Kiss (Prince song)

"Kiss"
U.S. 7" single
Single by Prince and The Revolution
from the album Parade
B-side	"♥ or $"
Released	February 5, 1986[1]
Format	7" single 12" single
Recorded	Studio C at Sunset Sound; April 28, 1985
Genre	Pop, funk rock, R&B, minimal
Length	Album: 3:38 7" single: 3:46 12" single: 7:16
Label	Paisley Park
Writer(s)	Prince
Producer(s)	Prince
Certification	Gold (RIAA) - (May 5, 1986)
Prince and The Revolution singles chronology
"America" (1985) "Kiss" (1986) "Mountains" (1986)
Prince (UK) chronology "Pop Life" (1985) "Kiss" (1986) "Mountains" (1986) I Next Single = [Parnoimna]] (2009)

"Kiss" is a 1986 single by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Parade.

The song ranked #464 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[2] NME ranked the song #4 in their list of The 150 Greatest Singles of All Time. The same magazine voted "Kiss" the best single of the year 1986.

Version history, development and release

"Kiss" started as a short acoustic demo, about a minute in length, consisting of a single 12-bar blues verse. 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 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song.^[3] 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.

Music video

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.

Track listings

7" Single

1. Kiss 3:46
2. ♥ Or $ 3:57

12" Single

1. Kiss (Extended Version) 7:16
2. ♥ Or $ (Extended Version) 6:50

CD Single

1. Kiss (Extended Version) 7:16
2. Girls & Boys 5:30
3. Under The Cherry Moon 2:57

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
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[4]
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

Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones version

"Kiss"
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(s)	Anne Dudley, J. J. Jeczalik
Art of Noise chronology
"Dragnet (The '88 Mix)" (1988) "Kiss (1988) "Paranoimia '89" (1989)
Tom Jones chronology "I Was Born to Be Me" (1987)[5] "Kiss" (1988) "Move Closer" (1987)

In 1988, English synthpop group 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.

Track listings

7" Single

1. Kiss 3:30
2. The Art Of Noise - E.F.L. 5:15

12" Single

1. Kiss (The Battery Mix) 8:17
2. Kiss (7" Version) 3:30
3. The Art Of Noise - E.F.L. 5:15

CD Single

1. Kiss (7" Version) 3:30
2. The Art Of Noise - E.F.L. 5:15
3. Kiss (The Battery Mix) 8:17

Charts

Chart (1988-1989)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[7]	8
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8]	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9]	5
Germany (Media Control Charts)[10]	16
Ireland (IRMA)	8
Italy (FIMI)[11]	25
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12]	6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13]	1
Norway (VG-lista)[14]	8
Spain (AFYVE)[15]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16]	5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17]	11
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	31
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	18
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	14

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

Other cover versions/appearances in media

"Kiss"
Single by Age of Chance
Released	1986 (1986)
Writer(s)	Prince

* An early cover of the song was released in 1986 by Age of Chance. The single was accompanied by a video which received some airplay on MTV in the United States, and reached #50 on the pop charts in the United Kingdom in early 1987.

• Julia Roberts performed the song in her star-making 1990 film Pretty Woman.
• Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani and Missy Elliott performed the song during their appearance on the 2004 BRIT Awards.^[18]
• "Kiss" is Norma Jean's (Nicole Kidman) heartsong in the 2006 animated film Happy Feet. The song is sung by Kidman and Hugh Jackman, as a mash-up with the song "Heartbreak Hotel".
• The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has covered the song for their third album A Fist Ful Of Ukuleles in 1994 and included it in their best of album Top Notch from 2006.
• German singer/band leader Max Raabe and Palast Orchester covered in cabaret/big band style for his 2001 album Super Hits.^[19]
• The song was released as the first solo single from WWIII frontman, Mandy Lion in 2008.^[20]
• The song is covered by Richard Thompson using acoustic guitar and percussion in his 1000 Years of Popular Music show and related live albums and DVD.
• The song is covered by Tony DeSare on his "Last First Kiss" album.
• The song is performed live by Westlife on their The Greatest Hits Tour.
• The song is covered on the TV series Glee in the 37th episode, Sexy.
• At the 2011 CMT Music Awards, Lady Antebellum performed the song after their original song Just a Kiss.
• A remix of the track by DJ Z-Trip was unofficially released with raps by Murs.
• A cover of the song including a segment of the song Corcovado was done by the Klazz Brothers with vocalist Edson Cordeiro on the album Klazz Meets the Voice released in 2007.
• The song is covered by Maroon 5 on their album Overexposed, released in June 2012.
• Belgian Selah Sue has performed the song live on several occasions.

Notes

• Uptown: The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince: Nilsen Publishing 2004, ISBN 91-631-5482-X

External links

• The original demo, with Mazarati's vocals can be heard at the group's official MySpace
• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Prince singles 1970s "Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover" 1980s "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Bambi" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "Sexuality" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "D.M.S.R." "Delirious" "Automatic" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!" 1990s "The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "Pope" (remix) "Come" "Letitgo" "Space" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "P Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Truth" "Extraordinary" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" 2000s "Man'O'War" "Baby Knows" "The Work, pt. 1" "She Loves Me 4 Me" "Last December" "Musicology" "Call My Name" "Cinnamon Girl" "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "Chelsea Rodgers" "The One U Wanna C" "Dance 4 Me" "Crimson and Clover" 2010s "Extraloveable" "Dance 4 Me" (remixes) "Rock and Roll Love Affair" "Breakfast Can Wait" Promotional singles "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Erotic City" "Love Sign" "Purple Medley" "NYC" "U Make My Sun Shine" "Supercute" "Days of Wild" "S.S.T." "The Song of the Heart" "One Song" "Cybersingle" "Bataclan" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Live from Paisley Park" "Strange Relationship (Live)" "Glass Cutter" "F.U.N.K." Other songs "I Feel for You" "When You Were Mine" "Head" "Private Joy" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "17 Days" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U"

Art of Noise Anne Dudley J. J. Jeczalik Gary Langan Trevor Horn Paul Morley Lol Creme Studio albums Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? In Visible Silence In No Sense? Nonsense! Below the Waste The Seduction of Claude Debussy Compilation albums Daft Re-works of Art of Noise The Best of The Art of Noise The Ambient Collection The FON Mixes The Drum and Bass Collection State of the Art Reduction Reconstructed... For Your Listening Pleasure And What Have You Done with My Body, God? Influence: Hits, Singles, Moments, Treasures... Extended plays Into Battle with the Art of Noise Singles "Beat Box" "Close (To the Edit)" "Moments in Love" "Legs" "Peter Gunn" "Paranoimia" "Legacy" "Dragnet" "Dragnet (The '88 Mix)" "Kiss" "Paranoimia '89" "Yebo!" "Art of Love" "Instruments of Darkness (All of Us Are One People)" "Shades of Paranoimia" "Metaforce" Related articles Discography

Tom Jones Studio albums Along Came Jones (It's Not Unusual) A-tom-ic Jones From the Heart Green, Green Grass of Home Delilah Reload Mr. Jones Praise & Blame Spirit in the Room Live albums John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert Songs "All You Need Is Love" "Baby, It's Cold Outside" "Black Betty" "Burning Down the House" "Carrying a Torch" "Darlin'" "Daughter of Darkness" "Delilah" "Detroit City" "Gimme Shelter" "Green, Green Grass of Home" "Help Yourself" "I (Who Have Nothing)" "Islands in the Stream" "It's Four in the Morning" "It's Not Unusual" "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" "Kiss" "Lady Lay Down" "Mama Told Me Not to Come" "Move Closer" "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" "Sex Bomb" "Sixteen Tons" "She's a Lady" "Stoned in Love" "Till" "What's New Pussycat?" "Without Love (There Is Nothing)" "The Young New Mexican Puppeteer" Related articles Discography This Is Tom Jones (1969–71 TV show) Tom Jones (1980–81 TV show) Tom Jones: The Right Time (1992 TV show)