🎶🎤 My Favorite Fifteen "Kids Incorporated" Performances ~ Flashback to the 80'ꜱ 📺💜

Let's celebrate this week by jumping right into this post because I'm SO flippin' excited about it! 🎉💓

Sometime in the past couple of years, I've become OBSESSED with 80's music! 🎶 One random afternoon, I decided to listen to nonstop 80's tunes and realized that I knew A LOT of the popular 80's singles already! 💓 I owe it to my childhood because I had heard an eclectic mix of music thanks to my parents (now just parent) and the skating rink! 🎵 

I was blessed to have an AWESOME skating rink near my house and thanks to that skating rink, a lot of 80's songs carry nostalgia I didn't even know I had stored away from my childhood! 💓 However, the music at the skating rink was just scratching the surface of 80's music! 🎶

In the past couple of years, I've gotten in touch with a decade of music I had never dived into before and I've LOVED every second of it! 💓 Though, that newfound "obsession" did bring one question to mind! 🤔 How do I share ALL of these AMAZING songs on my blog? 🎶

Well... the answer popped up in my YouTube recommendations a little over a week ago and ever since, I've been hard at work on this post! 💻 

So, what exactly is Kids Incorporated and what does it have to do with my taste in music? 🎤🎶

Well, Kid's Incorporated was a children's program that started in 1984 and ended in 1993! 💓 The series premiered on the CBN Network, but was canceled in 1986! 😢

However, it wasn't over yet! 📺 CBN aired reruns of the series and due to positive ratings, the Disney Channel decided to acquire the right to the series and resumed production! 👏 Thank you, Disney Channel! 💓

The series was about a group of kids who formed a band called, "Kids Incorporated," and they performed numerous songs during the series, as well as acted! 💓 

The series is VERY similar to what I knew of "The Mickey Mouse Club" where well-known artists such as Britany Spears and Christina Aguilera got their start! 🎤

The original "Mickey Mouse Club" aired from 1955 to 1958 and wasn't brought back with brand new Musketeers until 1989 when Kids Incorporated was on it's fifth season! 💓

I had NO IDEA that both series were on at the same time! 🤯

Personally, I think Kids Incorporated inspired the reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club because the series are SO similar! 📺  Due to budget cuts, Kids Incorporated was canceled in 1993, while The Mickey Mouse Club continued until 1995! 😢

Both series starred MANY well-known actors/actresses and singers! 🎥 Kids Incorporated has many familiar faces that I was surprised to see! 👀 I'm not going to share the LONG list because I'm going to let you see how many of these 80's kid stars you know by taking a look at the theme songs! 💓

But... 

Before that... 

One more quick thing about the series is that they did play characters in this series! It wasn't a reality series! 📺 A LOT of the characters names are the same as the actual actors names who played them, but all the storylines are fictional! 👌

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Okay! Now, let's take a look at the theme songs and see who we spot! 👀💓

Did you recognize anyone? 💓

One actor that isn't in the opening credits is one of the background dancers for Kids Incorporated! 🎶

I've always know him as A.C. Slater! But...

Before he was Slater, he was an AWESOME kid dancer! 👏

No wonder he NAILED this scene...

He wasn't ONLY a dancer in Kids Incorporated, but he was also the drummer for the band for the first THREE seasons! 🥁

Here are some more FUN promos for the series and some of the KIDS even share their thoughts on what it's like being apart of Kids Incorporated! 💓

There were at least THREE performances per episode for EVERY season of Kids Incorporated and were either performed onstage at The P*lace (originally called The Palace before the letter A went out in one of the episodes) or they were performed as part of a scene to go along with a storyline! 📺

There are SO many Kids Incorporated songs that it was VERY hard to choose just FIFTEEN out of all of them! 🎶 Once I FINALLY chose the FIFTEEN, my next task was to actually RANK them! 😲 So, I've done my BEST to rank them, but ranking music is tricky sometimes! 🎶 Sometimes you're in the mood for one song, but later you're vibing with another! 💓

These are my FAVORITE fifteen, though, and I've been listening to them nonstop! 🎵💓

So...

