Kids (MGMT song)

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"Kids"
Single by MGMT
from the album We (Don't) Care and Oracular Spectacular
Released October 13, 2008
Format CD single, 12" single
Genre Synthpop, New Wave
Length

5:02

5:28 (Time To Pretend (EP) Version)

5:11 (We (Don't) Care Version)
Label Columbia[1]
Writer(s) Andrew VanWyngarden,
Ben Goldwasser
Certification Platinum (RIAA)[2]
MGMT singles chronology
"Metanoia"
(2008)		 "Kids"
(2008)		 "Flash Delirium"
(2010)
Music video
"Kids" on YouTube

"Kids" is the third single from MGMT's album Oracular Spectacular. It was released as a single on October 13, 2008.[1] The song was the center of a legal dispute with the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, over the "insulting" compensation he offered for his illegal use of the song during a party conference.[3][4]

Rolling Stone's Kevin O'Donnell described the song as, "a noisy New Order-style synth jam".[5]

The version that appears on Oracular Spectacular is updated from earlier versions that appear on the group's EPs Time to Pretend (2005) and We (Don't) Care (2004). A track entitled "Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix)" appears on the album Climbing to New Lows (2005).

On December 1, 2009, the track was announced as a nominee at the 52nd Grammy Awards in the category Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

Contents

[edit] Reception

To date, the single has peaked at #9 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where "Time to Pretend" had previously peaked at #23.[6]

NME named it the number-one song on its list of the Best Singles of 2008.[7] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 99 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[8]

Two months after exiting the UK Top 40, the song was featured in an advertisement for the BBC1 program Waterloo Road. From this the song gained renewed interest, re-entering the UK Top 40, and on January 16, 2009, the song reached its highest position to date of #16.

"Kids" came in at #5 on Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 2008.

The single received considerable airplay in the U.S., UK, Ireland and Australia before the release date, charting in the UK, Ireland and Australia. In Australia, "Kids" debuted before the release date at #89, and currently it has peaked at #30, playing on radio stations like Nova. A Soulwax remix of the song was played heavily on UK radio ahead its official release as well.

The song got to the number one spot on the Norwegian chart, based on downloads alone. This made some controversy about how reliable the chart was, as the song had not been playlisted on any major radio stations and it disappeared from the chart the next week.[9]

[edit] Use in media

Kids was selected for the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 09.[10] The song was also featured in the Quiksilver and Red Bull snowboarding film, That's It, That's All,[11] as the final song in Taylor Steele's surf movie Stranger Than Fiction, in episode 6 the BBC's Survivors, as the trailer song in the documentary American Teen, a trailer for Channel 4 show Big Art, the skiing film Reasons, the 2008 film American Teen, in the second episode of Paris Hilton's British Best Friend, and in season 2 episode 19 of Gossip Girl, "The Grandfather". The song has also made appearances as background music in the fourth and fifth series of the BBC One British drama Waterloo Road, on the BBC Three show The Real Hustle and in the Staples Center at X Games XV. It is also featured in the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries, played near the end of the 2009 film Whip It, and in the fifth episode of the third season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In the seventh series of Shameless, part of the song was briefly played in one of the episodes. On the Nokia's website, they promoted their newest phone, the Nokia N8. In all videos (commercials and introductions to features), Kids was remixed by Nokia and played. It is also featured prominently in the documentary "Tapped", about bottled water. It plays during several scenes near the end and over the credits. The song is also played in the trailer for the film "Africa United" and may be used in the sound track.

[edit] Legal proceedings

MGMT was involved in a legal dispute with the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy's UMP party used the song on several occasions, before offering the band a €1 gesture.[4] Eventually, UMP reached an agreement on a €30,000 (US$38,000) settlement fee.[12]

[edit] Music videos

A fan made video was created in December 2007 and uploaded to YouTube the following month. The video features two people lip-syncing to the song, which frequently cuts to various clips from other YouTube videos featuring people dancing. It has since been viewed more than 42 million times on YouTube (link). MGMT later invited the participants to join them for the official video of "Electric Feel".[13][14]

On June 3, 2009, MGMT released the official music video for the song "Kids". It was directed by Ray Tintori, who directed MGMT's previous videos for "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel."

