"Flower of the Universe" is a song recorded by the British singer

Sade Adu Helen Folasade Adu ( yo, Fọláṣadé Adú ; born 16 January 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade ( ), is a Nigerian-born British singer, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band. One of the most successful British fe ...

for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

to the 2018 film ''

A Wrinkle in Time ''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for ...

''. Written and produced by Sade, Andrew Hale and Ben Travers, it was released as the lead single from the soundtrack, serving as Sade's first song in seven years. The song starts at No. 25 on "R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales" with 6,000 sold in the week ending March 15, 2018.

Background

The film's director

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...

revealed the song in a tweet on 20 February 2018, alongside a GIF of Sade. "I never thought she'd say yes, but asked anyway. She was kind plus giving. A goddess. We began a journey together that I'll never forget. Proud to announce that Sade has created an original song for Wrinkle in Time. It's entitled 'Flower of the Universe.' And it's a dream come true."

Reception

Jordan Sargent of '' Spin'' commented "Flower of the Universe" feels of a piece with '' Soldier of Love''—the band’s most recent album, released in 2010—which sucked the grooves out of their sound in favor of a stillness that conveyed both the vulnerability and strength inherent in isolation. Likewise, there are no drums present on “Flower of the Universe”—instead, the song’s arrangement (written in tandem with bandmate Andrew Hale and another collaborator, Ben Travers) is constructed only from the strums of an acoustic guitar and cooed backing harmonies that seem to stretch far and wide. The song—about a mother’s eternal love—suggests that Sade is out somewhere in the wilderness, detached from the rest of humanity. It invites repeated listens and eventually envelops you, offering a calming, nourishing comfort. Andrew Flanagan of ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'' stated "The track is classic Sade — a lush, honey sway, a voice like thick, slow-motion silk." Ben Baumont-Thomas of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' noted "Backed by pretty acoustic guitar and almost eerie wordless backing vocals, Sade delivers a typically spellbinding vocal line. The sentimental lyric is aimed at a child, described as a "flower of the universe".

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. *

– composition, production, vocals * Andrew Hale – composition, production * Ben Travers – composition, production * Miles Showell – master engineering

References

External links

* {{authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Songs written by Sade (singer) Sony Music singles Disney songs 2010s ballads