"The Second Time" is the first single from Kim Wilde's fourth studio album Teases & Dares (1984).

The track was Wilde's first release on the MCA record label.

Her last few releases on her original label had failed to make an impact commercially, but this one returned her to the charts of several European countries, peaking at number 29 in the United Kingdom.

The B-side, "Lovers on a Beach" (an exclusive non-album track), was also extended for the 12-inch single in some nations.

In ironic review in September of 1984 Vici MacDonald of Smash Hits noticed that Ricky and Marty Wilde "always manage to build a classic little pop song around Kim's vulnerable falsetto" but bearing in mind the secondary nature of such material she summarised "I’ve got most of her singles, but it’s a sad fact that they were all found in bargain bins.