The video follows a toddler menaced by monsters that his inattentive mother (played by Joanna Newsom) cannot see.[15] It begins with a quote ostensibly from Mark Twain, on a background of fire. The quote at the beginning of the video attributed to Mark Twain is actually a quote from Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil.[16] Then, with pictures of kids, crudely designed numbers counting from 4 to 1 appear. After that, we see the toddler in his crib. Suddenly, monsters menace him. His mother does not see the monsters that the toddler cries about as he walks. The band is shown at one point, in spacey outfits. Nearly everybody except the mom seems to make the toddler cry, and he is away from his mom. The toddler is now in a car, but he continues to see monsters. The toddler is watching a video, but he sees the video with monsters. The toddler and everything else becomes animated and is revealed to be a scab on a naked woman. The toddler tries to run but his body parts disappear and his face explodes into hot dogs. Various surreal things begin to happen in the animated world. The toddler appears and cries. His eyelashes grow large and more strange things happen. The toddler is now chased by a zombie until the toddler climbs onto the hand of a giant Andrew VanWyngarden, The zombie ditches out. However, Andrew transforms and the toddler gets tossed into the singers mouth, ending the video.

The video has been criticized for its treatment of the toddler who appears to be truly frightened throughout the video,[17] though it is stated on the MGMT website "No children were harmed in the making of this video."[18] In addition, the band released a "behind the scenes" video through its official YouTube channel that shows the toddler laughing while interacting with the puppets and actors in monster costumes.[19] The animated sequence was done by Christy Karacas, director of the Superjail! TV series, as well as Henry Thurlow and Lizzi Akana. It is an indubitable homage to the work of early French animator Emile Cohl. The music video seems to personify the corruption of an innocent child by society, society being the monster, or "the abyss" as stated in the beginning of the music video.

The video was critiqued on the eighth season premiere of Beavis and Butt-head, "Werewolves of Highland".

[edit] Cover versions

An acoustic version of "Kids" was recorded by The Kooks in August 2008,[20] to appear on the next volume of Triple J's cover compilation Like a Version. Another acoustic version by Australian singer Ben Lee appears on the bonus CD from his 2009 album The Rebirth of Venus. Cage the Elephant covered the song as a b-side to their 2009 single Back Against the Wall. DJ AM and Travis Barker also used the song on their mix tape album "Fix Your Face Vol.2: Coachella 09". Sebastian Ingrosso sampled the song in his 2009 house song, "Kidsos".

The song has been covered live by Weezer (in a medley with "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga), Chiddy Bang, The Moth and the Mirror, Mac Miller, Dr Fox's Old Timey String Band, Jack's Mannequin, Our Lady Peace, Lady Danville, B.o.B VIC, A Modest Proposal, Matt Hires The Neon Rush, and Swedish indie rock band Vinklad. Covered also by Cage The Elephant during a BBC acoustic session.

In 2010, the funereal doom/death band Ankhagram from Russia did a unique cover of the song on their 2010 full length album, entitled "Where Are You Now."

As well as performing the song live, Chiddy Bang also remixed the song as Opposite of Adults off their album Chiddy Bang: The Preview in 2010.[21]

In early 2011 a song entitled Opposite of Adults by Mac Miller was leaked onto the internet. The song features the same tune as Kids and also features some similar lyrics.

[edit] Track listing

CD Single
No. Title Length
1. "Kids"   5:06
2. "Kids" (Soulwax Remix) 5:42
3. "Of Moons, Birds and Monsters" (Holy Ghost! Remix) 6:16
12" Single
No. Title Length
1. "Kids"   5:06
2. "Kids" (Soulwax Remix) 5:42

[edit] Cover Versions and Remixes

Question book-new.svg
 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2010)
  • "Kids" featured on We (Don't) Care (2004) (as The Management) – 5:11
  • "Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix)" featured on Climbing to New Lows (2005) (as The Management) – 6:07
  • "Kids" featured on Time to Pretend (EP) (2005) – 5:28
  • "Kids" featured on Oracular Spectacular (2007) – 5:02
  • "Kids (Vocal Mix)" featured on CD Single (2008) – 5:03
  • "Kids" (Soulwax remix)" featured on CD Single (2008) – 4:35
  • "Kids" (Datsik remix) - 3:43
  • "Kids" (performed by Mo Sabri)- 3:21
  • "Kids (PSB Abstrakt Mix)" remixed by Pet Shop Boys and featured on their homepage (2008) – 5:39
  • "Kids (PSB Synthpop mix)" remixed by Pet Shop Boys and featured on their homepage (2008) – 6:11
  • "Kids (radio edit)" featured on Last.fm (2008) – 3:50
  • "Kids" (performed by Cage The Elephant) Acoustic Live at BBC Radio 1 Lounge (2008)
  • "Kids" (performed by Dr. Fox's Old Timey String Band) featured on their homepage (2008) – 3:37
  • "Kids" (performed by Jack's Mannequin) Live at the LIVE 105 studios San Francisco (2008)- 3:03
  • "Kids" (performed by Jack's Mannequin) Live at the "Viper Room" (2008) - 2:42
  • "Kids" (performed by The Kooks) featured on Like a Version: Volume Five (2009) – 2:55
  • "Kids" (performed by Ben Lee) on the bonus CD from The Rebirth of Venus (2009) – 2:55
  • "Kids" (performed by Weezer) at the KROQ Weenie Roast (2009)- 4:43
  • "Opposite of Adults" (performed by Chiddy Bang samples Kids)- 3:14
  • "Kids" (performed by Austin Geraci) live (2009) - 2:44
  • "Kids" (performed by Lady Danville) live (2010) - 4:17
  • "Kids" (performed by B.o.B.) live (2010)
  • "Kids" (performed by Vanilla Beans) (2010)
  • "Kids" (performed by M0-AB ft. SeEnA) (2011)

[edit] Charts

Chart (2008/2009) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[22] 21
Austrian Singles Chart 43
Belgian Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) 19
Belgian Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) 32
Canadian Hot 100 44
Danish Singles Chart 33
German Singles Chart 48
Irish Singles Chart[23] 9
New Zealand Singles Chart[24] 29
Norwegian Singles Chart[24] 1
Swiss Singles Chart 43
UK Singles Chart 16
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[25] 91
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[25] 9
U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[25] 17

[edit] End of year

Country (2008) Position
United Kingdom 136[26]

[edit] End-of-year charts

Chart (2009) Position
UK Singles Chart[27] 99

[edit] Sales and certifications

Country Provider Certification Sales
United States RIAA Platinum [28] 1,000,000+

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b ""Kids" single". NME. http://www.nme.com/news/mgmt/39507. Retrieved 2008-09-09. 
  2. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - MGMT, accessed 2009-07-10
  3. ^ "MGMT suing Nicolas Sarkozy over 'Kids'". NME. http://www.nme.com/news/mgmt/43064. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  4. ^ a b MGMT to sue Sarkozy for music use 26th Feb 2009
  5. ^ O'Donnell, Kevin. "Artist to Watch: MGMT". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17323914/artist_to_watch_mgmt. Retrieved 2007-11-14. 
  6. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=377&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Modern+Rock+Tracks&ci=3105540&cdi=10112262&cid=01%2F17%2F2009
  7. ^ "NME's Track Of The Year 2008". NME. http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=10&title=title_271&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
  8. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/6
  9. ^ "The Kids are Not Alright". NRK P3. http://nrkp3.no/p3kommentaren-kids-are-not-alright/. Retrieved 2008-09-24. 
  10. ^ "EA’s FIFA Soccer 09 soundtrack scores". EA Sports. August 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20080822204751/http://www.fifa09.ea.com/us/readnews/entryid/25050. Retrieved 2009-04-23. 
  11. ^ http://www.thatsit-thatsall.com
  12. ^ U.S. rockers MGMT win piracy row with Sarkozy's party 28th Apr 2009
  13. ^ MTV Newsroom » Electro-Pop & French Toast on the MGMT ‘Electric Feel’ Set
  14. ^ "Circle Of Friends Make Magic In Los Feliz". canyon-news.com. Canyon News. 2009-03-01. http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/Entertainment_1150/LOS_FELIZ_BAND_STUDENT_FILMMAKER_MAKE_MAGIC.php. Retrieved 2009-03-15. 
  15. ^ http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/06/mgmt.html
  16. ^ Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm; Helen Zimmern (1907). Beyond Good and Evil. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 97. ISBN 978-1420922509. http://books.google.ca/books?id=yas8AAAAYAAJ. 
  17. ^ http://www.myfoxillinois.com/dpp/entertainment/music/dpgo_MGMT_criticized_for_kids_music_video_fc_20090605_2544203
  18. ^ http://www.whoismgmt.com/kids/
  19. ^ "MGMT - Making of "KIDS"". 2010-01-12. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T-PSMPoUpY. Retrieved 2010-02-23. 
  20. ^ Lewis, Luke. "The Kooks Cover MGMT Kids". NME. http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=122&title=the_kooks_cover_mgmt_s_kids_free_mp3&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
  21. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McRgkE_vgjU
  22. ^ Top 50 Singles Chart - Australian Recording Industry Association. Accessed on August 27, 2008.
  23. ^ The Irish Charts. Accessed on August 27, 2008.
  24. ^ a b [1]. Accessed on September 16, 2008.
  25. ^ a b c Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - MGMT - Singles; Accessed on March 13, 2009.
  26. ^ http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2008.pdf
  27. ^ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2009.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
  28. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=17&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=on&before=on&startMonth=1&endMonth=10&startYear=2010&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=25

[edit] External links

Preceded by
"The Day That Never Comes" by Metallica		 Norwegian VG-lista number-one single
September 9, 2008 - September 16, 2008		 Succeeded by
"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
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