Website tag: Close

You’ll Be the One Who’ll Lose

Song written by Ricky, Kim and Marty Wilde. Seventh track of the album Close. Released as the B-side of the single Love in the Natural Way.

Kim about ‘You’ll Be the one Who’ll Lose’

This song describes how it feels to fall in love with the idea of falling in love. The atmospheric and reflective music dictated the subject matter, and once again a song came along to help ease the pain of growing up in public. (1)

I know what it’s like to have a broken heart. Luckily not too much, but enough to know what it feels like for somebody else. I wrote a song called You’ll Be the One Who’ll Lose [on her Close album] about a relationship that went nowhere with somebody that I cared about very much at the time. That song perfectly describes that situation. For me, songwriting has been a great therapy and a great way of working out the heartache of life. (2)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Interview source

(1) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013
(2) What I know about men, Sunday Life, Sun-Herald magazine (Australia), 13 October 2013


Lyrics

Guess I took it for granted
That you’d feel the same as me
Had enough of romances ending unromantically
You don’t take any chances
But you gamble aimlessly
Always running in circles
Keeping phoney company
You call’em up when you get in town
‘cos it’s time to play the game
Hangin’ out at the place to be
Where the people know your name

And I’m tryin’ to say
It doesn’t matter at all
It doesn’t matter what you do
I’m gonna leave you anyway
But I want you to know
You’ll be the one who’ll lose

It was foolish to kid myself
That love’s a guarantee
It’s an illusion that’s often sold
But never comes for free
Can you see what you’re losing
Oh, can you even really see
Seems you’re so busy moving, honey
You never even noticed you lost me
And I’m trying to say
It doesn’t matter at all
It doesn’t matter how you feel
I’m gonna say it anyway
Cos I want you to know
You’ll be the one who’ll lose

You Came (album)

Name of a mini-album containing five remix versions of five tracks from the album Close. It was released in Japan only in 1989.

Tracks

The album contains the tracks Hey Mister Heartache (Kilowatt remix), You Came (extended version), Never Trust a Stranger (extended version), Four Letter Word (extended version), Love in the Natural Way (extended version).

Formats

‘You Came’ was released on CD only.
See this page in the discography.


You Came

Song written by Ricky and Kim Wilde. The second track of the album Close and the second single off the album.

Versions

There are eight versions of ‘You came’: the album version, the 7″ version, an extended version, four remixes by Shep Pettibone: a 12″ remix, a 7″ remix and two dub versions, and a live version recorded in Birmingham and released on the album Aliens Live.
There were a couple of remixes from DJ remix services, such as a remix by Les Massengale for Ultimix and a remix by Jim Hopkins for Hot Tracks. A remix of Stone with You Came by Joseph Watt was released by Razormaid.

In 2006, Kim included a new version called You Came (2006) on her album Never Say Never. In 2018, a live version recorded during the UK live tour was included in the deluxe edition of Here Come the Aliens.

Formats

The single was released on 7″ single, two different 12″ singles and a CD-single. In America, a cassette single was also released.
See also this page in the discography.

Music video

A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was released in two versions: the regular version (based on the 7″ version) and an extended version (based on the 12″ remix). Both versions were directed by Greg Masuak.
Go to this page for more information.

Live performances

‘You came’ was performed live on the Bad Tour in 1988 and every live concert after that.

Cover versions

The track was covered in Greek as Eisai oti agapo by Bessy Argyrakis, in Finnish as ‘Niin tein’ by the band Hausmylly, in German as Dein Tag by the Lollipops and in English by Aura, B. City Crew, Baz, Camilot, DJ ADK featuring Linda, FTU presenting CREAM, Hylene, Kiko & Niko feat. Julia Hime, Lex, Mario Lopez, Maxgirls, Lynn Sweet and Candy Warhol.

