At our old place in Pasadena, it wasn’t uncommon to see squirrels or raccoons. Squirrels would dig up our planters and literally lounge on our wall soaking up the sun. At our new place, coyotes sightings are not unusual. There are a lot of rabbits scurrying around and they attract coyotes to our neighborhood. One evening while out for a walk, we crossed paths with a very big coyote. At a distance, we both stopped, he looked at us and we looked at him. I could tell he was less interested in engaging than we were (thank God). We slowly went our separate ways. I’m still a little stunned when I see or hear about coyotes in the neighborhood. When they howl at night, it’s a little spooky.
My sister once had a tree full of wild parrots. They were a noisy bunch. They’ve since been replaced by wild peacocks. There are about ten peacocks that inhabit their tree in the backyard. Who knew peacocks could fly? While they have beautiful plumage, they’ve become a nuisance for my sister’s family. They are protected by the city, so they have to learn to coexist.
It’s strange seeing wild animals in the suburbs. I’m sure they are thinking the same thing when they look at us. Who exactly are the wild creatures, us or them?
Kim Wilde came out with Kids in America in 1981. It was an immediate hit. Who would have thought it was inspired by watching American teenagers on a TV program.
The finished song sounded really exciting, but took a year to get released, during which time I worked in a local pub, wondering what was going to happen. When Kids in America finally came out, it sold so fast the people who regulate the charts thought it was a scam.
– guardian
“I’d seen a TV program which was about a certain batch of young teenagers in America and they frightened the hell out of me, because their attitude was…quite interesting! They came across very single-minded and their attitude was was very hard, which of course, a lot of youngsters can have, at a certain age. But I thought, if the American youth are going to be like that, we’re going to have a third World War in a few months time! So with this song, I said to Rick, ‘That’s the title: Kids In America.’ Then, of course, I had a clear cut picture. I wanted this tough girl who was looking out of a window, looking at the nightlife and people, traffic rushing by and thinking, ‘What the damn hell am I doing sitting here? Let’s get down there, let’s follow the music! Once you are there, you’re in control, in that song. She is in control. It’s not the guy, it’s not the person she’s dancing with, she is in total control. And that’s what I got from watching those American teenagers, I thought that’s what they would be like.
– songwritingmagazine
Funny what you learn observing creatures in their natural habitat.
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Looking out a dirty old window
Down below the cars in the city go rushing by
I sit here alone and I wonder why
Friday night and everyone's moving
I can feel the heat but it's soothing, heading down
I search for the beat in this dirty town
Downtown the young ones are going
Downtown the young ones are growing
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
Everybody live for the music-go-round
Bright lights, the music gets faster
Look, boy, don't check on your watch, not another glance
I'm not leaving now, honey, not a chance
Hot-shot, give me no problems
Much later, baby, you'll be saying nevermind
You know life is cruel, life is never kind
Kind hearts don't make a new story
Kind hearts don't grab any glory
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
Everybody live for the music-go-round
La la la la-la la-a
La la la la-la la (Sing)
La la la la-la la-a
La la la la-la la
Come closer, honey, that's better
Got to get a brand new experience, feeling right
Oh, don't try to stop, baby, hold me tight
Outside a new day is dawning
Outside suburbia's sprawling everywhere
I don't want to go, baby
New York to east California
There's a new wave coming, I warn ya
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
We're the kids in America (Whoa)
Everybody lives for the music-go-round
La la la la-la la-a
La la la la-la la (Sing)
La la la la-la la-a
La la la la-la la
We're the kids
We're the kids
We're the kids in America
We're the kids
We're the kids
We're the kids in America
We're the kids
We're the kids
We're the kids in America
MyGenXerLife 
Great song! Yes, I think the true wild animals are humans… especially teens. We have a neighborhood near us that is suffering from a group of teens who ambush and attack cars driving by. They throw eggs, flip slices of American cheese on their windshields, etc. Some people say let them have their fun, they’re only pranks. But, some of those pranks cause real property damage.
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I’m not sure if those are fun pranks. Maybe I’m just getting old. Lol. I will say using American cheese is original though…
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Apparently, the eggs and cheese are almost impossible to remove once they have dried. It damages the paint on your car.
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Oh, I didn’t know that. It’s not so amusing anymore.
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Scary! I’m glad we have squirrels, rabbits, and deers!
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Deer! I wish we had deer! A friend of mine lives near the mountains (still suburbs) and encounters the neighborhood bear. That would terrify me!
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Yes, I don’t want to encounter a bear!
Deers are cute, until they pop out in the dark in the middle of the street. A lot of people made accidents either hitting a deer or trying to avoid a deer.
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Yikes! Poor deer!
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Coyotes are everywhere. I saw a Casual Geographic video about them. If you’ve never watched him, he’s interesting. I’ve always liked coyotes for their adaptability, but I will admire them from afar.
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…from very afar for me, thank you!
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This is one of my top 100 favorite songs. 🖤
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This IS a great song. Brings back good memories
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Great song! I find it somewhat terrifying to imagine a flying peacock. Gorgeous on the ground, but stuff of nightmares up above. Here we have deer, fox, swirls, bunnies, mountain lions, coyotes. I have never seen a mountain lion nor a coyote, however, and I’d rather keep it that way.
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I would love to see deer and fox. Mountain lions… no way! I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and it seems coyotes are pretty common. So surprising. As long as they keep their distance, I’m ok!
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What a great song and I enjoyed the post. I can’t recall the last time I would have heard it, and really enjoyed the instrumental intro in particular. Has a bit of an early Ultravox flavour to it.
A very large racoon used to live in the hollow of my neighbour’s tree. Once it was rifling through our compost bin and almost bumped into my son who was walking into the yard after dark. Not sure I’ve ever heard him scream so loud or run so fast since!
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So right about the intro!
Raccoons are cute, but can be a little aggressive. I’d scream, too!
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Me too!
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