Kiss of Life (Sade song)
"Kiss of Life" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe (1992). It was written by Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale and Paul S. Denman, and produced by the band and Mike Pela.
"Kiss of Life" | ||||
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Single by Sade | ||||
from the album Love Deluxe | ||||
B-side | "Room 55" | |||
Released | 26 April 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1992 | |||
Length | 5:50 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Sade | |||
Sade singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Kiss of Life" on YouTube |
The song was released as the album's third single on 26 April 1993. It reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart and number 78 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while becoming Sade's seventh top-10 single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 10. It also received significant airplay on smooth jazz radio stations.
Composition
"Kiss of Life" was originally published in the key of A Major in common time with a tempo of 97 beats per minute. Adu's vocals span from G#3 to C#5.[1][2]
Critical reception
Justin Chadwick from Albumism called the song "wonderful", stating that it is one of "their most evocative and enduring love songs to date".[3] Randy Clark from Cashbox described it as a "compelling love song in the same, easily identifiable soul-groove niche she carved out for herself" in 1985 with "Smooth Operator".[4] The Daily Vaults Mark Millan said that the song "however, leaves nothing to chance as it is the kind of simple but heartfelt love song that Sade is so good at producing."[5] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report noted that it "sounds like a natural follow-up" to "No Ordinary Love".[6] Frank Guan of Vulture commented, "Her love songs typically split between the ones where love is flawless and the ones where love is threatened, and this falls clearly in the former category. A rich funk bassline laced with jazz piano provides the perfect backdrop for this ode to the best of feelings."[7]
Music video
The music video for "Kiss of Life" was directed by Albert Watson.[8] It was filmed in and around Miami, Florida. Included in the video are shots of the Washington Park Hotel in South Beach.
Track listings
- UK CD single
- "Kiss of Life" – 4:10
- "Room 55" – 4:20
- "Kiss of Life" (album version) – 5:48
- UK and Australian CD single (cardboard sleeve) / Japanese mini CD single / US cassette single
- "Kiss of Life" – 4:10
- "Room 55" – 4:20
- 7-inch single
- A. "Kiss of Life" – 4:10
- B. "Room 55" – 4:20
- 12-inch single
- A. "Kiss of Life" – 4:10
- B1. "Room 55" – 4:20
- B2. "Kiss of Life" (album version) – 5:48
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Cover versions
- Guitarist Ken Navarro covered the song in the closing track from Navarro's studio album Smooth Sensation (1997).[22]
- In 2005, trumpeter Rick Braun covered the song from the album Yours Truly.[23][24]
- The song was sampled in the MF Doom song "Doomsday" from his debut album Operation: Doomsday.
- Japanese hip hop producer Nujabes produced a cover of the song featuring Giovanca and Benny Sings on the 2009 compilation album Mellow Beats, Friends & Lovers.
- Japanese musician Friday Night Plans released a cover of the song as a single in 2020.[25]
References
- "Sade – Kiss of Life". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- "Sade – Kiss of Life". songbpm.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- Chadwick, Justin (24 October 2017). "Sade's 'Love Deluxe' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- Clark, Randy (27 February 1993). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 5 – via World Radio History.
- Millan, Mark (30 December 2010). "Love Deluxe – Sade". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- Sholin, Dave (19 February 1993). "Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 52 – via World Radio History.
- Guan, Frank (26 October 2017). "All 73 Sade Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- "Sade – Kiss of Life (1992)". IMVDb. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- "Response from ARIA re: Sade ARIA singles chart history, received 19 September 2017". Retrieved 19 September 2017 – via Imgur.
- "RPM100 Hit Tracks" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 57 no. 18. 15 May 1993. p. 6. ISSN 0315-5994.
- "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1719." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – Kiss of Life". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (vikan 12.–18. mars)". DV (in Icelandic). 11 March 1993. p. 29. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
- "Charts.nz – Sade – Kiss of Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- "Sade Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Sade Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending May 8, 1993". Cash Box. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "The Cash Box Top R&B Singles – Week ending May 15, 1993". Cash Box. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Widran, Jonathan. "Ken Navarro – Smooth Sensation". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- "Yours Truly overview". AllMusic.
- "Rick Braun Yours Truly". SmoothViews.com.
- "Friday Night Plans、SADE「Kiss of Life」カバー音源リリース決定". Spincoaster (in Japanese). 21 August 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.