"King of Sorrow" 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 fifth studio album, ''

Lovers Rock Lovers' rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.Larkin, Col ...

'' (2000). It was released as the album's second and final single on 12 March 2001.

Critical reception

Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS wrote, "Sade sings a heartfelt song that is sad and deep of sorrow and no one can take her sorrows away. This song allows one to feel very dark inside, yet the music gives a sense of overwhelming soulful bliss that takes away the blues feeling of the song." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' noted that "even such sad songs", as “King of Sorrow”, "attest to the adage that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger." Frank Guan of

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

said it "witnesses Sade anointing herself a monarch. Whether it's to memorialize romantic pain or to recover from it, the act of aggrandizement is easily forgiven."

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "King of Sorrow", directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 ''Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's son ...

, was filmed at and around the

Normandie Hotel The Normandie Hotel is a historic building located in the Isleta de San Juan, in San Juan, Puerto Rico which opened on October 10, 1942 as a hotel. Its design was inspired by the French transatlantic passenger ship SS ''Normandie'' in addition ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

and

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. It follows the dilemma of a single mother struggling to conciliate her children's needs with her dream of becoming a singer. The video was inspired by the 1960 French-Italian film ''

Two Women ''Two Women'' ( it, La ciociara , rough literal translation "The Woman from Ciociaria") is a 1960 war drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica from a screenplay by Cesare Zavattini and De Sica, based on the novel of the same name by Alberto Mora ...

'', starring

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

Track listings

*UK CD 1 #"King of Sorrow" (Radio Version) – 3:48 #"King of Sorrow" (

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

Remix) – 3:47 *UK CD 2 and Dutch CD maxi single #"King of Sorrow" (Radio Version) – 3:48 #"King of Sorrow" (Guru Remix) – 3:47 #"King of Sorrow" (

Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backing ...

Remix) – 4:32 #"King of Sorrow" (Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:57 #"King of Sorrow" (Video) *UK and European 12-inch maxi single :A1. "King of Sorrow" (Guru Remix) – 3:47 :A2. "King of Sorrow" (Fun Lovin' Criminals Remix) – 4:32 :B1. "King of Sorrow" (Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:57 :B2. "King of Sorrow" (Radio Version) – 3:48 *UK 12-inch promotional single :A. "King of Sorrow" (Yard Mix) – 3:59 :B. "King of Sorrow" (Yard Mix Version) – 3:59

Charts

References

2000 songs 2000s ballads 2001 singles Contemporary R&B ballads Epic Records singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Sade (band) songs Songs written by Sade (singer) Songs written by Stuart Matthewman Soul ballads {{2000s-R&B-song-stub