"Teases & Dares" is the fourth studio album by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 5 November 1984 by MCA Records. The song "Is It Over" features in the film Fletch (1985), and all three singles from the album were released as picture discs, making them her only releases in that format.
After leaving Rak Records, which had released her first three albums, Wilde signed with MCA Records in 1984. Her brother, Ricky Wilde, continued as her producer, now assisted by their father, Marty Wilde, who also co-wrote material. For the first time, Kim Wilde received a co-producer credit and earned her first sole songwriting credit for the tracks "Fit In" and "Shangri-La."
Three singles were released from the album. "The Second Time" reached the UK Top 30 and the Top 10 in Germany, becoming her second single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, where it peaked at No. 65 under the title "Go for It." The second single, "The Touch," was less successful, but the third single, "Rage to Love," remixed by Dave Edmunds, returned Wilde to the UK Top 20 for the first time in three years.
Wilde underwent a change of image for Teases & Dares, prompted by her new record company. She transitioned from a girl wearing secondhand clothes with self-dyed hair to a Barbarella-inspired sci-fi heroine for the cover of "The Second Time." Although this was initially meant for the single, MCA Records decided to use the new image for the album cover, which Wilde objected to. She later attributed part of the album's weak sales to this sleeve, stating it confused her audience who still saw her as the "girl next door." For subsequent single releases, she reverted to an image she felt more comfortable with, such as wearing one of her father's Teddy Boy jackets for the promotion of "Rage to Love," aligning with the rockabilly retro theme of the song.