Are you ready to close the Kids Incorporated history book and get this 80's party started? 📕 Let's do this thing! 💓🎶

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(from least to most favorite)

#15 - Time Machine (Season Two - 1985)

This is a PERFECT performance to start off with because it gives off SO many 80's vibes! 💓 The disco ball editing is *chefs kiss* 💋 and the outfits are amazing! 💃 Now, for all of these performances, I'm pretty sure they don't sing live! But, that's okay! 👌 I don't really care if people sing live or not because if the song is a vibe, then I'm there! 🎶 

This is a really chill performance and song choice! 🎤 I LOVE this song because it's ALL about being able to relive your life through memories and how our memories are our time machines... AMAZING! 💓 Martika's (Gloria in the series) voice fits SO well with this song and the WHOLE performance is just a vibe! 👏

(Original Version - 1984)

#14 - Every Little Step (Season Six - 1989)

This performance is such a vibe! 🎶 Jennifer Love Hewitt's facial expressions are SO funny! 😂 I LOVE this song and Kenny Ford's voice is one of my FAVORITES from the series! 🎤 

They have SO much energy during this performance and when watching it you just want to get up and dance yourself! 💃 Their blue silk varsity jackets pass the vibe check! ✔💓

I LOVE this song and their version of it is super fun to listen to and watch! 📺💓

(Original Version - 1988)

#13 - Forever Young (Season Seven - 1991)

One thing I LOVE about the later seasons of Kids Incorporated is how they did more group performances where everyone had a part to sing in the song! 🎤 This is a slower song, but still a vibe! 💓 Their denim outfits are EVERYTHING! 👏 I just LOVE how this is a feel-good performance and everyone seems to be enjoying the mellow atmosphere! 🎶 

(Original Version - 1988)

#12 - (Livin' In) Desperate Times (Season One - 1984)

When searching for ALL of these songs, this performance was one of many peoples FAVORITE songs! 💓 I know that after listening to it a few times... I couldn't stop! 🎶 This is the FIRST song on this list that isn't a stage performance! 🎥 They made this scene VERY unique with the visual affects that make it a little hard to see EVERYTHING happening during the song, but it's FUN to watch! 💓

This is the FIRST performance on this list that we get to see a VERY young Mario Lopez dancing! 🎶

(Original Version - 1981)

#11 - How Will I Know (Season Three - 1986)

This scene is SUPER cute with how colorful it is and the song choice is PERFECT for it! 👌💓 This scene is one of the MOST unique out of all of these performances! 🎶 It gives off SO many happy vibes and it's sweet to see a duet with Martika and Renee! 💓 I'm sure you ALL know this 80's hit, even if you haven't listened to a lot of 80's music! 🎶 So, don't be afraid to sing along while watching... even if it's just in your head! 🎤

 

(Original Version - 1985)

#10 - That Dream (Season Four - 1987)

For some reason, I just really VIBE with this song! 😂💓 It might not be everyone's FAVORITE, but to me this song hits on a different 80's feel than ALL the others! 🎶 It hits on some 80's rock sounds, but also has a pop/dance sound in the chorus! 🎤 This is the ONLY boys duet on this list and their voices blend really well together! 👏 

Some actually consider this song as a Kids Inc. original! 🎵 It was originally featured on an 80's series called FAME, which one of the main song writers for Kids Inc. also wrote for! 🎤 So, some people say he wrote it originally for Kids Inc., but I'm not sure which episode was filmed first! This one or the episode of FAME! 🎥 The sad thing is that there isn't a full version of this song anywhere! This performance is really the only time we get to hear a semi-full version of it because in FAME it was split into different scenes! 📺 

The little we do get to hear of it, though, I LOVE! 💓

(There is no original version audio 😢)

#9 - High Enough (Season Seven - 1991)

For the song Forever Young I mentioned above, it was performed during season seven, which premiered in the 90's! 📺 However, the song itself was an 80's song! 💓 This song, also performed during season seven, is actually a 90's hit! 🎶 It still gives off 80's vibes, though, because it came out only nine months into the 90's! 😂 

This is another slower song, but I LOVE it! 💓 Everyone has their parts and sings beautifully! 🎤 It's a shorter performance, but that just means I watch it a thousand times more than the others! 😂 The season seven cast's voices blend together so well! 💓 