Ricky about ‘You came’

We had a weekend before MCA were going to come back to the studio to have a live final playback of the album. So I had just the weekend to sort out another track. So I went into the studio on my own and turned all the gear on, got a couple of synths up and got a little groove going and started listening to a bit of Human League. The reason for that was because ‘Dare’, I adored that album, it’s one of my favourite albums, beautiful songs, every single track is just an absolute corker. I just felt that there was one more track in our album. I wanted it to be like our ‘Dare’. There’s a track that Human League released quite a few years ago, the song was called ‘Life On Your Own’. It had very similar chords to ‘You Came’. Then the melody came very quickly and the lyric came very quickly. That was about my little boy, who was very young at the time, I think he was only a few months old. The whole chorus was written about him. But I wanted the rest of the lyric to sound more global, so I just wanted it to mean that it could be anything to do with what changes your life. Whether it be religion, a best friend, a new situation or something that’s affected your life in a life-changing way. So then I just phoned up Kimmy and said ‘look, I’ve come up with this, what do you think?’ She liked it and she finished off the lyrics. (1)

Kim about ‘You came’

This song was inspired by the birth of Ricky and Mandy’s first child, a son Marty. Being an older sister, it felt really strange and yet wonderful for my little brother to become a father, and together we captured the joy of a new life. In 1988 I was asked to join Michael Jackson on his extensive ‘Bad’ tour across the UK and mainland Europe. The video captured some of those incredible moments – especially being on stage at The Reichstag and in front of the Berlin Wall – that finally came down the following year. (2)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Highest chart positions

Australia: 35
Austria: 8
Belgium: 10
Canada: 42
Denmark: 1
France: 5
Germany: 5 (17 weeks)
Ireland: 3 (8 weeks)
Italy: 4 (13 weeks)
Netherlands: 13 (8 weeks)
Norway: 4
Sweden: 7 (12 weeks)
Switzerland: 3 (14 weeks)
United Kingdom: 3 (11 weeks)
United States: 41 (10 weeks)

Interview source

(1) Unsung Heroes podcast, 9 January 2020.
(2) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

Someone I know is staring at me
And when I look into her eyes
I see a girl that I used to be
I hardly recognise
Cos in the space of a year
I’ve watched the old me disappear
All of the things I once held precious
Just don’t mean anything anymore
Cos suddenly

You came, and changed the way I feel
No one could love you more
Because you came and turned my life around
No one could take your place

I’ve never felt good with permanent things
Now I don’t want anything to change
You can’t imagine the joy you bring
My life won’t be the same
And I’ll be there when you call
I’ll pick you up if you should fall
Cos I have never felt such inspiration
Nobody else ever gave me more because

You came, and changed the way I feel
No one could love you more
Because you came and turned my life around
No one could take your place

I watch you sleep in the still of the night
You look so pretty when you dream
So many people just go through life
Holding back, they don’t say what they mean
But it’s easy for me
Since you came
No one could love you more
Because you came and turned my life around
No one could take your place
You came, and changed the way I feel
No one could love you more
Because you came and turned my life around
No one could take your place

Tell Me Where You Are

Song written by Ricky and Kim Wilde. Not included on the album Close, this track was released as the B-side of the single Hey Mister Heartache, except France, where it was the B-side of the single You Came.


Lyrics

Although I’m standing here beside you
You make me feel like I’m all alone
And I’ve been trying hard to break through
But if you need me I’ve got to know

Baby, I’ve got to know is this imagination or something real
Baby, where do you go won’t you come a little closer
and tell me how you feel

Tell me where you are
cos we seem so far apart
Tell me where you are
Where’s your heart

I know that love has been a stranger
And always something that let you down
Hoeny, you’re not in any danger
I’ll never give up on what we’ve found

Baby, I love you so come on turn around and listen to what I say
Baby, I’ll never go you don’t have to keep your distance
Please stop running away

Tell me where you are
cos we seem so far apart
Tell me where you are
Where’s your heart

Have you discovered a place to hide
Because you’re scared of letting anyone inside
Forget your pride
Come on baby give it a try

Baby
Tell me where you are
Where’s your heart
Baby, tell me where you are
cos we seem so far apart
Tell me where you are
Where’s your heart

Stone

Song written by Ricky, Kim and Marty Wilde. Ninth track of the album Close. It was also released as the B-side of the single You Came. The lyrics are about environmental waste, and mention the phrase “dangerous fools”.
Stone was included in a DJ remix of You came by Joseph Watt, which was released by Razormaid.

