"Feel No Pain" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe (1992). It was released as the album's second single on 16 November 1992, as the follow-up to "No Ordinary Love", and peaked at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.
| "Feel No Pain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sade | ||||
| from the album Love Deluxe | ||||
| B-side | "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" (Mad Professor remix) | |||
| Released | 16 November 1992[1] | |||
| Length | 5:08 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Sade | |||
| Sade singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Feel No Pain" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
editLarry Flick from Billboard complimented "Feel No Pain" as a "luscious slow jam" and "by far, the album's most accessible cut." He explained, "A creative shuffle beat is embellished with subtle and bluesy guitar picking and steamy keyboard passages. Of course, Sade's unique voice is the focal point at all times."[2] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker said, "Sade fashions a polite modern soul, sterile and stripped of ambiguity."[3] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote, "Laid back but nonetheless driven, the second single from the Love Deluxe album is not completely painless, because the repetitive bass pattern makes you tap your feet until they hurt, especially through Nellee Hooper's dance remix."[4]
Retrospective response
editIn a 2017 retrospective review, Justin Chadwick from Albumism described the song as a "percussive" and "compassionate call-to-arms that reminds us to treat the poverty-stricken with the dignity and decency they deserve, while encouraging us to do what we can to ease people's suffering in times of financial turmoil and family upheaval."[5] In 2010, the Daily Vault's Mark Millan said that it "comes off as a cool, breezy, and somewhat groovy funk song." He also noted "the icy vocals [that] are in complete contrast with the club-ready, slow-burning track."[6]
Frank Guan from Vulture wrote, "All Sade songs are socially engaged at some level, but of the ones that directly reference politics, this is one of the best. Instead of telling the story of a black family trapped by layoffs, poverty, unemployment, and hatred from the third-person, Sade locates herself within its daughter as a first-person narrator. Her intimation that a society that refuses to support its least fortunate members will end in ruin for all doesn't come off as a sermon, but an experience deeply lived. The supporting cast turns in one of its best performances, evoking a spirit at once buoyant, concerned, and trapped."[7]
Track listings
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Charts
edit| Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 107 |
| Europe (European Dance Radio)[9] | 20 |
| Germany (GfK)[10] | 80 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[11] | 20 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] | 48 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 56 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] | 59 |
| US Top 100 R&B Singles (Cash Box)[15] | 44 |
References
edit- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 14 November 1992. p. 25.
- ^ Flick, Larry (15 May 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 84. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Smith, Andrew (28 November 1992). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 28. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 5 December 1992. p. 10. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Chadwick, Justin (24 October 2017). "Sade's 'Love Deluxe' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ Millan, Mark (30 December 2010). "Love Deluxe – Sade". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ Guan, Frank (26 October 2017). "All 73 Sade Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Response from ARIA re: Sade ARIA singles chart history, received 19 September 2017". Retrieved 19 September 2017 – via Imgur.
- ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 2. 9 January 1993. p. 8. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Sade – Feel No Pain" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Sade" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
- ^ "Sade – Feel No Pain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "Cash Box Top R&B Singles – Week ending July 24, 1993". Cash Box. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
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