"Kiss from a Rose" was written in 1987, several years prior to the release ofSeal'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 producerTrevor Horn until the recording sessions forSeal 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]
Seal talked about the long, strange journey that the song went through onTheBrian 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 byNicole Kidman andVal Kilmer inBatman Forever.[citation needed]
Melinda Newman fromBillboard magazine wrote, "The swelling music of the sexy mid-tempo ballad 'Kiss from a Rose' hypnotizes as it enchants."[7] Chuck Campbell fromKnoxville News Sentinel felt that "fairy-tale-ish melodies and harmonies" uplift the song.[8] Ian Gittins fromMelody Maker noted its "would-be butterfly sigh".[9] AnotherMelody Maker editor,Andrew Mueller, named it "a nondescript wine bar ballad".[10] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media commented, "Sealed with a kiss, here you get aballad 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".[11]
Alan Jones fromMusic Week wrote, "Seal's magnificent 'Kiss from a Rose' – now subtitled 'Love Theme fromBatman 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".[12] Leesa Daniels fromSmash Hits gave it a top score of five out of five and named it Best New Single, saying, "A glorious ballad that will send shivers up and down your spine as soon as Seal opens his mouth. It's very atmospheric and moody, you can almost see the dry ice they'll use to death in the video. More importantly, it's one tune that you'll never, ever get bored of listening to."[13] AnotherSmash Hits editor, Emma Cochrane, remarked that it "shows what an incredible range his voice has".[14]
Two versions of the music video for "Kiss from a Rose" were produced:
The original version is set in aphotographic studio and was co-directed byMatthew Rolston and William Levin. The 1966 filmBlowup was heavily referenced in the video.
The second version was directed byJoel Schumacher and has Seal performing the song beside theBat-Signal, interspersed with clips from the filmBatman Forever. This is the more well known video of the song. The director of photography was Neil Abramson.
"Kiss from a Rose" was ranked number 90 onEntertainment Weekly's "The 100 Greatest Summer Songs", saying, "ImagineAl Green inCamelot: Hitching a medieval melody to anR&Bsoul, Seal delivered a stunner as haunted and timeless as 'Sea of Love'."[15]
Between all the formats of the single release, bonus tracks include the non-album tracks "The Wind Cries Mary" (aJimi Hendrix cover) and "Blues in 'E'"; remixes of "Kiss from a Rose" byAdamski (who produced the original version of "Killer"); and remixes of album track "I'm Alive" bySteve Fitzmaurice andSasha withBT.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
The song was used and reworked slightly for theDiscovery Channel'sShark Week promo entitled "It's a bad Week to be a Seal" in 2017. Seal also appeared in the promo where he was performing on a platform, before he was eaten by a shark.[88]
The song was featured and reworked slightly for theMountain Dew Baja Blast commercial entitled "Kiss from a Lime" featuringBecky G during theSuper Bowl LIX which aired in February 2025.[89] Seal also appeared in the commercial playing the singing seal and as a passenger on the boat remarking about the singing seal.[90]
"Kiss from a Rose" was also featured in"Studies in Modern Movement," a season three episode ofCommunity, during a scene in which the charactersJeff and Dean Pelton perform the song at karaoke.[91]
The song is featured in season 7, episode 3 of theDropout improv comedy game showGame Changer. The host,Sam Reich, claimed it cost $15,000 to license the song.[92]
^abHunter, James (2 November 2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York:Simon & Schuster. p. 723.
^"מדיה פורסט – המצעד הבינלאומי השבועי – Week 9 – 23/02 – 1 March 2025" [Media Forest – International Weekly Chart – Week 9 – 23/02 – 1 March 2025] (Select the year 2025 and the option "09 23-02-25 01-03-25" from the stretched lists, then click "שירים מובילים - רדיו - בינלאומי" to see the chart.) (in Hebrew).Media Forest. 2 March 2025. Retrieved2 June 2025.
^"New Releases: Singles".Music Week. 9 July 1994. p. 33.The song debuted at number 26 on the UK chart on 24 July, so it is very unlikely that the song was released on 11 July and took two weeks to chart.
^"New Release Summary – Product Available from : 22/08/94: Singles".The ARIA Report. No. 236. 21 August 1994. p. 21.
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