Live performances

‘Stone’ was performed live during the German tour in December 1992, the Hits Tour in 1994, the Perfect Girl Tour in 2007, live dates in 2008, Christmas gigs in December 2013, the Dutch tour in October 2015, and the Dutch tour in November 2017.

Kim about ‘Stone’

It’s about the environment. With this song I tell people that they should feel responsible. You must not think that you can’t do anything about a better environment. Yes, I am doing it myself. I don’t use hairspray. My car can’t ride on unleaded petrol, so I’ll sell it and buy one that can. I’m not perfect. I do eat meat. But I also give money to Greenpeace. can you remember the top conference between Reagan and Gorbachev on Iceland? They were there to abandon short-range missiles, but it was just a publicity stunt from both sides, to win votes. I didn’t like it! That’s when I wrote ‘Stone’. (1)

Fools are only dangerous when they have power. The finger points at governments of all nations who stand by and allow their industries to pollute and kill our world. They then lie to cover up their ignorance and greed, to try to lull us into a false sense of security. Each of us must take our own personal stand, and not grow up to be the dangerous fools of tomorrow. (2)

This song was written with two big environmental disaster events in mind, but of course also with my more general growing unease as to the damage human kind continued to bring to our fragile planet in the name of ‘progress’. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine exploded in April 1986. At the time it was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it has left a huge area with a radius of 30 kilometres from the site of the explosion completely uninhabitable now and for thousands of years to come. Also in 1986 the river Rhine was poisoned by the chemical firm Sandoz, contaminating the entire Rhine to the North Sea and reversing 10 years of work to clean up the river. The same year I felt inspired to become a member of Greenpeace. (3)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Interview sources

(1) I really have been desperate, Popfoto (Netherlands), March 1989
(2) Kim Wilde Fanclub magazine, vol. 8 no. 1
(3) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

Most people wake
From a nightmare to find
Everything’s great
It was all in their mind
So am I still sleeping
Or is this all real
If I keep on pinching myself
Will the fear disappear, oh no

It’s like a stone hanging over our heads
Ready to blow
Cos this is our time
You’ve got to believe
That it’s yours and it’s mine
You can’t close your eyes to the lies
Perpetrated by dangerous fools
Cos they’re handing out rules
Like a prophecy chiselled in stone
Stone
They’re carving out our fate
Why can’t they leave us alone
Stone, stone
And messing up the world
They’ve got to leave it alone

They’ve signed on some paper
To end all the fear
But this propaganda
Is perfectly clear
They’re still building and testing
But what can we do
Condemning the seas
And the land and the trees to a tomb
Oh no

It’s like a stone hanging over your heads
Where do we go
Cos this is your time
You’ve got to believe
That it’s yours and it’s mine
You can’t close your eyes to the lies
Perpetrated by dangerous fools
Cos they’re handing out rules
Like a prophecy chiselled in stone

Lucky Guy

Song originally written and performed by Todd Rundgren on his album ‘Hermit of Mink Hollow’. Kim recorded the cover version in 1988. Tenth track of the album Close. Released as a playable postcard in Poland.

