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Kiss from a Rose

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"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from British singer-songwriter Seal's second eponymous album (1994). The song was first released as a single in July 1994 by ZTT, Sire and Warner Bros., and included in the film The NeverEnding Story III that year.

"Kiss from a Rose"
Single by Seal
from the album Seal (Seal II)
B-side
Released18 July 1994
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 4:47 (album version)
  • 3:38 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Seal Samuel
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
Licensed audio
"Kiss from a Rose" on YouTube
"Kiss from a Rose"
Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" from Seal (aka Seal II), Music From & Inspired by the Neverending Story III: Here Come The Fantasians and Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song 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. The song 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.[4]

Background

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"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".[5]

"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.[6]

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

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Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel felt that "fairy-tale-ish melodies and harmonies" uplift "Kiss from a Rose".[7] Ian Gittins from Melody Maker noted its "would-be butterfly sigh".[8] Another Melody Maker editor, Andrew Mueller, called it "a nondescript wine bar ballad".[9] Pan-European magazine 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 alto sax".[10]

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".[11] Emma Cochrane from Smash Hits remarked that it "shows what an incredible range his voice has".[12]

The song's cryptic lyrics have been the subject of debate since its release. In 2015, 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".[13]

Music video

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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

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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

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[49] Platinum 70,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[69] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[70] Gold 250,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[71] Gold  
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[72] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[75]
(physical) 		Gold 700,000[74]
United States (RIAA)[75]
(digital) 		Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vertex Effects (19 September 2024). "The Story Behind "Kiss from a Rose"". SEAL Breaks Down His Biggest Hits. YouTube. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hunter, James (2 November 2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 723.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (1999). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. p. 87. ISBN 0-7535-0354-9. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Past Winners Search". Grammy.com. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Seal – Kiss From a Rose Lyrics". Genius. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Kiss From A Rose by Seal Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  7. ^ Campbell, Chuck (17 June 1994). "McLachlan Explores Love At Its Darkest". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  8. ^ Gittins, Ian (4 June 1994). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 34. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. ^ Mueller, Andrew (6 August 1994). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 31. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  10. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 August 1994. p. 6. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  11. ^ Jones, Alan (15 July 1995). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 29. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  12. ^ Cochrane, Emma (25 May 1994). "New Albums". Smash Hits. p. 48. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  13. ^ Seal. "Kiss from a Rose". Genius. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  14. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 16 Oct 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
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  69. ^ "Danish single certifications". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  70. ^ "French single certifications – Seal – Kiss from a Rose" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  71. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  72. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Seal – Kiss from a Rose". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  73. ^ "British single certifications – Seal – Kiss from a Rose". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  74. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 3. BPI Communications. 20 January 1996. p. 56. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  75. ^ a b "American single certifications – Seal – Kiss from a Rose". Recording Industry Association of America.
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