"Kiss" is a song composed, written, and produced by American musician
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
. Released by the
Paisley Park
Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. T ...
label as the lead single from Prince and
the Revolution
A revolution is a drastic political change that usually occurs relatively quickly. For revolutions which affect society, culture, and technology more than political systems, see social revolution.
Revolution may also refer to:
Aviation
*Warner ...
's eighth studio album, ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...
'' (1986), on February 5, 1986, it was a No. 1 hit worldwide, holding the top spot of the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The single was certified gold in 1986 for shipments of 1,000,000 copies by
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
[
The song is ranked at No. 85 on the '']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
in 2021, No. 464 in 2010, and No. 461 in 2004. ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' ranked the song at No. 4 in their list of The 150 Greatest Singles of All Time, and voted "Kiss" the best single of 1986.
Following Prince's death in April 2016, the song re-charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 28 and jumped to No. 23 a week later. The song also reached No. 2 on the French Singles Chart
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
. As of April 30, 2016, it has sold 1.33 million digital copies in the U.S.
Age of Chance
Age of Chance were a British alternative rock- dance crossover band from Leeds, England, active from 1983 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peak ...
and Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...
also released versions of the song that were critical and chart successes.
Development, production and release
"Kiss" started as a rough acoustic demo, with a verse and a chorus written by Prince. He gave his demo to the funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
band Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B, rock and funk band, formed in the mid-1980s and was active until 1989. The band was seven pieces and included the former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brownmark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they beca ...
(who approached him in the first place for an extra song for their debut album), and they worked on it with producer David Z
David Z may refer to:
* David Z (producer)
David Rivkin (born 1953), professionally known as David Z, is an American music producer, engineer, and songwriter from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known for his long-standing work with Prince, a ...
at Sunset Sound Studio 2, while Prince was busy working in the studio next to them, Studio 3. Z recalls having one of the band members play a piano part inspired by Bo Diddley
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...
's song "Say Man
"Say Man" is a song by American musician Bo Diddley. Written under his real name of Ellas McDaniel, it was recorded by Bo Diddley in 1958 and released as a single in 1959 on Checker 931.
The recording became his biggest US pop hit, reaching nu ...
". In the ''Sound On Sound'' article for "Kiss", he recalled programming the song's beat on a LinnDrum
The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold.
Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far mo ...
drum machine, but the ''Mixonline'' article he refers to a Linn 9000
The Linn 9000 is an electronic musical instrument manufactured by Linn Electronics as the successor to the LinnDrum. It was introduced in 1984 at a list price of $5,000, ($7,000 fully expanded) and about 1100 units were produced.
It combined MIDI ...
. However, it's unlikely either of them were used as the drums sound more like the LM-1, Prince's usual drum machine. In the end, Prince decided to finish the song, retaining David Z's unique, funky rhythm and background vocal arrangements by Mazarati's Bruce DeShazer And Marvin Gunn (David Z recounts how the band had expected a song writing credit, and were "pissed" when it did not materialise); he removed the bass line, and added signature guitar and falsetto vocal. For the distinctive "ah-wah-ah" backing vocals, David Z adapted vocals by Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only ...
- one of the biggest US chart toppers in the Sixties - from her 1959/1960 hit "Sweet Nothin's
Sweet Nothin's is a 1959 song by Brenda Lee written by Ronnie Self. It peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 12 on the Hot R&B Sides chart, in 1960. The song (as Sweet Nuthin's) also charted on the UK Singles Chart in 1960, peakin ...
", a single from her eponymous album. To make up for the absence of bass, the kick drum was run through an AMS RMX-16 reverb on the non-linear setting.[ The underlying "keyboard chop" in the background is in fact an acoustic guitar (played by David Z.) run through a Kepex noise gate triggered by the hi-hat track on the multitrack tape - this effect, however, was rather difficult to recreate live on keyboards.] The final, minimalist song was a hard sell to Warner Bros., but upon Prince's insistence the song was released and added to ''Parade''.
Despite Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
not wanting to release it as a single, "Kiss" became Prince's third number-one US hit following 1984's highly successful "When Doves Cry
"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...