Kim about ‘Lucky guy’

Todd Rundgren. He’s a brilliant songwriter. He really unfluenced me. I covered one of his songs once, which was my homage, but it ended up more fromage really. It was called Lucky Guy. Lucky Guy, unlucky song. At least I had a go. (1)

Sometimes you wonder why destiny ever took you to a place, or to a person. I discovered this when I was introduced to the genius of Todd Rundgren by an old boyfriend. If the only reason I ever dated him was to discover Todd’s remarkable talent, then destiny did her job extremely well! I had recently moved to London, and set up a writing room/studio in my spare bedroom, analyzing his songs and recreating them in order to learn about the construction of song writing. I am still a huge Todd Rundgren fan and I recorded this as a tribute to his inspiring talent. (2)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Additional keyboards: Bias Boshell
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Interview source

(1) All back to my place In: Mojo (UK), November 2001
(2) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

Some people don’t seem real at all
Unafraid of any mountain
Sure that the gods won’t let him fall
Should he fall, he will always get up again

And if he’s hurt he never shows it
If he’s wrong nobody knows it
Seems like he never has to try
He just must be a lucky guy

And when there’s pain he never minds it
When it’s lost he always finds it
Nobody really knows just why
He just must be a lucky guy
He just must be a lucky guy
I wish I was that lucky guy

Love’s a No

Song written by Ricky, Kim and Marty Wilde. Fifth track of the album Close.

Kim about ‘Love’s a no’

My father and brother wrote this melancholy love song, probably without truly knowing how much the words resonated with me personally. Again, Ricky’s incredible skill at crafting a beautiful melody comes to the fore, while my Dad’s honest and sensitive lyrics speak directly to the heart. (1)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Interview source

(1) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

Alright – now we’re alone
I know you’re expecting me
To tell you all that I’ve been through
Oh sorry, it takes so long
And anyway, it’s hurting me
So don’t ask, it might hurt you too
Maybe I’m the fool
To turn down the love you’re offering

Thanks – but love’s a no (my baby)
There’s too much at stake
It’s too soon I know (my baby)
And just too much to take

Sometimes – I get scared
Loving on my own again
Some days I just want to cry
Memories won’t set me free
Those memories of how it used to be

Thanks – but love’s a no (my baby)
There’s too much at stake
It’s too soon I know (my baby)
And just too much to take

No – it wasn’t always like this
I used to be the one who was smart
I was a hard girl
I couldn’t get caught – I was strong
Oh – but then I got hurt
How I got hurt
Oh darlin’ – take a little time with me
Darlin’ – take a little time
Just a little time

One day – I don’t know when
Maybe we can try again
Maybe all I need is time
Hold me then say goodbye
Don’t hate me – for all the things I’ve said

Thanks – but love’s a no (my baby)
There’s too much at stake
It’s too soon I know (my baby)
And just too much to take

Oh darlin’ take a little time with me
Oh darlin’ take a little time
Just a little time

Love in the Natural Way

Song written by Kim, Ricky and Marty Wilde. Fourth track of the album Close. Released as the fifth and last single from the album.

Versions

There are three versions of ‘Love in the Natural Way’: the album version, the extended version and the video edit. The latter track was released on cd for the first time in 2013, when Universal re-released ‘Close’ as a 2cd set.

Formats

The single was released on 7″ single, limited edition 7″ single with poster sleeve, a 12″ single and a CD-single.
See also this page in the discography.

Music video

A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Neil Thompson.
Go to this page for more information.

Live performances

‘Love in the Natural Way’ was performed live during the Bad Tour in 1988, the Hits Tour in 1994, the Live 2009 Tour, the Snapshots & Greatest Hits tour in 2012 and during Christmas gigs in December 2013.

Kim about ‘Love in the natural way’

This was the fifth and final single from Close and one of my personal favorite love songs. I often still sing this today in an acoustic set at my concerts; the melody and sentiment still as potent as they were back in ’88… perhaps even more so. (1)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Highest chart positions

Ireland: 26 (2 weeks)
United Kingdom: 32 (6 weeks)

Interview source

(1) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

Well it sounded like a whisper
But soon became a cry
And the moment that I touch you
I know the reason why – we got love
No union is stronger than a woman with a man
I’m gonna give love in the natural way
With everything I can
Never mind if things go wrong
You and I will still be strong
And how I love you now

Oh baby, we’re here tonight
We can make it last forever
Wen can make it last for life
Oh, baby, no matter what
I’m gonna give love in the natural way
With everything I got

All times it can be gentle
And at times it can be cruel
It can treat you like a stranger
It can treat you like a fool
But tonight I wanna hold you
Cos tonight you’re gonna see
I’m gonna give you love in the natural way
And keep you here with me
Lovin’ like you’ve never known
Now at last We’re on our own
And I still love you now

Oh, baby, we’re here tonight
We can make it last forever
We can make it last for life
Oh, babe, it’s me and you
And it’s a natural reaction
When you feel the way we do
What is left that’s still unknown
Let’s discover on our own

Cos when love’s the culmination
Of everything you feel
Well it’s the only thing that’s precious
It’s the only thing that’s real

Hey Mister Heartache

Song written by Kim Wilde and Steve Byrd. First track of the album Close. After the successful collaboration on the song Another Step (Closer to You), Kim teamed up with Junior Giscombe once more for this song.
It was released on single in Europe, with the exception of France, where the first single would be its follow-up, You Came.

Versions

There are six versions of ‘Hey Mister heartache’: the album version, the 7″ version, an extended version, the Kilowatt remix, a bonus beats version and an acapella with percussion version. All versions have been released on CD, but the 7″ version originally only appeared on the compilation album Das Sommer Hits Album. The bonus beats and acapella with percussion versions were only released in 2013, when Close was re-released by Universal as a 2CD set.
A remix by Art Maharg was released by Razormaid.

Formats

The single was released on 7″ single and two different 12″ singles, and for the first time on the new CD-single format.
See also this page in the discography.

Music video

A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Greg Masuak. Junior did not appear in the accompanying video, and he was also absent during live appearances in TV shows. The video did feature actor Jesse Birdsall.
Go to this page for more information.

Live performances

‘Hey Mister heartache’ was performed live during the Bad tour in 1988 and during Dutch tours in October 2015 and October 2016.

Cover versions

‘Hey Mister heartache’ has been covered by Lynn Sweet.

Kim about ‘Hey Mister Heartache’

Basically all songs are based on my own experiences, and turned into something musical. I mean, one can only write songs honestly when the feeling is there. We have all once experienced a love gone sour. One of such experiences is described in ‘Hey Mister Heartache’. (1)

I wrote this song with my then guitarist Steve Byrd. Together we had already penned a number of songs from my previous album ‘Another step (Closer to you)’, a duet with Junior Giscombe. This dance-inspired groove was one of the first songs written for the album, motivated (as so often) by one of my several broken hearts! Growing up in public had its pros and cons, but at least I could pour my emotion into songwriting, which has become a sort of therapy. (2)

Steve Byrd about ‘Hey Mister heartache’

When Kim and I wrote this, we just said we wanted to do something funky, soully, we looked at the Motown Book of Hits, and saw a Stevie Wonder song, with Hey, in the title. Kim said Hey!!! Let’s write a song that starts with Hey!?… So we did, and here it is. (3)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Backing vocals: Junior Giscombe
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Highest chart positions

Australia: 96
Denmark: 14
Germany: 13 (14 weeks)
Ireland: 22 (2 weeks)
Italy: 7 (15 weeks)
Netherlands: 37 (3 weeks)
Norway: 3
Sweden: 6
Switzerland: 12 (12 weeks)
United Kingdom: 31 (5 weeks)

Interview source

(1) Kim Wilde: ‘I keep busy with dream explanations a lot’ In: Bravo (Germany), 9 June 1988
(2) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013
(3) Steve Byrd’s Facebook page, 20 February 2016


Lyrics

Darlin’ don’t you know I’ve had enough
Wasting all my time
Darlin’ put it on the line
Cos I heard you lying time and time again
Ooh and I don’t want to any more
This is where our loving has to end
Darlin’ now you know the score
So goodbye Baby

Hey Mr Heartache how much can you fake
How many hearts break before you get enough
Hey Mr Heartache you don’t give you just take
I hope for your sake you don’t turn your back on love

Darlin’ don’t know what you’re looking for
But I’m not waiting around to see
Darlin’ can’t take any more
I still love you but I’m gonna set you free
Ooh that’s the way it’s got to be
Cos I know I can’t change you anyway
Darlin’ there’s nothing left to say
But goodbye baby

Hey Mr Heartache how much can you fake
How many hearts break before you get enough
Hey Mr Heartache you don’t give you just take
I hope for your sake you don’t turn your back on love

Listen to me, so listen to me
Ooh baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby
Cos I was stupid to believe
You could give me what I need
You use anyone you can
Yet you call yourself a man
We’ll seen through your disguise
And it’s all that I despise
Now you’ve just run out of time
Go before I change my mind

Hey Mr Heartache, cos I love you baby
Hey Mr Heartache I still love you baby

I still love you but I’m gonna set you free
Ooh that’s the way it’s got to be
Cos I know I can’t change you anyway
Darlin’ there’s nothing left to say
But goodbye baby

Junior:You don’t know what I’m going through
You got me wrong, oh so wrong
Think you’ve sown me up
But you’re so wrong
I want you girl, all the time
Come on now
You don’t know what I’m going through, baby

Four Letter Word

Song written by Ricky and Marty Wilde. Third track of the album Close. Released as a single in November 1988 in the UK and two months later in Europe. It was the last song Ricky and Marty co-wrote together for Kim.

Versions

There are three versions of ‘Four letter word’: the album version, an extended version and a Late Night Mix.
In 2006, Kim included a new version called Four Letter Word (2006) on her album Never Say Never.

Formats

The single was released on 7″ single, a limited edition box set 7″ single, a 12″ single and a CD-single.
See also this page in the discography.

Music video

A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Michael Geoghegan.
Go to this page for more information.

Live performances

‘Four letter word’ was performed live during the Here & Now Christmas Party tour in 2002, at Tivoli in Copenhagen in 2003, during live concerts in 2006, the Perfect Girl Tour in 2007, during live concerts in 2008 and 2009, during the Snapshots & Greatest Hits Tour in 2012, during a tour with Nik Kershaw in Australia in 2013, Christmas concerts in December 2013 and December 2015 and during the Wilde Wild Xmas Show in December 2017.

Cover versions

‘Four letter word’ was covered by Lynn Sweet. There are also two covers in Chinese, once by Fanny Cheng and once by Yvonne Lau.

Kim about ‘Four letter word’

Tony Swain wanted more from my singing than ever before. He let me sing higher notes than I’d ever sung. I got an enormous kick out of it. Next to singing techniques he demanded everything from my emotions as well. The melancholy on ‘Four letter word’ is the result of that. I matured as a singer with that song. I’m proud that my father wrote the lyrics of that song. He deserves an award for it. (1)

My Dad, Marty, was strumming his guitar when he came up with the idea for this disconsolate and clever love song. ‘Four letter word’, which was nominated for an Ivor Novello award, was the first ‘straight ballad’ I had released as a single in my eight-year career. (2)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Highest chart positions

Austria: 23
Germany: 27 (10 weeks)
Ireland: 5 (7 weeks)
Netherlands: 8 (7 weeks)
Switzerland: 18 (4 weeks)
United Kingdom: 6 (12 weeks)

Interview source

(1) Kim Wilde: the hangover after the party, Veronica (Netherlands), 25 March 1989
(2) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

I tell ya
It’s hell yeah
When love says goodbye it’s a four letter word
Because your heart knows
When love goes
The feeling is bad – it’s the pits of the world
It’s sad but true
When nothing you can do, can bring it back

Standing in the rain
She starts to cry
Is it all a game
She wonders why
Why it had to start
Why should it end, and take her apart

Because she shows it
She knows it
But what can she do, it’s a four letter word
Because it shakes you
It breaks you
And when it’s the end, it’s the worst thing you heard
It’s over now
And nothing you can do can bring it back

Calling out his name
She starts to cry
Guys are all the same
She wants to die
Hide away the tears
No-one will see, and no-one must hear
But oh

How can the love that she has be profain
And how can something that’s so beautiful
Just Jeckyl and Hyde around
It’s so sad…

I tell ya
It’s hell yeah
When love says goodbye
It’s a four letter word
Because your heart knows
When love goes
The feeling is bad
it’s the worst in the world
It’s sad but true
When nothing you can do, can get it back

Standing in the rain
She starts to cry
Shouting out is name
Four letter words

European Soul

Song written by Ricky and Kim Wilde. Eighth track of the album Close.

Versions

There are two versions of this song: the album version and an acoustic version. The latter appears as an extra track on the CD-single for Perfect Girl, released in 2006.

Live performances

‘European soul’ was performed live during a German tour in December 1992, the Hits Tour in 1994 and during live concerts in 2015 and 2016.

Kim about ‘European soul’

That song is about the painter Marc Chagall, of whom I’m a big fan. I have locked myself into the studio for a few months for the recording of this album. I also read a lot of books about artists, such as Chagall. I knew something of him, since I had art history in art college, but I never studied his work properly. I was more into Degas and Toulouse Lautrec then. When I saw Chagall’s work I went to the Tate Gallery to see his paintings. I am touched by his use of colours and his compositions. The feeling of happiness is consistent with the song. (1)

A song which I’m most proud of lyric-wise is about the French painter Marc Chagall. I was in art college and know a lot about painting. Recently I read a book about Marc Chagall’s life. When I was flicking through it my mouth fell open, seeing all that beautiful stuff. I went to Tate Gallery (art museum in London -ed.) immediately and stood before one of his beautiful paintings for a while. Then I remembered suddenly that someone once asked me what I felt was closest to perfection. I suddenly knew the answer when I was there in the museum. I’m sad that Marc Chagall doesn’t live anymore. I would have loved to play my song to him… (2)

I love painting, that makes my life beautiful. The French painter Chagall (one of the most influential painters of this century) has been an obsession of mine for a while. He inspires me in my songwriting. Unfortunately I will never reach Chagall’s level of artistry in my lyrics. But they are straight from my heart. (3)

Hands down one of my all time KW favorite songs. I remember writing the lyrics as I recovered from a broken collarbone acquired at a rather hilarious party in Dorset! Inspired by the exquisite paintings of Chagall, whose work I have always loved, we tried to capture some of the magic of his art that still beguiles me today. (4)

Credits

Keyboards & programming: Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricky Wilde
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain
Engineered by James Richards.
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel

Interview sources

(1) Kim: lost her wild streak, Veronica (Netherlands), 21 May 1988
(2) The big Kim Wilde interview: ‘Too much has gone wrong, that won’t happen to me again’, Hitkrant (Netherlands), 18 June 1988
(3) Kim’s world, not a wild world…, Muziek Expres (Netherlands), January 1989
(4) Facebook Track by Track commentary, published 3 September 2013


Lyrics

I want to tell you of a place that I recall
Where you’re drawn by the seduction
And the beauty of it all
You can step into another world
Of poetry and dreams
In a land of mystery
Images dance, translucent colours seem to shine
They’re a ghostly recollection
Of another space and time
I imagine I can hear their voices calling me
To the land of mystery

Where the Russian heart is strong
Like the beating of a drum
Where the magic lingers on
And the fight for thruth is won
Deep in the European soul

And love’s eternal flame was burning deep inside
It was the purest inspiration
That he never tried to hide
When you see the lovers floating
You can almost hear them sigh
As you watch them dancing
Up into the sky

The world’s realities are not to be denied
But must we keep destroying all our fantasies
It’s hard to look beyond when terror fills our eyes
We mustn’t give up trying to let our dreams survive

I touch the paintings with the fingers of my heart
Like a supernatural love affair that’s just about to start
But there’ll always be the hidden dreams I’ll never see
In the land of mystery

Close

Released in June 1988, ‘Close’ was Kim Wilde’s sixth studio album and her most successful one to date. Coinciding with the European tour opening for Michael Jackson, and containing four Europe-wide hits, this album went platinum in many countries.

