"Kiss" | |||||||||||
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U.S. 7" single |
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Single by Prince and The Revolution | |||||||||||
from the album Parade | |||||||||||
B-side | "♥ or $" | ||||||||||
Released | February 5, 1986[1] | ||||||||||
Format | 7" single 12" single |
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Recorded | Studio C at Sunset Sound; April 28, 1985 |
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Genre | Contemporary R&B, funk, minimalist | ||||||||||
Length | Album: 3:38 7" single: 3:46 12" single: 7:16 |
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Label | Paisley Park | ||||||||||
Writer(s) | Prince | ||||||||||
Producer | Prince | ||||||||||
Certification | Gold (RIAA) - (May 5, 1986) | ||||||||||
Prince and The Revolution singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Kiss" is a 1986 single by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade. "Kiss" started as a short acoustic demo, about a minute in length, with one verse and the chorus. Prince gave the song to the funk band Mazarati for their debut album. Mazarati and producer David Z. drastically reworked the song, giving it its stripped-down minimalist sound. When Mazarati delivered the song to Prince, he was amazed at their work and decided to take back the song for himself. He replaced their lead vocal, added the guitar break in the chorus and edited the song to its present form. Mazarati were credited for their backing vocals, which Prince left intact.
Prince added the song at the last minute to Parade. Despite Warner Bros. not wanting to release it as a single, "Kiss" became Prince's third number-one U.S. hit following 1984's highly successful "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy". It was also a big hit across the Atlantic, reaching #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song won Prince another Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and was nominated for Best R&B Song.[2] The song has become a staple at Prince's concerts and is usually sung partially by the audience.
The 12" single 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, that end with a humorous dialogue between a wife and her husband watching Prince on television. The B-side 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, 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; "♥ or $" was recently re-released as a digital B-side on iTunes.
New Musical Express ranked the song #4 in their list of The 150 Greatest Singles of All Time. "Kiss" was also included in Rolling Stones "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time" at #461.[3]
Contents |
The music video is directed by Rebecca Blake. In the plot of the video, Prince performs dance choreography in a hall accompanying with the veiled dancer Monique Manning wearing a black lingerie, aviator sunglasses while Revolution member Wendy Melvoin is sitting playing guitar. Incidentally, the clip includes scenes from the film Under the Cherry Moon.[4] [1]
7" Single
12" Single
CD Single
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 4 |
UK Singles Chart | 6 |
Irish Singles Chart | 11 |
German Singles Chart | 4 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 8 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 3[5] |
Dutch Top 40 | 2 |
French Singles Chart | 29 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 10 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 16 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
Preceded by "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 19, 1986 – April 26, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer |
Preceded by "What Have You Done for Me Lately" by Janet Jackson |
Billboard's Hot R&B Singles & Tracks number-one single March 22, 1986 |
Succeeded by "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love" by Stephanie Mills |
Preceded by "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single April 12, 1986 – April 19, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Whenever You Need Somebody" by O'Chi Brown |
"Kiss" | ||||
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Single by Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones | ||||
from the album The Best of The Art of Noise | ||||
B-side | "E.F.L." | |||
Released | October 28, 1988 | |||
Format | 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Genre | Synthpop, Funk | |||
Length | 3:30 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Writer(s) | Prince | |||
Producer | Anne Dudley, J. J. Jeczalik | |||
Art of Noise singles chronology | ||||
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In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts[6] and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country. The guitar and horns break in the middle of this cover musically references the themes to Dragnet and Peter Gunn (two songs the Art of Noise covered with much commercial success) as well as their own breakthrough hit, "Close (To the Edit)" and "Paranoimia", their 1986 collaboration with Max Headroom. This cover was later included as part of an episode of the series Listed on MuchMoreMusic, 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". Tom Jones later recorded a version of the song for his 2003 Reloaded: Greatest Hits album.
7" Single
12" Single
CD Single
Chart (1988/89) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 31 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 18 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14 |
UK Singles Chart | 5 |
Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
German Singles Chart | 16 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 4 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 11[7] |
Dutch Top 40 | 6 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 8 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 5 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
Australian Singles Chart | 8 |
Preceded by "Angel of Harlem" by U2 |
New Zealand Singles Chart February 24, 1989 – March 2, 1989 |
Succeeded by "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals |