Song written by Kim Wilde & Ricky Wilde.
Eighth track on the album Closer. The song is credited to Kim Wilde featuring Scarlett Wilde.

Kim about ‘Hourglass Human’

I just feel with how humans treat the planet, that our time is running out. That was my feeling about it. I thought what does that look like? And it looks like an hourglass. And I just thought, that’s it. Our time’s running out. Sadly I do believe that to be true. Actually if I were to be completely honest with you I don’t think we’re a very successful race on this planet. When you watch all the David Attenborough stuff and you see how successful beings are on the planet, there’s a reason they are successful, because they don’t ruin their environment and they don’t go to war with each other. They live within their means to survive. They’re not malicious and nasty and cruel, animals are really not. So yeah, I’m not very impressed with the human race these days. I have great hope in it, I have to say. I mean, I’m more of a positive thinking person in all aspects of my life. But humans, it’s a hard one for me with humans, you know. I believe in them so and I love them so but the opposite is true. So that’s what this song is about. It’s just completely just going down that, ‘Oh, I’ve just had enough of you guys’. It’s not a spiteful song, it’s a desperate one. (1)

Credits

Drums: Jonathan Atkinson
Bass: Paul Cooper
Guitar: Ricky Wilde, Neil Jones
Keyboards: Ricky Wilde
Backing vocals: Ricky Wilde, Scarlett Wilde

Interview source

(1) Unsung Heroes podcast, 20 December 2024

Lyrics

Just like in a game
There goes another one fallen again
Devoured in lust
It’s like another one biting the dust

Black widow, the poison will flow
Hourglass human you don’t want to know
Who’s bearing the shame?
It’s just another one taking the blame

Who will run to you?
(Saviour)
Who will rescue you?
(Saviour)
Who will burn for you?
(Saviour)
Who will chain you (again, again)?
Welcome to the prodigal

Just like it’s a game
You’re a parasite hiding the stain
Still killing the trust
So there’s another one biting the dust

Transmission, the virus will grow
Contaminated by the devil below

Who will run to you?
(Saviour)
Who will rescue you?
(Saviour)
Who will burn for you?
(Saviour)
Who will chain you (again, again)?
Welcome to the prodigal

Who will run to you?
(Saviour)
Who will rescue you?
(Saviour)
Who will burn for you?
(Saviour)
Never love you
(Saviour)
Who would die for you?
(Saviour)
Would they lie for you?
(Saviour)
What is left for you?
(Saviour)
Will they love you?
(Saviour)

Oh, hourglass human
Oh, welcome to the prodigal
Oh, hourglass human
Oh, welcome to the prodigal
Oh, hourglass human
Oh, welcome to the prodigal
Oh, hourglass human
Oh, welcome to the prodigal
Oh

Just like it’s a game
Oh
Still killing the trust
Will they love you?

German singer Robert Haag first made a name for himself in 2014 when he recorded ‘Pommes Mit Senf’ (‘Fries With Mustard’) together with Markus Becker. The song was a cover of Nick Kamen’s ‘I Promised Myself’, inspired by a German friend who always sang that song as ‘Pommes Mit Senf’. (A kind of Mondegreen in German).

In 2015, Robert tried to follow up this relative success with a cover of Kim Wilde’s Kids in America – re-recorded in German as ‘Verliebt in Veronika’ (In love with Veronika’).

Band based in San Luis Obispo, California (USA), consisting of Hayley Crusher Cain (guitar, vocals), Dr. Cain ESQ (bass, vocals) and Action Ben Cabreana (drums). Since 2015 they have released four albums. On their third album, Vintage Millennial, they recorded a cover version of Water on Glass.

Helen Hat’s recordings appear on cheap digital compilation albums only. She recorded tracks like Sheena Easton’s ‘Morning train’, Status Quo’s ‘Whatever you want’ and Kim Wilde’s Say You Really Want Me. That track is included on the digital album Love 80’s, released in 2014.

Heimatglück were founded by Coco and Jana in Hamburg in 1996 after the band Paradontax disbanded. After a somewhat longer search for a drummer, Felix Raeithel, who previously played guitar with Tohu-wa-bohu, came along. After many concerts and a lot of releases, the band still exists in its original line-up today.

In 2001 they released the EP Heimatpop, featuring the track ‘Wasserglass’, which is a cover version of Water on Glass.

Since then, they released the album Können Gebratene Tauben Fliegen? (2003) and Spass Allein Genügt Nicht Mehr (2011), along with several singles and EP’s.

Band based in the Dutch provence of Limburg – a piece of land between Belgium and Germany in the south of the Netherlands. Their entire repertoire was based on existing songs with new lyrics in their local dialect. Between 1998 and 2011 they released five albums.

‘De Trimklup’ (‘The Gym Club’) was their version of Anyplace Anywhere Anytime, released on their album Aoh Lekker (2015).

The band broke up in November 2016. In 2022 they reformed for occasional live performances.

Legendary music stores, located all over the UK, where records, CD’s and – these days – all kinds of media are being sold.

On 18 May 1992 Kim did an instore appearance in one of the HMV branches in London to sign autographs for an hour at lunchtime. HMV offered a free poster with the first few thousand copies of the album (‘Love Is‘) sold.

Andrew Howie is a Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & community music tutor who has been writing, recording and releasing his own music for over two decades.

In September 2017 he released a cover version of Kids in America as an extra track on the single ‘Testament’.

Andrew Howie about ‘Kids in America’

‘Kids In America’ is one of the first songs I ever fell in love with. I remember buying ‘The Very Best of Kim Wilde’ on cassette from John Menzies in Clarkston when I was about 10 years old. Not long ago, I included the song on a CD compilation I made for my kids and now they love it too. The three of them sing backing vocals on this version and my eldest son plays drums.

In November 2003, Kim performed during the Here & Now Tour in Australia. Split over five dates, seven acts played live during a set lasting for almost three hours.
The bill featured, besides Kim, Human League, Paul Young, Belinda Carlisle, Go West and Australian bands Mondo Rock and 1927.
The tour started on 6 November 2003 in Perth and ended on 17 November 2003 in Sydney.

Tour dates

• 6 November 2003 – Burswood Casino, Perth (Australia)
• 8 November 2003 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide (Australia)
• 10 November 2003 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (Australia)
• 15 November 2003 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane (Australia)
• 17 November 2003 – Entertainment Centre, Sydney (Australia)

Lawrence Hill started playing the guitar as a child, and then gradually started writing his own songs. He discovered his voice in the shed in his parents garden, where he used to practice, and quickly found it a vital release to express his feelings through song.

After playing live in London and Hertfordshire, he was asked to open for Kim Wilde during her tours in the UK and Europe in 2016 and 2017. During the 2017 tour, Lawrence appeared on stage with Kim, Ricky and Scarlett as well, playing Big Love as a duet.

In 2017 he appeared in the blind auditions of the TV show The Voice UK, and was chosen by Will.i.am to go through to the next round. When he was paired up with Jason Jones, Will chose Jason. However, Lawrence still won 60% of the public vote. Lawrence said: “Winning The Voice was never something I wanted, I just aimed to appear on the show, have fun and say ‘Hi I’m Lawrence and this is what I do’  to the world. Job done, bring on the next challenge.”

Book published by Accent Press Ltd. in 2016. Famous faces from the worlds of television, music, film and books reveal insightful, sometimes surprising and often funny stories about places from their pasts. Touching on childhood, love, loss and happiness, the deeply personal memories have never been shared before. With original contributions from: Fearne Cotton, Nigel Havers, Cherie Blair, Jo Brand, Deborah Moggach, Sir Tony Robinson, Bill Oddie, Lembit Opik, Rowan Coleman, Fenella Fielding, Lorraine Kelly and of course Kim Wilde. Kim’s contribution takes up one page in the book.

Release date: 19 May 2016
Written by: Jackie McGregor
Publisher: Accent Press Ltd
Number of pages: 256
ISBN: 9781783758821
Book description:
Does where you have lived help shape who you become? In this unique anthology of memories, famous faces from the worlds of television, music, film and books reveal insightful, sometimes surprising and often funny stories about places from their pasts. Touching on childhood, love, loss and happiness, the deeply personal memories have never been shared before. With original contributions from: Fearne Cotton, Nigel Havers, Cherie Blair, Jo Brand, Deborah Moggach, Sir Tony Robinson, Bill Oddie, Lembit Opik, Rowan Coleman, Fenella Fielding, Lorraine Kelly and of course Kim Wilde. Kim’s contribution takes up one page in the book.