Life (Des'ree song)

"Life" is a popular song recorded by the British pop and soul singer Des'ree. It was the third single from her third album, Supernatural, and was released on 8 June 1998. This song remains Des'ree's biggest hit, peaking at number one in Austria, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as on the UK R&B Chart.

"Life"
Single by Des'ree
from the album Supernatural
B-side"Open Mind"
Released8 June 1998
Recorded1998
GenreSoul, pop, funk
Length3:29
LabelS2
Songwriter(s)Prince Sampson
Des'ree Weekes
Producer(s)Prince Sampson
Des'ree Weekes
Des'ree singles chronology
"Fire"
(1998)		 "Life"
(1998)		 "What's Your Sign?"
(1998)
Audio sample
Des'ree – "Life"
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In 2020, the song was covered by Sorenious Bonk and Signe Mansdotter for the Netflix TV show Sex Education.[1]

Lyrics and music video

Taking an "innocuous tone", this playful song mixes "stories about superstitions, phobias and travels around the world". The melody is "upbeat and jubilant".[2] However, the banal lyrics and simplistic rhymes have been widely derided, with the song winning the "worst ever pop lyric" in a BBC poll,[3] particularly for the verse:

I don't want to see a ghost
It's the sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast
Watch the evening news

In the music video, the singer is sitting on the back seat of a black 1965 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass convertible, driven by a chauffeur. Des'ree is initially sheltered from the sun by a black umbrella, which then flies away. The car passes through sugar cane fields, apparently in Guyana. A crop duster flies overhead, but instead of spraying pesticide, it drops a lot of butterflies. The video was directed by Mike Lipscombe.

Track listings

CD single – UK

  1. "Life" (single version) – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19

CD maxi 1 – UK

  1. "Life" – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19
  3. "Get a Life" – 3:32
  4. "I'm Kissing You" – 4:52

CD maxi 2 – UK

  1. "Life" (long version) – 4:22
  2. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  3. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45
  4. "Life" (Brooklin funk R&B mix – no rap) – 5:00

CD maxi – Australia

  1. "Life" (single version) – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19
  3. "Get a Life" – 3:32
  4. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  5. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45

12" maxi – UK

  1. "Life" (long version) – 4:22
  2. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  3. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45

CD single – Promo

  1. "Life" (cosmack radio edit) – 3:09
  2. "Life" (special radio mix) – 3:12
  3. "Life" (Brooklyn funk R&B radio edit) – 3:52

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[24] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[25] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[26] Platinum 500,000*
Germany (BVMI)[27] Gold 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[28] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[29] Platinum 75,000^
Sweden (GLF)[30] Platinum 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] Gold 25,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. GATTÜSO & Sorenious Bonk Release New Single "Life"
  2. Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 431 (ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  3. "6 Music reveals worst pop lyrics in the world... ever!" (Press release). BBC 6 Music. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  4. "Life", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  5. "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  6. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 285 Vikuna 13.8. – 20.8. 1998)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 9 July 2018. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  8. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15 no. 33. 15 August 1998. p. 21. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. "Single top 100 over 1998" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  10. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. "Life", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved 21 August 2008)
  12. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
  13. 1998 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  14. 1998 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived 8 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  15. "Jaaroverzichten 1998". Ultratop. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  16. 1998 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  17. 1998 French Singles Chart Ifop.com Archived 16 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  18. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  19. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1998". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  20. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  21. "Årslista Singlar – År 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  22. 1998 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  23. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  24. "Austrian single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  25. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  26. "French single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  27. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Des'ree; 'Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  28. "Japanese single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 26 December 2020. Select 1999年8月 on the drop-down menu
  29. "Dutch single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Life in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  30. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  31. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Des'ree; 'Life')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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