Is It a Crime?

"Is It a Crime?" is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985).[1][2] It was released in 1986 as the album's second single. The song was written by Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman and Andrew Hale.[3]The song was sampled in MF DOOM's 2004 album Mm..Food on the song Kon Karne.

"Is It a Crime?"
Single by Sade
from the album Promise
B-side
  • "Punch Drunk"
  • "Wired"
Released1986
Genre
Length6:21
LabelEpic
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Sade Adu
Producer(s)Robin Millar
Sade singles chronology
"The Sweetest Taboo"
(1985)		 "Is It a Crime?"
(1986)		 "Never as Good as the First Time"
(1986)
Music video
"Is It a Crime?" on YouTube

Reception

Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS stated, "'Is It a Crime' is a smooth jazz filled song that fills up your brain with soulful joy. Sade sings in confidence on how she is in love, and she is so in love that she wonders if it is a crime that she loves her lover so. The romantic mellow song has a great tempo that fills your ears with sudden relaxation and ease."[1] Sophie Heawood of The Guardian commented that "Sade's penchant for the epic was fully indulged on this six-and-a-half-minute 1986 single, from its length to its metaphors: her love here is 'wider than Victoria Lake ... taller than the Empire State' – and, unsaid, clearly able to traverse half the globe as well."[2] Frank Guan of Vulture commented, "The alternation between low/slow verse and high/loud chorus is so effective here you wonder if the Pixies hadn't learned a thing or two from this track. There's a kind of subtle but forceful politics in her assertion of the scale of her love: it exceeds all imperial figures."[4]

Track listings
  • 7-inch single
A. "Is It a Crime?" – 6:21
B. "Punch Drunk" – 5:25
  • 12-inch single
A1. "Is It a Crime?" – 6:21
A2. "Wired" – 3:34
B. "Punch Drunk" – 5:25

Charts
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 28
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] 17
France (SNEP)[7] 46
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[9] 32
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 49
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[13] 32
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] 55
West Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 57

Uses in pop culture

In 1988, the song was used in the pilot episode of the television series Midnight Caller entitled "Conversations with an Assassin".

References
  1. Jefferson, Tanya Rena (2 April 2015). "Sade's 10 best songs". AXS. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  2. Heawood, Sophie (13 March 2012). "Why Sade is bigger in the US than Adele". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  3. Rosen, Craig (1996). The Billboard Book of Number One Albums: The Inside Story Behind Pop Music's Blockbuster Records. Billboard Books. p. 296. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. Guan, Frank. "All 73 Sade Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  5. "Ultratop.be – Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  6. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  7. "Lescharts.com – Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Is It a Crime". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  9. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sade" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  11. "Swisscharts.com – Sade – Is It a Crime?". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  12. "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  13. "Sade Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  14. "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – Is It a Crime?". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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