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Kids
MGMT
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- Album
- Oracular Spectacular
- Released
- 2007
- Genres
- indie
- Length
- 5:03
- Tempo
- 123 BPM
- Label
- Red Ink/Columbia
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About this song
In an interview with Time Out London, VanWyngarden said the band was happy-go-lucky and going crazy on campus while writing the song, but also nostalgic for childhood and worried about the approaching life after college. The official music video's protagonist is a kid, and most of the adults in it are portrayed as threatening monsters. The song was the center of a legal dispute with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who used it without permission during a party conference and offered what the band considered an insulting compensation. MGMT donated their entire legal settlement from the French government to Haiti earthquake relief.
What it's about
The song looks back on childhood innocence and warns of the struggles of adulthood, urging listeners to keep enjoying life and to take in the world in moderation. It treats the college years as the glory days and encourages living in the moment so that you will have fond memories to revisit later.
Fun facts
- Sampled in 44 other songs, like “MEME MEGAMIX ULTRA by Knock Monsterr”.
- Covered 22 times, including “Kids by Sol Rising (Ft. Kevin Paris)”.
- Written by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser.
- Produced by Dave Fridmann, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser.