Kiss of Life (Sade song)

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"Kiss of Life"
Single by Sade
from the album Love Deluxe
B-side"Room 55"
Released1993
Recorded1992
GenreSmooth jazz[1]
Length
  • 5:50 (album version)
  • 4:11 (single version)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Sade
Sade singles chronology
"Feel No Pain"
(1992) 		"Kiss of Life"
(1993) 		"Cherish the Day"
(1993)
Music video
"Kiss of Life" on YouTube

"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. The song was released as the album's third single in 1993 by Epic Records. 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. Albert Watson directed the music video for the song.

Composition[edit]

"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.[2][3]

Critical reception[edit]

Randy Clark from Cash Box described "Kiss of Life" as a "compelling love song in the same, easily identifiable soul-groove niche she carved out for herself" in 1985 with "Smooth Operator".[4] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report felt it "sounds like a natural follow-up" to "No Ordinary Love".[5] Alan Jones from Music Week deemed it "one of her most expressive pieces, with fluted notes and the odd wail all melding nicely in a warm, summery setting." He added, "If she were a new artist, she'd attract immediate and overwhelming attention."[6] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as "Suzanne Vega-ish".[7] Leesa Daniels from Smash Hits gave it three out of five, writing, "You know exactly what you're going to get; the slow beat, saxophone solo, bongo drums and her husky vocals. Even so, this is perfect background music for watching the sun go down with the person you really want to snog!"[8]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Kiss of Life" was directed by Albert Watson.[9] It was filmed in and around Miami, Florida. Included in the video are shots of the Washington Park Hotel in South Beach.

Retrospective response[edit]

In an 2017 review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism called the song "wonderful", naming it one of "their most evocative and enduring love songs to date".[10] In 2010, The Daily Vault's Mark Millan said that it "however, leaves nothing to chance as it is the kind of simple but heartfelt love song that Sade is so good at producing."[11] 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."[12]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sarig, Roni (2004). "Sade". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 712–713. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ "Sade – Kiss of Life". MusicNotes.com. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Sade – Kiss of Life". songbpm.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  4. ^ Clark, Randy (27 February 1993). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 5 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ Sholin, Dave (19 February 1993). "Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 52 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (1 May 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 10. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. ^ Hamilton, James (8 May 1993). "Djdirectory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  8. ^ Daniels, Leesa (28 April 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 49. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Sade – Kiss of Life (1992)". IMVDb. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  10. ^ Chadwick, Justin (24 October 2017). "Sade's 'Love Deluxe' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  11. ^ Millan, Mark (30 December 2010). "Love Deluxe – Sade". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  12. ^ Guan, Frank (26 October 2017). "All 73 Sade Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Response from ARIA re: Sade ARIA singles chart history, received 19 September 2017". Retrieved 19 September 2017 – via Imgur.
  14. ^ "RPM100 Hit Tracks" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 57, no. 18. 15 May 1993. p. 6. ISSN 0315-5994.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1719." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  16. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 20. 15 May 1993. p. 26. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Sade – Kiss of Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (vikan 12.–18. mars)". DV (in Icelandic). 11 March 1993. p. 29. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  19. ^ "Sade – Kiss of Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  20. ^ "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  21. ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Sade Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending May 8, 1993". Cash Box. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Cash Box Top R&B Singles – Week ending May 15, 1993". Cash Box. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  27. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1993 – Top 50 R&B Singles". Cash Box. 31 December 1993. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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