The music video for Kim Wilde’s “Kids in America” worked even better than my coffee this morning to get me excited about life, which is one of the highest compliments you could pay a New Wave track, so there’s that. And to think that before watching the video, I might have snickered at the idea that the song, or Kim Wilde herself, was New Wave at all!

Let me tell you: Kim Wilde is New Wave. And now, let me tell you why.

1) Kim Wilde is British. Yet here she is, singing a song whose primary chorus goes, we’re the kids in America, we’re the kids in America… Again: Kim Wilde is British. She may be in America, but she is not an American kid. But for her to position herself as one is totally New Wave and great. I just love how she embodies that apparent contradiction so comfortably, and with such nonchalance.

2) There are lots of video screens featured in this video. And anytime you have a video which contains other video screens (especially when there’s an attractive person staring blankly at video screens), you can safely say to yourself, THIS IS SO NEW WAVE.

3) Kim Wilde is not particularly talented at dancing, or lip synching. And yet, she does a LOT of both of those things, in this video. Doing things you’re not that good at, but doing them with a ton of confidence and nonchalance, is super New Wave.

4) The expression on Kim Wilde’s face when she shrugs away a man’s hand on her shoulder (2:08 in the video) is really New Wave. That’s because it is a rebellious, get your authoritarian mitts off me kind of look. I thought it was also kind of unexpected, and a fun surprise, that she gets so snarly in that scene, seeing as how her demeanor for the rest of the video is so vacant and noncommittal. And “fun surprises” are definitely the love language of New Wave.

5) There are window blinds in this video that are used as artistic stage and lighting devices. And anytime you have window blinds in a video, you should know that you are dealing with something that is very, very New Wave.

I may have convinced you that Kim Wilde is New Wave, or your needle may not have budged an inch on this matter. Regardless, I’m giving this video a 9/10. I love the lighting, I love how mesmerizingly pretty and vacant Kim Wilde’s face is, I love how she under-emotes her lines, and I love the window blinds.

💘

VOL. 1, TRACK 4: KIM WILDE, “KIDS IN AMERICA”

VOL. 1, TRACK 5: THE VAPORS, “TURNING JAPANESE”

VOL. 1, TRACK 3: TALK TALK, “TALK TALK”