Kim Wilde - Chequered Love

What this video is

Released 27 April 1981 as Kim Wilde's second single on RAK Records, 'Chequered Love' arrived during the critical window between punk's commercial exhaustion and synth-pop's full dominance. The UK was in recession, youth culture was politically charged, and the music video was rapidly emerging as the primary promotional vehicle — MTV would launch in the US just four months later in August 1981. Wilde, backed by a…

Why it matters

A landmark early example of the UK new wave female-fronted pop video, 'Chequered Love' bridges post-punk rock energy with melodic pop hooks. Reaching #4 on the UK Singles Chart and #1 in South Africa, it confirmed Kim Wilde as a pan-European chart force. The track's blend of guitar-driven new wave…

The director

British music video and television director/producer. Began career as a cameraman at ATV in the 1970s. Co-founded MGMM Productions (with Scott Millaney, Russell Mulcahy, and David Mallet) c.1980–82, the UK's most successful music video production company of…