Kim Wilde’s first records were written and produced by her father and brother, Marty and Ricky. The three of them have had a great influence on the music world, as this regular series ‘Wilde World’ shows.
Child star Anne Mette Torp from Hønefoss (Norway) had a great year in 1973, when she shot to fame with a cover version of Ricky Wilde’s ‘I am an astronaut’. The song was translated into Norwegian by Elvind Torp (presumably her father) as ‘Jeg er en astronaut’. She also recorded a Swedish version, ‘Jag är en astronaut’, translated by Rolf Lönberg (he was also credited on Barnens Bästa Bitar). Her version ended up on the hugely popular compilation album ‘På Treff Med’ (volume 2), which featured Scandinavian cover versions of many hits of that year, such as Abba’s ‘He is your brother’, Carly Simon’s ‘You’re so vain’ and the Sweet’s ‘Blockbuster’.
In 1974, she released her debut (and only) LP ‘Abra Ka Dabra’, which did not include this song, but rather original songs, but also meant for children. After her singing career she took up ballet, and now runs the Ringerike Ballet School in Hønefoss.
The Norwegian version appears below. Anne Mette Torp also recorded a Swedish version.