Williams and his then-songwriting partner Guy Chambers co-wrote the song for Minogue after she approached Williams to write her some songs for her first album under Parlophone, Light Years. Feeling the chemistry between both himself and Minogue, he decided to turn the song into a duet, include the track on his album, and release it as a single. His rap verse on the song comparing himself to Sean Connery and including the line "Press be asking do I care for sodomy/I don't know/Yeah, probably"[4] was entirely removed for radio play and the version on Minogue's album.[5]
Minogue and Williams re-recorded "Kids" with an updated, funkier arrangement for Williams' compilation album, XXV, released on 9 September 2022.[6]
The song became a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number two and selling over 200,000 copies to earn a silver certification from the BPI.[7] The track also entered the top 10 in Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and Portugal, and peaked at number 14 in Kylie Minogue's native Australia, where it was certified gold for shipments of over 35,000 copies.[8] The lyrics, although penned by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers, make numerous references to the careers of both Minogue and Williams. Minogue's lyric "I've been dropping beats since Back in Black" self-deprecatingly refers to her 1980s pop image when she was known as the singing budgie from Australia (Back in Black being a 1980s album by Australian band AC/DC, which starkly contrasted with her own style at the time). Later, in 2010, this song was used as the theme song of Junior Masterchef Australia.
^Kids (Australian CD2 liner notes). Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue. Chrysalis Records. 2000. 7243 889577 0 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kids (European CD single liner notes). Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue. Chrysalis Records. 2000. 7243 8 89578 0 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kids (UK CD1 liner notes). Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue. Chrysalis Records. 2000. CDCHS5119, 7243 889441 0 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kids (UK CD2 liner notes). Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue. Chrysalis Records. 2000. CDCHSS 5119, 7243 889441 2 0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Kids (UK cassette single sleeve). Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue. Chrysalis Records. 2000. TCCHS 5119, 7243 889441 4 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)