"Chequered Love" is the second single by British singer Kim Wilde. The song was released in the spring of 1981 to follow Wilde's successful debut "Kids in America". As with that single, writing credits were given to Wilde's father and brother Marty and Ricky Wilde, with the latter also being given production credits. The 12" version is no longer in length than the 7"; however, better sound quality is achieved by the grooves not being as compressed, a common practice for "marketing" during the 1980s. The song later appeared on Wilde's self-titled debut album.
| "Chequered Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kim Wilde | ||||
| from the album Kim Wilde | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 27 April 1981 | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | RAK (UK) EMI (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ricky Wilde, Marty Wilde | |||
| Producer(s) | Ricky Wilde | |||
| Kim Wilde singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lyrically, the song describes how opposites attract, and was inspired by Wilde's parents, who are very dissimilar people.[1] "Chequered Love" became another hit for Wilde, reaching the number four on the UK Singles Chart, number one in South Africa (succeeding "Kids in America"),[2] and peaking inside the top 10 all around the world except North America. It was certified gold in the UK,[3] and has sold over a million copies worldwide.[4] The song was also followed by a music video directed by Brian Grant, which was set in a steamy, black-tiled bathroom.[1]
Track listing
editUK / Europe / Australia 7" single [1981]
- "Chequered Love" - 3:20
- "Shane" - 3:29
Germany 12" single [1981]
- "Chequered Love" - 3:20
- "Shane" - 3:29
US / Canada 7" single [1982]
- "Chequered Love" - 3:20
- "Everything We Know" - 3:42
Charts
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Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b Nobes, Mark (January 18, 2023). "Kim Wilde "Chequered Love" (1981)". Simply Eighties. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ "SA Number 1s 1965 - 1989". Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Billboard". 1981-09-19.
- ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 42. 24 October 1981. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Chequered Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Chequered Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Chequered Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Chequered Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts W". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Chequered Love". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Kim Wilde – Chequered Love". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Kim Wilde: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kim Wilde – Chequered Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 393 – 4 January 1982 > National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1981 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1981". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 1981". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1981" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