" and "Let's Go Crazy
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It was the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple f ...
". It was also a big hit across the Atlantic, reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The song won Prince another 29th Annual Grammy Awards
The 29th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1987, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.
Paul Simon won Album of the Year for ''Graceland'', and Burt Bacha ...
for , and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...
. The song became a staple at Prince's concerts and was usually sung partially by the audience.
The 12-inch single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...
of the song is an extension of the album track. The extended section is based on the funky guitar line and contains much fuller instrumentation than the main track, including bass guitar, organ and horns. New lyrics are present from Prince, along with Jill Jones
Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s.
Overview
Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model, ...
, that end with a humorous dialogue between a wife and her husband watching Prince on television. The B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of "Kiss" was "♥ or $" ("Love or Money"), sung in a processed, higher-pitched vocal, which Prince would later use for his '' Camille'' material. The song relates to the theme in ''Under the Cherry Moon
''Under the Cherry Moon'' is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The film also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas (in her feature film debut) ...
'', and a bit of the song was heard in the film, as was a bit of the extended version of "Kiss". The extended "Kiss" was included on 2006's ''Ultimate
Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album)
* ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album)
*''Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds
*''The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilatio ...
''; "♥ or $" was recently re-released as a digital B-side on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
.
Revolution bassist Brownmark
Mark Brown (born March 8, 1962), better known by the stage name Brown Mark, also styled Brownmark and BrownMark, is an American musician, bassist and record producer.
Life and career
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Brown's early ...
claims to have co-written the song with Prince: he most likely wrote the second verse as the first verse was on the demo Prince provided himself and Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B, rock and funk band, formed in the mid-1980s and was active until 1989. The band was seven pieces and included the former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brownmark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they beca ...
with to work from. Despite being promised a songwriting credit by Prince, he never got any proper credit and didn't receive any royalties from it.[
]
Composition
The song is written in the key of A major and has a tempo of 112 beats per minute in common time.
Music video
The accompanying music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for "Kiss" was directed by Rebecca Blake. In the plot of the video, Prince appears in a half shirt and leather jacket and then all shirtless and performs dance choreography in a hall. The trousers he wears are strip-off pants. He is accompanied by the veiled dancer Monique Mannen wearing black lingerie and sunglasses while Revolution member Wendy Melvoin
Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band The Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...
sits playing guitar.
Legacy
"Kiss" is widely considered one of Prince's finest songs. In 2016, '' Paste'' ranked the song number two on their list of the 50 greatest Prince songs, and in 2022, ''American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' ranked the song number three on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs.
In 2022, it was included in the list "The story of ''NME'' in 70 (mostly) seminal songs", at number 28: Mark Beaumont wrote that with this song, "Prince took his crown while the Hip-Hop Wars raged".
Track listings
* 7-inch single
# "Kiss" – 3:46
# "♥ or $" – 3:57
* 12-inch single
# "Kiss" (extended version) – 7:16
# "♥ or $" (extended version) – 6:50
* CD single
# "Kiss" (extended version) – 7:16
# "Girls & Boys" – 5:30
# "Under the Cherry Moon" – 2:57
* Digital download
# "Kiss" (Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
Remix) — 4:49
Personnel
* Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
– lead vocals and various instruments
* Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B, rock and funk band, formed in the mid-1980s and was active until 1989. The band was seven pieces and included the former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brownmark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they beca ...
– backing vocals
* Craig Powell – guitar
* Bruce DeShazer (AKA Tony Christian) – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
* Marr Star – keyboards, backing vocals
* Aaron Keith – keyboards
* Kevin Patrick – Drums
* Terry Casey – Vocals
* Jerome Cox – Bass
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Age of Chance version
An industrial
Industrial may refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems
* Industrial city, a city dominate ...
cover of the song was released in November 1986 by Age of Chance
Age of Chance were a British alternative rock- dance crossover band from Leeds, England, active from 1983 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peak ...
. Bass player Geoff Taylor described it as: "We basically removed the sex and replaced it with lump hammers."
The band worked out the music from hearing it in clubs and consulted ''Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' for the lyrics, although they changed them substantially.
The band first recorded the track for a Peel session
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
in June 1986, when the Prince version was still in the UK charts. They were inspired by The Fire Engines
The Fire Engines were a post-punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Fire Engines were an influence on many bands that followed, including Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture, with Meat Whiplash and The Candyskins both taking their names from Fire ...
having covered Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of Martyn Ware (keyboards) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards) (both previously of the Human League), an ...
's "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 6 March 1981, also acting as the lead single from their debut studio album, '' Penthouse and Pavement'' (1981). It wa ...
" for their first Peel session while that song was still in the charts. John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
got many listener requests to play Age of Chance's version of "Kiss" again,[ and it made No. 2 in Peel's ]Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...
for 1986.[Entry on the BBC John Peel band's website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/a/ageofchance/]
The single version was recorded at Chakk
Chakk were an industrial funk band from Sheffield, who existed from 1981 until 1987.[Chakk](_blank)
(AllMusic) 's Fon Studios in Sheffield and released on the Fon label in the UK in November 1986. Its success led to a contract with Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...
, who released the single in the rest of the world.
The single was accompanied by a video which received some airplay on MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
in the United States.
The sleeve was one of the first major productions by The Designers Republic, helping make their reputation. It was available in white, pink, orange or green.
The band recorded a remix called "Kisspower" with Alan Smyth
Alan Smyth is an English record producer from Sheffield, England. He has worked with a number of bands, including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and The Makers, The Long Blondes, Milburn, Richard Hawley, The Fever Club, The Scaramanga Six, Smok ...
of Fon Studios in November 1986, using Fon's Akai S900
The Akai S900 is a 12-bit sampler, with a variable sample rate from 7.5 kHz through to 40 kHz. It was common in recording studios until it was superseded two years later by the S1000.
An expanded version, the Akai S950, was released in 1988 al ...
sampler
Sampler may refer to:
* Sampler (signal), a digital signal processing device that converts a continuous signal to a discrete signal
* Sampler (needlework), a handstitched piece of embroidery used to demonstrate skill in needlework
* Sampler (surna ...
. It included samples from the Prince original, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
, Run–D.M.C. and other artists. Virgin wanted to release it but it was vetoed by Simon Draper of Virgin America over copyright concerns.[ It was eventually released as a run of 500 ]white label
A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels.
Test pressings
Test pressings, usua ...
promotional copies. If released, it would have been one of the first mainstream sample-based singles, six months before " Pump Up the Volume" and " Say Kids What Time Is It?". "Kisspower" was acclaimed as a "landmark" and a "cut'n'paste trailblazer" by musician's magazine ''Electronic Sound''.[Alt URL]
/ref>
Critical response
On release, the single achieved Single Of The Week in ''Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' 15 November 1986, which described it as "The first white band on an independent label to deliver a record that successfully crosses the alertness of hip hop and electro" and emphasised the quality of the artwork.
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics.
Biography
Marcus wa ...
in ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' 10 March 1987 called it a "trash masterpiece ... Instant party, with an edge of menace."
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...
described the single in ''Blissed Out: The raptures of rock'' as "anti-anti-pop, a gesture against indie stasis."
Track listings
* 7-inch (Fon AGE-5) (Virgin VS-951)
:A. "Kiss" (Prince & The Revolution) – 3:04
:B. "Crash Conscious" (Elvidge/Howson/Perry/Taylor) – 2:54
* 12-inch (Fon AGE-T-5) (Virgin VS-951-12)
:A. "Kiss" – 3:06
:B1. "Kiss" (Collision Cut) remixed by Crush Commander – 4:11
:B2 "Crash Conscious" – 2:55
* 12-inch ''Jack-Knife Remixes'' (Fon AGE-L-5)
:A. "Kiss" (Sonic Crush Symphony) remixed by D.J. Chakk
:B1. "Kiss" (Your Move America) remixed by D.J. Chakk
:B2. "Kiss" (Leeds V The Bronx) remixed by D.J. Chakk
:B3. "Crash Conscious"
* 12-inch "Kisspower" (Fon AGE-X-5) (promo)
:A. "Kisspower" – 6:55
:B. "Kisspower" – 6:55
Chart history
The single reached No. 1 on the UK Indie Charts in late 1986. It spent 11 weeks on the mainstream pop charts in the United Kingdom, starting at 6 December 1986 and peaking at No. 50 in early 1987.
