According to the Kids Songfacts, the song is about being filled with such typical college feelings as naivety, idealism, nostalgia, happiness and sadness .
Kids has been re-recorded several times. The "newer" version that appears on Oracular Spectacular is updated from earlier versions that appear on Time to Pretend EP released in 2005 and We (don't) Care released a year before. A track entitled Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix) appears on the album Climbing to New Lows also released in 2005.
To date, the single has peaked at #9 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where Time to Pretend had previously peaked at #23.
NME named it the number-one song on its list of the Best Singles of 2008.
Two months after exiting the UK Top 40, the song was featured in an advertisement for the BBC1 program Waterloo Road. From this the song gained renewed interest, re-entering the UK Top 40, and on January 16, 2009, the song reached its highest position to date of #16.
Kids also came in at #5 on Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 2008.
The single received considerable airplay in the U.S., UK, Ireland and Australia before the release date, charting in the UK, Ireland and Australia. In Australia, Kids debuted before the release date at #89, and currently it has peaked at #30. Kids (Soulwax Remix), a Soulwax remix of the song was played heavily on UK radio ahead its official release as well.
The song got to the number one spot on the Norwegian chart, based on downloads alone. This made some controversy about how reliable the chart was, as the song had not been playlisted on any major radio stations and it disappeared from the chart the next week.
To date, Kids has featured in multiple media. It was included in soundtrack for the videogames "FIFA 09" and "Shaun White Snowboarding". It made appearances in films such as "That's It, That's All", "American Teen" and "Stranger Than Fiction". As well as featuring in several TV shows and series like, "Survivors", "Paris Hilton's British Best Friend", "Waterloo Road", "The Real Hustle" and "The Vampire Diaries".
An acoustic version of Kids was recorded by The Kooks in August 2008, to appear on the next volume of Triple J's cover compilation Like a Version. Another acoustic version by Australian singer Ben Lee appears on the bonus CD from his 2009 album The Rebirth of Venus. The song has also been covered live by Weezer, Jack's Mannequin, Our Lady Peace and VIC. Matt Hires has also covered the song in some of his live shows, as well as Swedish indie rockband Vinklad.
MGMT was involved in a legal dispute with the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy's UMP party used the song on several occasions, before offering the band a €1 gesture. Eventually, UMP reached an agreement on a €30,000 ($39,000) settlement fee.
Kids
MGMT Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were a child
Crawling on your knees toward it
Making mama so proud
But your voice is too loud
We like to watch you laughing
You pick the insects off plantsNo time to think of consequences
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
The water is warm
But it's sending me shivers
A baby is born
Crying out for attention
The memories fade
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Decision to decisions are made and not bought
But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot
I guess not
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
Control yourself
Take only what you need from it
A family of trees
"Kids" by MGMT is a song about the youthful desire for excitement and adventure, and the consequences of indulging in those desires without self-control or consideration for the future.
The song begins by addressing the listener as a child, crawling on their knees towards something they desire. The imagery conveys a sense of innocence and vulnerability, while the mention of the child's voice being too loud suggests an eagerness to be heard and noticed. The chorus highlights the theme of control, with the repetition of the phrase "Control yourself, take only what you need from it" emphasizing the importance of self-restraint and consideration for the consequences of one's actions.
The second verse shifts to a more abstract and introspective tone, with the water being warm but sending shivers down the singer's spine, suggesting a mix of pleasure and unease. The metaphor of a baby crying out for attention highlights the need for validation and recognition, while the memories fading like a fogged mirror suggest a lack of clarity and purpose in one's past experiences. The final lines acknowledge the inevitability of making decisions, but express a sense of surprise at the unexpected pain that comes with them.
Overall, "Kids" explores the tension between the desire for excitement and the need for self-control, emphasizing the importance of taking only what is necessary and avoiding the temptation to indulge recklessly in one's impulses.
Line by Line Meaning
You were a child
The song starts off by bringing attention to the idea of being a child.
Crawling on your knees toward it
The child is crawling towards something they want.
Making mama so proud
The child is making their mother happy.
But your voice is too loud
The child is making too much noise.
We like to watch you laughing
People enjoy seeing the child happy.
You pick the insects off plants
The child is curious about their surroundings.
No time to think of consequences
The child is not yet aware of the consequences of their actions.
Control yourself
The song then shifts to the idea of self control.
Take only what you need from it
The idea of taking only what you need is emphasized.
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
The family of trees is personified to want to be haunted.
The water is warm
The song then brings up the idea of water being warm.
But it's sending me shivers
This situation is strange and unsettling.
A baby is born
The song then introduces the idea of birth and new life.
Crying out for attention
The baby is in need of attention.
The memories fade
Memories can disappear over time.
Like looking through a fogged mirror
Memories can become unclear as time passes.
Decision to decisions are made and not bought
Decisions are not something that can be purchased.
But I thought this wouldn't hurt a lot
Sometimes we make decisions we think won't hurt us.
I guess not
But in reality, they do.
Control yourself
The song repeats the idea of self control.
Take only what you need from it
Again, taking only what you need is emphasized.
A family of trees wanted to be haunted
The idea of the family of trees wanting to be haunted is repeated multiple times.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andrew Wells Vanwyngarden, Benjamin Nicholas Hunter Goldwasser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tac5176
That kid is either doing some intense lifetime therapy or never going to be scared of anything in their life haha
@user-ct6rk9zq6h
Yea
@jhyland87
For sure. Definitely make or break him, lol
@leomaclean9507
Lmfao!
@jjpingleton
Or both lol
@ericbacheller2154
I pray its the latter of the two. I typically eat my prey.
@LVSkinny
Yoo that kid was prolly real life scared as shit 😭😭😭
@fernie6299
eh. he'll be fine.
@Kimblesgarage
Acutally. He's just a really good actor believe it or not. go search how they filmed it theres footage of him and its clear he knows he's pretending
@lildarney8116
@Sin Lockheart he’s now 12 or 13 and this was made in 2009