Also, I LOVE how they made the intro of the song acoustic! 🎶

(Original Version - 1988)

#8 - His Story (Season Nine - 1993)

Now, this song is TOTAL 90's and I LOVE it! 💓 It's an R&B song, which means it's a WHOLE different AMAZING vibe! 🎶 The scene itself is VERY creative because as they perform it, history about different women float across the screen sharing important women's rights history! 💓 

This is a TOTAL girl power song and SO different from all the rest! 🎶 I was a bit confused on some of the choreography, but I think it's supposed to show that girls can have their own ways of doing things! 🏀 When the boys are trying to get them to do certain choreography, the girls are pushing them away! But, they end up doing some of the same choreography at the end, which means they either comprised, the girls got through to the guys, or the girls had to "conform" to society and started copying the boys' moves! Honestly, I have no idea! 😂

Tell me what you think the chorography represents! 💓

(Original Version - 1992)

#7 - Goodbye To You (Season Three - 1986)

As much as I love the creative performances like the one above, the stage performances are my FAVORITES! 💓 This song and performance are high energy and you can't help but clap along with audience as you watch it! 👏 My FAVORITE part in the song is when she starts singing, "And my heart and my heart and my heart can't stand the strain and my love and my love and my love won't stand the pain." 💓 I LOVE how all three of the girls are performing this one together because it's one of the only ones where it's only the three original girls performing onstage! 🎤

(Original Version - 1982)

#6 - Straight Up (Season Six - 1989)

Okay! This song/performance is special because it's the one that inspired this WHOLE post! 💓 When that Kids Inc. episode popped into my recommendations, I went searching for ALL the Kids Inc. performances and landed on this one! 🎤 This performance is such a vibe that I was like, "I HAVE to share this!" 💓 That's when I decided to go through ALL the performances and pick my FAVORITES to share in this post! 🎶

This song was number-one on this list for a LONG time, but I think I listened to it SO flippin' much that it got a little monotonous! 💓 I still LOVE it SOOO much, but there are some other performances that are matching my vibe a bit better right now! 🎶

This performance and song are such vibes, though! 💓 Also, her pink outfit is SO stinkin' cute! 💕

*When researching Kids Incorporated, I found that some people say that the producers of the show changed up Stacy's voice in season six to have her voice sound younger. The YouTube channel that I'm so thankful exists (without it I wouldn't be able to have all of these performances) ended up creating a version that has her "original" voice at that age! 🎤 I'm going to share the "new" version with her "original" voice and the broadcasted version that Disney Channel aired! 🎶 Honestly, I don't have a preference and feel both versions are GREAT! 💓

(New Version)

(Broadcast Version)

(Original Version - 1988)

#5 - Change (Season Two - 1985)

I've listened to this song SO many times in the past week and I'm still not tired of it! 💓 Young Fergie (Stacy) sings this song so well and her voice is SO strong during it! 🎤 This is a sweet solo of hers that is backed-up with the soft vocals from the rest of the band! 💓 

Also, side note... I NEED her sparkly red outfit for New Year's!!! 💓🎉

The confetti falling down like snow adds to the vibe and makes this performance even more fun to watch! 💓

*Just like the previous one, there are two different versions I have for this performance! 🎥 The first one is from the same YouTube channel I mentioned above and it has a clearer studio version overlaying the performance video! 🎶 Kids Incorporated had a few LP's (vinyls) that were released and this cover was on one of those, which means it's one of the few songs that have clearer audio tracks! 👏 The second version is my FAVORITE because you can hear the audience and confetti canyons going off, which adds more hype to the performance!💓

(LP Version)

(Broadcast Version)

(Original Version - 1982)

#4 - I'll Show Them (Season Three - 1986)

I LOVE this performance SO SO SO much! 💓 The song is actually a Kids Inc. original and is SO flippin' good! 👏 It's been stuck in my head ALL week and I'm not even mad about it! 🎶 It's sweet to see the two littlest members sing a song together about showing people just how talented they are! 💓 They have a lot of fun energy in this performance and their vocals are SO strong in this! 💪

I LOVE this performance so much and wish there was a fuller version of this song! 🎶 It's okay, though, I'll just keep singing the lyrics "I'll show them" over and over again! 🎤

*There are two versions of this performance, as well! 🎶 I couldn't figure out which one had better quality! So, I thought, why not add them both? 💓

(There is no full studio version of this Kids Incorporated original song)

#3 - Two Hearts (Season Six - 1989)

This is a really sweet song and performance! 😊 Kenny Ford is one of my FAVORITE Kids Inc. performers because he just seems so happy to be on stage and smiles as he sings! 💓 It's the sweetest! 😊 This performance is a TOTAL feel-good scene and gives you nothing but happy vibes! 💓 

Everyone just seems so happy and are just vibing and dancing on stage to a super sweet song! 🎶 Kenny's voice is PERFECT for this song! 👏

(Original Version - 1988)

#2 - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Season Four - 1987)

It's sad because this is one of my FAVORITE performances, but it's REALLY hard to find on the internet, especially in good quality! 😢 It's okay, though! 💓 Any quality is better than no video at all, especially when this is one of my FAVORITE 80's songs and an AMAZING Kids Inc. version of it! 🎶

You know that random day I talked about in my intro when I binged a TON of 80's music and became obsessed for life? 🤔 Well, this was one of the FIRST songs I listened to that day and it will always hold a special place in my heart! 💓 So, the fact that Kids Inc. has their own version of it is PERFECT! 🙌

This scene is just really fun to watch and the choreography is cute! 💓 An 80's classic! 🎵

(Original Version - 1987)

#1 - Tell It To My Heart (Season Five - 1988)

This performance was right up there with Straight Up when it comes to inspiration for this post! 💓 I watched both performances SO much and this one hasn't gotten too repetitive! 🎶 I think it's because the beat is a bit more energetic in this song compared to Straight Up! 🎤 

This performance is SO hype and the little bit of choreography thrown in goes with the song perfectly! 🎶 The beat of the song is my FAVORITE thing about it! 💓 Anytime I watch this performance, I just want to get up and dance! 💃

Fergie's (Stacy) vocals are super strong in this song and I LOVE how she adds some rifts in her voice for some of the lyrics! 🎤 Also, her outfit is SO cute! 💓

The previous song and this one are SO close to each other on my FAVORITES scale, but this one makes me want to dance just a bit more! 🎶 So, it's number-one because I literally can't sit still when listening to it! 💓

(Original Version - 1988)

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WOW! My goal was to get this post done before the FIRST day of October, but I didn't know if I'd actually get it done because this makes THREE posts in one week! 😲 I worked SUPER hard, though, because I was SO excited to share a TON of 80's songs on this blog for the FIRST time! 🎉🎶

I've only seen one episode of Kids Incorporated so far, but I watched EVERY performance when choosing these FIFTEEN! 💓 There are still SO many amazing performances that didn't make this list, but they might make the next one! 😉

I LOVED getting to make some "mixtapes" of the original versions of these songs, as well! 🎶 It was A LOT of fun editing those! 💓

Which Kids Incorporated performance was your FAVORITE from this list?!? 💓 Are you more of a fan of 80's music or 90's music? 🎶

Before we officially sign off... 

There is just ONE more performance that I NEED to include in this post! 🎶 I didn't want to include it in the ranking because it's a VERY special song and would probably rank number-one just because it is the backbone of the blog! 💓

Here is "Celebration" the Kids Incorporated way... 

(Original Version - 1980)

Thank you for reading this post! 💓 I hope you've enjoyed listening to SO many AMAZING songs! 🎶

My Monstober and Chilloween posts can officially begin now! 🎃 Woohoo!!! 💜🧡

Here's to an AWESOME October! 🎉🎃🧡👻

Until next time...

Don't forget to celebrate each day because each day is a memory in the making! 💓

 

**This post is a critical/commentary analysis of the series Kids Incorporated. This is for educational purposes only. I intend no copyright infringement and this is not a replacement for watching the series/listening to the songs. As covered under Fair Use copyright laws listed below, I simply share my commentary by giving constructive feedback, criticism, and comments. 

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976: Allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of Fair Use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**