In New Zealand it charted for four weeks, peaking at No. 21.
In the United States, it spent six weeks on the ''Billboard Dance Club Play'' chart, peaking at No. 35 on 23 May 1987.
The Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones version
In 1988, British synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
group the Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...
released a cover of the song, featuring Welsh singer Tom Jones on vocals. Jones had added the song to his Vegas live show and the Art of Noise contacted him after seeing him perform it on TV.
The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart (higher than the original in that country), top 10 in several countries and No. 18 on the US dance chart. It was also No. 1 in New Zealand and Spain.
The song alternates between two distinct rhythms: a fast-paced rock beat, panned entirely to the left channel; and a half-speed quiet storm
Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''.
The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...
-inspired percussion section. The guitar and horns break in the middle of the track musically references the themes to '' Dragnet'' and ''Peter Gunn
''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...
'' (two songs the Art of Noise covered with much commercial success) as well as their own breakthrough hit, "Close (to the Edit)
"Close (to the Edit)" is a single by English avant-garde synth-pop group Art of Noise, released on various formats in October 1984. It was closely related to their earlier single (and hip hop club hit) "Beat Box", though the two tracks were deve ...
" and "Paranoimia
"Paranoimia" is a song by English synth-pop group Art of Noise released in April 1986, from their second studio album '' In Visible Silence'' (1986). The song's better-known version was a version released as a single, featuring television char ...
", their 1986 collaboration with Max Headroom
Max Headroom is a fictional artificial intelligence (AI) character portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, ...
. Jones changes the lyric line of "Women, Not Girls rule my world" to "Women and Girls, rule my world."
This version was later included as part of an episode of the series ''Listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
'' on MuchMoreMusic
M3 was a Canadian English language Category A cable and satellite specialty channel owned by Bell Media. Established in 1998 as MuchMoreMusic, the network began as a spin-off of the youth-oriented MuchMusic, targeting an older demographic with ...
, which was on the Top 20 cover songs. It can also be heard during the main title sequence of the movie ''My Stepmother Is an Alien
''My Stepmother Is an Alien'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin, and starring Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, Jon Lovitz, and Alyson Hannigan. Its plot follows Celeste, an extraterrestrial woman sent on a secr ...
'' as well as a scene in '' Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy''.
Track listings
* 7-inch single
# "Kiss" – 3:30
# "E.F.L." (The Art of Noise) – 5:15
* 12-inch single
# "Kiss" (The Battery Mix) – 8:17
# "Kiss" (7-inch version) – 3:30
# "E.F.L." – 5:15
* CD single
# "Kiss" (7-inch version) – 3:30
# "E.F.L." (The Art of Noise) – 5:15
# "Kiss" (The Battery Mix) – 8:17
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other covers
The song had 46 covers raging from Pop (Kelly Clarkson) to Soul (Howard Tate) and Jazz (Max Raabe).
References
Notes
* Uptown: ''The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince'': Nilsen Publishing 2004,
External links
* (official EMI Music channel)
* (official Tom Jones channel)
The original demo
with Mazarati
Mazarati was an American R&B, rock and funk band, formed in the mid-1980s and was active until 1989. The band was seven pieces and included the former Prince and The Revolution bassist Brownmark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, they beca ...
's vocals can be heard at the group's official MySpace
Breakdown of the recording process
told by David Z, co-producer of the song
{{authority control
Songs about kissing
1986 singles
1986 songs
1988 singles
Art of Noise songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Funk songs
Number-one singles in New Zealand
Number-one singles in Spain
Paisley Park Records singles
Polydor Records singles
Prince (musician) songs
Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)
Songs written by Prince (musician)
Tom Jones (singer) songs
Warner Records singles
Virgin Records singles