"Song Instead of a Kiss" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles, released as the first single from her second album, ''

Rockinghorse ''Rockinghorse'' is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles, released on October 13, 1992, by Atlantic Records. It spawned five singles, "Song Instead of a Kiss", "Tumbleweed", "Our World, Our Times", "Living on a Mem ...

'' (1992). The

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

became her first and only number-one single in Canada, topping the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Top Singles chart for four weeks and ending 1992 as Canada's third-most-successful single. It also became a top-20 hit in Finland but charted weakly in other countries.

Background

The song was co-written by Myles, songwriting partner Nancy Simmonds, and noted Canadian poet

Robert Priest Robert Priest (born July 10, 1951, in Walton-on-Thames, England) is a Canadian poet, children's author and singer/songwriter. He has written eighteen books of poetry, four children's novels, four children's albums, and six CDs of songs and poems. ...

. The song's lyrics were a poem by Priest that he had sent to Simmonds, a friend of his and through whom he had met Myles. Simmonds and Myles were in Barbados writing Myles' second album, and after days struggling to write, Simmonds showed Myles the poem and, liking it, she immediately sang the melody over it, which Simmonds duly noted with her guitar. Myles had just finished a romantic relationship with

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

and felt the lyrics expressed her feelings and pain about the split. Atlantic Records were not pleased with the demo they presented them, but Myles and her producer

David Tyson David Michael Tyson is a Canadian rock music producer and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing Alannah Myles' 1990 #1 hit " Black Velvet" (with Christopher Ward) and producing her debut album. He also co-wrote three hit songs (with Dean M ...

decided to carry on working on it nonetheless. Tyson arranged the song, including the notable minute-and-a-half intro of the song (which was edited out on the single edit), after which Myles cut the final vocals. When they presented the reworked track to Atlantic, they loved it, and, unbeknownst to Myles, sent it to Plant to see if he could duet with her on the song, a move she was furious about. Myles has cited that it is one of her favourite songs from her catalogue.

Release and reception

The song was chosen as the lead single from the ''Rockinghorse'' album. While Myles liked the song and found it single-worthy, she was adamant about releasing the uptempo rocker "Our World, Our Times" instead of a ballad as the first single, but was overruled by the record company because they feared the political lyrics of that song would hurt its airplay and chart performance. The song performed successfully in Myles's native Canada, becoming her first and only number-one hit on the ''

'' Top Singles, staying four weeks at number one in November and December 1992. It also topped the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary charts for one week in November 1992, her second number one on that chart after " Lover of Mine" in 1990. In the United States, the record was ignored and did not get much airplay, and it was not released as a commercial single. In Europe and Australia, the record received airplay but was not a substantial hit, achieving minor chart placings in these regions; however, in Finland, it reached the top 20, peaking at number 13 in October 1992 and remaining in the top 30 for three charting periods (six weeks).

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described it as a "slow-building

." He added that Myles "offers a strikingly restrained and unaffected vocal, while dramatic synths and acoustic guitars rise and swirl around her. Bodes well for the forthcoming ''"Rockinghorse"'' album." Randy Clark from '' Cashbox'' called it "another dark and brooding ballad", adding that "this cut is slightly off the rocker without the thumping bass line that pumped her first hit to the top of the charts, this time opting for an acoustically orchestrated backing."

Music video

The stylish music video was directed by Paul Boyd and filmed at

Capitol Studios Capitol Studios are recording studios located at the landmark Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. The studios, which opened in 1956, were initially the primary recording studios for the American record label Capitol Records. While t ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. In it, Myles is seen wearing different

veils A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...

and shots of her lying in a bed while singing the song, with emphasis on close-ups on her face and her eyes. The setting of the video looks like a padded cell, although it is not explicitly explained.

Awards and accolades

In 1993, the song was nominated for two Juno Awards, for Single of the Year, losing to the

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

and Peabo Bryson duet " Beauty and the Beast", and for Best Producer to

. The song also received a

SOCAN award The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

in Canada, in 1994.

Track listings

Canadian cassette single and European 7-inch single # "Song Instead of a Kiss" – 3:57 # "Rockinghorse" – 3:00 US promo CD # "Song Instead of a Kiss" (edit) – 4:05 UK CD single and 12-inch maxi-single # "Song Instead of a Kiss" (edit) – 4:05 # "Rockinghorse" – 3:00 # " Love Is" – 3:39 # "Song Instead of a Kiss" (LP version) – 5:03

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1990s ballads 1992 singles 1992 songs Alannah Myles songs Atlantic Records singles Music videos directed by Paul Boyd Songs about music Rock ballads RPM Top Singles number-one singles