Kiss from a Rose

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"Kiss from a Rose"
Seal - Kiss From A Rose (single).jpg
Single by Seal
from the album Seal II, Music From & Inspired by the Neverending Story III: Here Come The Fantasians, and Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture
B-side
  • "The Wind Cries Mary"
  • "Blues in 'E'" (1994)
Released18 July 1994
Length
  • 4:47 (album version)
  • 3:38 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Seal
Producer(s)Trevor Horn
Seal singles chronology
"Prayer for the Dying"
(1994) 		"Kiss from a Rose"
(1994) 		"Newborn Friend"
(1994)
1995 re-release
Batman Forever soundtrack single
Batman Forever soundtrack single

"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album. The song was first released as a single in July 1994 and included in the film The NeverEnding Story III that year. It was re-released a year later in 1995 as part of the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the United States and Australia. It also reached the top 10 in several other countries, including Canada, France, Iceland and Norway. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, it won awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[1]

Background[]

"Kiss from a Rose" was written in 1987, several years prior to the release of Seal's eponymous debut album from 1991. After writing the song, Seal felt "embarrassed by it" and "threw the tape in the corner". Seal did not present it to producer Trevor Horn until the recording sessions for Seal II. In 2015, Seal said of the song: "To be honest, I was never really that proud of it, though I like what Trevor did with the recording. He turned that tape from my corner into another 8 million record sales and my name became a household name".[2]

"Kiss from a Rose" was the second single taken from the Batman Forever film soundtrack, and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week in August 1995. It also went to number four on the UK Singles Chart, where it had originally reached number 20 in 1994. It also was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Song from a Movie in 1996.[3]

Seal talked about the long, strange journey that the song went through on The Brian McKnight Show season finale that aired 30 May 2010. He described how the song initially dropped out of the charts shortly after its release. Joel Schumacher subsequently called Seal, and requested use of the song to play over a love scene between the characters played by Nicole Kidman and Val Kilmer in Batman Forever.

Critical reception[]

Music & Media commented: "Sealed with a kiss, here you get a ballad and a half! It's got the right pathos and the unavoidable violins. The thorn, needed to show the sincerity, comes from the razor sharp alt sax".[4] Alan Jones from Music Week wrote: "Seal's magnificent "Kiss From A Rose" – now subtitled "Love Theme From Batman Forever" – is back a mere year after its first release when it reached number 19. A complex yet melodic song, it has remained a radio staple since it was first released, and is ready to explode".[5]

The song's cryptic lyrics have been the subject of debate since its release. In 2020, Seal provided verified commentary on the "Kiss from a Rose" entry on the website Genius, stating simply: "I have avoided explaining these lyrics for over 25 years. I am not going to start doing it now".[6]

Music video[]

Two versions of the music video were produced:

  • The original version is set in a photographic studio and was co-directed by Matthew Rolston and William Levin. The 1966 film Blowup was heavily referenced in the video.
  • The second version was directed by Joel Schumacher and has Seal performing the song beside the Bat-Signal, interspersed with clips from the film Batman Forever. This is the more well known video of the song. The director of photography of this version of the music video was Neil Abramson.

Track listing[]

Between all the formats of the single release, bonus tracks include the non-album tracks "The Wind Cries Mary" (a Jimi Hendrix cover) and "Blues in 'E'"; remixes of "Kiss from a Rose" by Adamski (who produced the original version of "Killer"); and remixes of album track "I'm Alive" by Steve Fitzmaurice and Sasha with BT.

  • "Kiss from a Rose" (radio edit) – 3:38
  • "Kiss from a Rose" (album version) – 4:47

Charts and sales[]

Cover versions[]

  • In 2006, the Irish vocal trio Trinití recorded a cover version for their first self-titled album.[65]
  • In 2008, Finnish metal vocalist supergroup Northern Kings released a cover version, with associated video, on their sophomore album, Rethroned.
  • In 2011, Becca Stevens Band covered the song on their album Weightless.[66]
  • In 2013, Straight No Chaser covered the song with Seal on their Under the Influence album.[67]
  • In 2020, Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros played an acoustic cover of the song on their Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros album.[68]

See also[]

  • List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s
  • List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1995 (U.S.)
  • List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1995
  • List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 1995 (U.S.)

References[]

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  3. ^ "Kiss From A Rose by Seal Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  4. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 August 1994. p. 6. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (15 July 1995). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 29. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  6. ^ Seal. "Kiss from a Rose". Genius. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 16 Oct 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
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  65. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (16 June 2006). "Trinití, Trinití". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  66. ^ Weightless by Becca Stevens, 19 April 2011, retrieved 5 July 2021
  67. ^ Collar, Matt. "Under the Influence - Straight No Chaser". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  68. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Kiss from a Rose". YouTube.
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