Kiss from a Rose

"Kiss From a Rose"
Single by Seal
from the album Seal (aka Seal II) and Batman Forever: Music from the Motion Picture
B-side	"The Wind Cries Mary", "Blues in 'E'" (1994)
Released	18 July 1994 (UK) 6 June 1995 (U.S.) 3 July 1995 (UK re-release)
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Soul, soft rock
Length	4:47 (album/commercial 45 rpm version) 3:38 (Batman Forever film edit/DJ promo edit)
Label	ZTT / Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Seal
Producer	Trevor Horn
Seal singles chronology
"Prayer for the Dying" (May 1994) --- "Newborn Friend" (Oct 1994) "Kiss from a Rose" (Jul 1994) --- "Kiss from a Rose"/"I'm Alive" (Jul 1995) "Newborn Friend" (Oct 1994) --- "Don't Cry"/"Prayer for the Dying" (Nov 1995)
1995 re-release Batman Forever soundtrack single

"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal (aka Seal II). The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Seal also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Description

Written by Seal, the single "Kiss from a Rose", the second taken from the Batman Forever film soundtrack, topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for one week in August 1995. It also went to number four on the UK Singles Chart. The single originally made it to #20 in 1994, but upon being re-released after being featured in the film, it reached the top position. It was also nominated for a 1996 MTV Movie Award. Seal talked about the long, strange journey that the song went through on The Brian McKnight Show season finale that aired Sunday, 12:30 A.M., 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. Although the song was eventually not incorporated into this scene, it was instead used to play over the end credits; Seal believes this change contributed to the song's eventual popularity.

Music video

Two versions of the music video were produced:

• The original version is set in a photographic studio and was directed by Matthew Rolston.
• 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 popular 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

Cover versions

• Australian Rock/Punk band My Catalyst (band) released their version of the song with a controversial music video satire of the original film clip, including scenes of gay sex and two members of the band dressing in Black Face to parody Seal himself.
• Grammy Winning vocalist, Darlene Koldenhoven, recorded her arrangement of Kiss From a Rose on her 2011 CD, Solitary Treasures.
• Guitarist John Williams performed an instrumental version for his album "John Williams Plays The Movies"
• Irish vocal trio Trinití have recorded cover versions of the song.^{[citation needed]}
• Lee DeWyze performed a cover version as his "Songs from the Movies" category entry in the ninth season of the American Idol. DeWyze went on to become the winner in the competition.
• Jack Black performed a cover version on an American Idol charity special in 2007. The judges (Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell) each gave mixed reviews of the performance (Randy said he wasn't feeling it, but that it would help if Black got better pants, Paula gave a negative review, while Simon said that Black sounded better than Sanjaya Malakar). However Seal, being the original artist who wrote and sang the song, had stood up for Black and said it was "the best rendition of Kiss from a Rose [he] ever heard".
• Head Control System released a cover version of the song on their official Myspace.
• The King's Singers recorded a version of the song on their 1999 album Circle of Life.
• Katherine Jenkins recorded her version of the track in her 2007 album Rejoice.
• Finnish symphonic metal Northern Kings recorded a cover version as a track on their second album Rethroned, which was also released as a single.
• Welsh male voice choir Only Men Aloud! also sang an arrangement by Tim Rhys-Evans & Jeffrey Howard on the BBC 1 Show Last Choir Standing in 2008. They subsequently released it on their self-titled début album.
• US soul singer Jazmine Sullivan covered the song for French TV show Taratata. Her performance first aired on 15 May 2009, on French TV and is also available online on Taratata's official website.
• Hank Marvin covered the song on his 2000 album Marvin at the Movies.
• Idina Menzel covered the song during her 2008 Fall tour promoting her album I Stand.
• Japanese artist Angela Aki rendition included Japanese lyrics on her fourth single This Love.
• French Canadian singer Bruno Pelletier covered the song for his 2007 tour of Bruno Pelletier et le GrosZorchestre.
• The song was featured in an episode of the third season of the NBC television series Community titled Studies in Modern Movement

Video games

The Batman Forever film edit version of the song is featured in Backyard Football '09.

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	87
Canadian Singles Chart	22
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	24
UK Singles Chart	20
Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	1
Austrian Singles Chart	3
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart	36
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	11
Canadian Singles Chart	2
Danish Singles Chart	6
Dutch Top 40	4
French SNEP Singles Chart	8
German Singles Chart	11
Irish Singles Chart	4
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	16
Norwegian Singles Chart	3
Swedish Singles Chart	8
Swiss Singles Chart	7
UK Singles Chart	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs	52
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks	35
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	5
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	1

End of year charts

End of year chart (1995)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart	39
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart	71
Dutch Top 40	36
French Singles Chart	41
Swiss Singles Chart	47
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	58

Certifications

Country	Certification	Date	Sales certified
France	Gold	1996	125,000
UK	Silver	1 August 1995	200,000
U.S.	Gold	25 August 1995	500,000

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 number-one adult contemporary singles of 1995 (U.S.)
• List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 1995 (U.S.)

References

Preceded by "Waterfalls" by TLC	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single 26 August 1995 – 2 September 1995 (1 week)	Succeeded by "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson
Preceded by "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts	Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single 26 August 1995 – 11 November 1995	Succeeded by "As I Lay Me Down" by Sophie B. Hawkins
Preceded by "Insensitive" by Jann Arden	Australian ARIA number-one single 26 August 1995 – 7 October 1995	Succeeded by "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey