Close (album)

Close
Studio album by Kim Wilde
Released	1 June 1988
Recorded	1987–1988
Genre	Pop
Length	51:22
Label	MCA Records
Producer	Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain
Professional reviews
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Kim Wilde chronology
Another Step (1986) Close (1988) Love Moves (1990)

Close is the sixth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in mid 1988.

Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain, Close was the final album on which Marty Wilde had co-writer credits. The album is widely perceived by fans and critics (and Kim herself) as Wilde's most well-balanced, with many kinds of pop represented: dance, ballad, rock and midtempo.

The album's lead single was "Hey Mister Heartache", featuring backing vocals from Junior Giscombe — but its success was dwarfed by the follow-up single, "You Came", which hit the Top 10 in many countries and just missed the U.S. Top 40.

"Never Trust a Stranger" and "Four Letter Word" also reached the UK Top 10, although a fifth single "Love in the Natural Way" was less successful. Attention for the album was bolstered by Kim's support slot on Michael Jackson's European tour.

Close reached the Top 10 in the UK, almost all Scandinavian countries, Austria and Germany and went on to become Wilde's biggest selling album, being certified platinum in the UK and shifting more than 2 million units worldwide.

Track listing

Side One

1. "Hey Mister Heartache" (Kim Wilde, Steve Byrd)
2. "You Came" (Kim Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
3. "Four Letter Word" (Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
4. "Love in the Natural Way" (Kim Wilde, Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
5. "Love's a No" (Kim Wilde, Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde)

Side Two

1. "Never Trust a Stranger" (Kim Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
2. "You'll Be the One Who'll Lose" (Kim Wilde, Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
3. "European Soul" (Kim Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
4. "Stone" (Kim Wilde, Marty Wilde, Ricky Wilde)
5. "Lucky Guy" (Todd Rundgren)

• Bonus track on cd: "Hey Mister Heartache" (12" version)

Personnel

• Kim Wilde
• Ricky Wilde - guitar, keyboards, programming, background vocals
• Steve Byrd - guitar
• Tony Swain - keyboards, programming
• Bias Boshell - keyboards on "Lucky Guy"
• Junior Giscombe, Nicci Sun - background vocals

Certifications

Territory	Certifier	Certification	Sales
France	SNEP	Gold	100,000
Germany	BVMI	Gold	250,000
Netherlands	NVPI	Gold	35,000
Switzerland	IFPI	Platinum	50,000
Sweden	IFPI	Gold	20,000
United Kingdom	BPI	Platinum	300,000

References

• Close (album) at Allmusic
• Wilde Life: the official Kim Wilde fansite Discography - Close