Music

‘Close’ was mostly a family affair. Kim co-wrote eight of the ten tracks: one with Steve Byrd, three with Rick Wilde and four with Rick and Marty Wilde. The album also contained the last track written for Kim by Rick and Marty Wilde, plus one cover: the song Lucky Guy by Todd Rundgren.
The album was produced by Rick Wilde and Tony Swain, with the exception of ‘Never Trust a Stranger’ which Rick produced alone.
The album featured a smooth pop sound, often associated with Tony Swain.
Lyrically, almost all the songs were love songs, with the exception of ‘Stone’, which was environmentally themed and ‘European Soul’, which was inspired by painter Marc Chagall. Finally, ‘You Came’ was inspired by the birth of Rick’s eldest son Marty.

Tracks

The album contains the tracks Hey Mister Heartache, You Came, Four Letter Word, Love in the Natural Way, Love’s a No, Never Trust a Stranger, You’ll Be the One Who’ll Lose, European Soul, Stone, Lucky Guy.
The cd version also contains the track Hey Mister Heartache (12″ version).

Artwork

The sleeve was designed by Michael Nash Associates with photography by Russell Young.

Formats

‘Close’ was originally released on LP, cd and tape.
See also this page in the discography.

In September 2013, ‘Close’ was re-released by Universal as a remastered and expanded double CD. The set brought together all the single versions, extended remixes and B-sides with the album, while also including two previously unreleased mixes of Hey Mister Heartache.
See also this page in the discography.

Credits

Keyboards and programming: Ricki Wilde, Tony Swain
Guitars: Steve Byrd, Ricki Wilde
Backing vocals: Ricki Wilde, Junior Giscombe, Nicci Sun
Additional keyboards on ‘Lucky guy’: Brian Boshell
Produced by Tony Swain and Ricki Wilde
Engineered by James Richards
Mix engineered by Richard Lengyel
Recorded and mixed at Select Sound Studios, Knebworth

Kim about ‘Close’

The LP ‘Close’ is easily the best, most balanced album I ever made. The LP was a question of ‘sink or swim’. If this one had flopped I would have gone down in history as the blonde girl who sang ‘Kids in America’ so nicely. There was some high tension in the Wilde residence beforehand, because the LP was another ‘family affair’. Dad, Ricky and I have been very critical choosing songs. We have written off three times as much songs of our own than we used to. In the old days I used to think ‘it’s a nice enough song and my brother wrote it, so oh well…’. That didn’t work, because the success of my old records was too unbalanced. In hindsight we can be very happy about the selection of songs that made it onto ‘Close’. Although it is still a question of waiting. After some deliberation we also went and got in a producer. Ricky, who always produced, had to bite the apple. I didn’t want to leave anything to coincidence. A man from the outside brings in a fresh view. It’s easier to fall out with him and vice versa. It worked. Tony Swain wanted more from my singing than ever before. He let me sing higher notes than I’d ever sung. It was an enormous kick for me. Next to singing techniques he demanded everything from my emotions as well. The melancholy on ‘Four letter word’ is the result of that. I matured as a singer with that song. I’m proud that my father wrote the lyrics of that song. He deserves an award for it. The only disappointment I had to take was not being nominated for any Brit Award. Despite the fact that I was the best selling female singer of the year. (1)

I think the Close album was one of the most complete and well written albums that I have made. (2)

Chart performance

Australia: 82
Austria: 7
Finland: 11
France: 17
Germany: 10 (34 weeks)
Italy: 20 (10 weeks)
Netherlands: 7 (43 weeks)
Norway: 6
Sweden: 11 (32 weeks)
Switzerland: 8 (36 weeks)
United Kingdom: 8 (38 weeks)
United States: 114 (6 weeks)

Interview sources

(1) Kim Wilde: the hangover after the party, Veronica (Netherlands), 25 March 1989
(2) Freeserve online chat, 1 March 2001