The song peaked at number 2 in the United Kingdom. The following year it reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 hit in the United States and ranked as the 91st most successful song of 1982 on the Hot 100 year-end chart. In the summer of 1981, the track appeared on Wilde's self-titled debut album.
"Kids in America" was the song that signalled the start of Wilde's career. Her father and brother continued to write songs for her (with the latter also given production credits), although in later years Wilde herself and her brother would usually be credited with the songwriting.
