The Singles Collection 1981–1993

The Singles Collection 1981–1993 is a greatest hits album by English singer Kim Wilde, released on 6 September 1993 by MCA Records.

The Singles Collection 1981–1993
Greatest hits album by Kim Wilde
Released	6 September 1993
Recorded	1980–1993
Genre	Pop
Length	59:59
Label	MCA
Producer	Ricky Wilde Marty Wilde Kim Wilde Rod Temperton Bruce Swedien Tony Swain
Kim Wilde chronology
Love Is (1992) The Singles Collection 1981–1993 (1993) Now & Forever (1995)
Singles from The Singles Collection 1981–1993
"If I Can't Have You" Released: 28 June 1993 "In My Life" Released: 25 October 1993

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Music Week	[2]
Select	[3]

Content

The album contains fifteen Top 20 hits from the UK and German charts, but omits hits such as "Hey Mr. Heartache" (Top 15 Germany) and "It's Here" (Top 15 in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland). Wilde recorded two new songs for the album—"In My Life" and the dancefloor-influenced single "If I Can't Have You" (a cover of the Yvonne Elliman song), which became her last UK Top 20 hit to date; in Australia it was one of the biggest hits of her career, reaching number three.^[4]

Commercial performance

The album was certified Gold in the UK (where it reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart), Germany and Australia. It was also released in the United States (the first since Close) and has, according to SoundScan, sold 36,000 copies there.

Track listing

1. "Kids in America" – 3:25 from Kim Wilde
2. "Chequered Love" – 3:20 from Kim Wilde
3. "Water on Glass" – 3:35 from Kim Wilde
4. "Cambodia" (Single version) – 3:56 from Select
5. "View from a Bridge" – 3:29 from Select
6. "Child Come Away" – 4:04 Non-album single
7. "Love Blonde" – 3:31 from Catch as Catch Can
8. "The Second Time" – 3:52 from Teases & Dares
9. "Rage to Love" – 4:17 from Teases & Dares
10. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" – 4:14 from Another Step
11. "Another Step (Closer to You)" (7" remix) – 3:30 from Another Step
12. "You Came" (7" version) – 3:29 from Close
13. "Never Trust a Stranger" (Single mix) – 4:04 from Close
14. "Four Letter Word" – 4:02 from Close
15. "Love Is Holy" – 4:01 from Love Is
16. "If I Can't Have You" – 3:26 Non-album single
17. "In My Life" (Album version) – 3:44 Non-album single

Video album

A collection featuring twelve of Wilde's music videos was also made available. It was released on 1 December 1993 on VHS format.

Track listing

1. "Kids in America"
2. "Chequered Love"
3. "Cambodia"
4. "View from a Bridge"
5. "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
6. "Another Step (Closer to You)"
7. "You Came"
8. "Never Trust a Stranger"
9. "Four Letter Word"
10. "Love Is Holy"
11. "If I Can't Have You"
12. "Say You Really Want Me" (12" version)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Singles Collection 1981–1993 Chart (1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 6 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 26 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[7] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 5 European Albums (Music & Media)[9] 19 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 4 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 21 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[12] 36 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 11 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 18 UK Albums (OCC)[15] 11

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for The Singles Collection 1981–1993 Chart (1993) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 46 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 71

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[18]	Platinum	70,000^
Denmark	—	60,000[19]
Netherlands (NVPI)[20]	Gold	50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[21]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[22]	Gold	100,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Jones, Alan (18 September 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 17. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
3. Collis, Clark (October 1993). "New Old Albums". Select. p. 97. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
4. "Kim Wilde – If I Can't Have You". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
5. "Australiancharts.com – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
7. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 48. 27 November 1993. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
9. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 43. 23 October 1993. p. 22. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
12. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1993. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
14. "Swisscharts.com – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981-1993". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
16. "ARIA Top 50 Albums for 1993". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
17. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1993 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
19. "The Wild Ones". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 24. 11 June 1994. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
20. "Dutch album certifications – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981–1993" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Singles Collection 1981–1993 in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1994 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
21. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
22. "British album certifications – Kim Wilde – The Singles Collection 1981–1993". British Phonographic Industry.