"Kiss of Life" is a song by English band

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...

from their fourth studio album, ''

Love Deluxe Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...

'' (1992). It was written by

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 ...

Stuart Matthewman Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, record producer and musician. With Sade Adu, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale, he gained worldwide fame as the guitarist/saxophonist of the band ...

, Andrew Hale and Paul S. Denman, and produced by the band and

Mike Pela Mike Pela (13 January 1950 – 23 July 2022) was a British record producer and mixer. He worked with various artists including Sade, Maxwell, Savage Garden and others, spanning a wide array of genres. Career Pela started his career in the 19 ...

. The song was released as the album's third single on 26 April 1993. It reached number 44 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 ...

and number 78 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while becoming Sade's seventh top-10 single on '' Billboard''s

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chart, peaking at number 10. It also received significant airplay on

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

radio stations.

Composition

"Kiss of Life" was originally published in the key of A Major in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 97 beats per minute. Adu's vocals span from G#₃ to C#₅.

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". Randy Clark from '' Cashbox'' described it as a "compelling love song in the same, easily identifiable

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

-groove niche she carved out for herself" in 1985 with "

Smooth Operator "Smooth Operator" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, ''Diamond Life'' (1984). It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12-inch maxi ...

". 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." Dave Sholin from the '' Gavin Report'' noted that it "sounds like a natural follow-up" to "

No Ordinary Love "No Ordinary Love" is a song by English band Sade, released in September 1992 as the lead single and opening track from their fourth studio album, ''Love Deluxe'' (1992). The song is written by lead singer Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, and ...

". Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' 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." James Hamilton from the magazine's ''RM'' Dance Update described it as " Suzanne Vega-ish". 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!" Frank Guan of

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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 Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

piano provides the perfect backdrop for this ode to the best of feelings."

Music video

The

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

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

Track listings

*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 *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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

* Guitarist Ken Navarro covered the song in the closing track from Navarro's studio album ''Smooth Sensation'' (1997). * In 2005, trumpeter

Rick Braun Rick Braun (born July 6, 1955) is a smooth jazz trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone and keyboards player, vocalist, composer, and record producer. Career Braun was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and attended Dieruff High School. His mother was a se ...

covered the song from the album ''Yours Truly''. * The song was sampled in the

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

song "Doomsday" from his debut album '' Operation: Doomsday''. * Japanese hip hop producer

Nujabes , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...

produced a cover of the song featuring Giovanca and

Benny Sings Tim van Berkestijn, better known by his stage name Benny Sings, is a Dutch pop musician, songwriter, and producer from the Netherlands. Since 2003, he has released ten studio albums, including his most recent album, 2023's ''Young Hearts'' on ...

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.

References

{{authority control Songs about kissing 1990s ballads 1992 songs 1993 singles Epic Records singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Sade (band) songs Song recordings produced by Mike Pela Songs written by Sade (singer) Songs written by Stuart Matthewman