belinda Carlisle would've done, only better. This is the reason why Kim Wilde reminds me that I'm alive. [Love Is]

There are two new songs for this album. One is the Bee Gees' "If I Can't Have You" and the upbeat disco of "In My Life," which shows her in a better mood: "in my life everything is feeling good/in my life feeling like you know it should/.../I know I'm feeling good with my life."

Put simply, a one-disc greatest hits collection does not satisfactorily celebrate Kim Wilde's immense talent--it'd take a box set to do that, but then again, I'm so biased because I love her so much.


Kim Wilde: HOT HOT HOT!!!   March 25, 2005
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Britney Spears, eat your heart out! Kim Wilde is the hottest '80s chick period. Her music is awesome, and her image is so sexy. Her songs are wonderful: "Kids in America" is a new wave classic, her remake of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is still dynamic, and there are several other British hits on here that are all great.

She is my favorite female vocalist, and I would kill to meet her. If you want proof that British girls are sexier than Americans look no further than Miss Wilde.


Mainstream pop was once good?! *gasps*   March 11, 2006
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Yeah, I said it. This is mainstream pop. It is good.

This CD really comes to show how much the music industry has deteriorated in the past two decades. Why are talentless camera-hogs like Britney and Jessica constantly getting airplay in lieu of Kim Wilde, I ask? I could think endlessly, for hours, trying to find an answer to this puzzling question, but still probably couldn't. It's an enigma.

Anyways, I had never actually heard of Wilde until a few years ago - and I discovered her music in two different places. The first was through the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, in which "Kids in America" became a standout favorite of mine, and the second was a cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Norwegian band Theatre of Tragedy. I found both songs to be incredibly addictive, so I decided I would try to look for a CD of hers, which brought me here.

The Singles Collection includes 17 excellent pop tracks (or a combination of punk-pop, dancepop and soft ballads) from the 80s and early 90s. Beginning with the faster-paced anthems like "Kids in America" and "Chequered Love", and ending with the calmer, smoother sounds of "In My Life" and the "If I Can't Have You" cover, this compilation offers an excellent insight into the changes of Kim's character and voice over the years. Meanwhile, we have the energetic dancefloor hits "Never Trust a Stranger" and fan favorite "You Came", as well as downtuned ballads like "Child Come Away" and the overlooked "Cambodia" that make you wonder why Kim never completely broke through to the American mainstream.

In conclusion, I think any fan of 80s music should track this down. Although Madonna was the prime diva of the decade, Kim Wilde makes a nice entrance into second place. Classic stuff.


No need to buy other Kim Wilde CDs   April 26, 2000
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This CD really is a "Best of" collection spanning about 13 years worth of music. As far as I can tell, the only album that Kim Wilde put out that's not represented is 1984's "Catch as Catch Can," which I think was released only in Europe.

Kim shows surprising range over the course of the CD, starting with the bubble gum hits "Kids in American" and "Chequered Love," to the aggressive "The Second Time," to the wistful "Four Letter Word," to the exhuberant "Love is Holy."

Back in the days of vinyl, I had many of her albums; this CD has pretty much everything that I really liked, and I don't feel as if I'm missing out on the other songs not represented.

Overall, it's a very even collection, with no songs that you really want to skip over.