Everyone gets songs stuck in their heads that just won’t go away. They sneak into your subconscious. They are epic earworms that you find yourself humming uncontrollably, singing in the shower, or tapping the beat to with your foot or ballpoint pen when you should be working. Sometimes they even keep you awake at night. Whether they are current hits, one-hit wonders, movie soundtrack gems, holiday favorites, or songs from your youth, their catchy vocals, riffs, hooks, and choruses seem to linger for days.
Here, those songs find a home, no matter the genre. Here, those epic earworms are revisited, explained, and celebrated. Here, you may find the song that haunts you tomorrow. Here is today’s unescapable song of the day…and the story behind it.
Today’s Epic Earworm: Seal — “Kiss from a Rose”
English singer Seal (born Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel) scored a massive hit in 1995 with the single “Kiss from a Rose.” In the United States, the epic earworm topped four Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, and it landed in the Top Ten in 13 other countries across the world. The song has been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum in seven countries. Seal II, the album it appeared on, was certified quintuple-platinum largely based on the success of the single. “Kiss from a Rose” went on to win eight awards, including Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
One Man’s Trash…
While everything worked out in the end, “Kiss from a Rose” did not have an auspicious beginning. Seal actually wrote the song in 1987. He would later claim that when he finished recording it on his four-track recorder, he was embarrassed by it and just threw the tape into the corner. He did not even show the song to his producer, Trevor Horn, when he was working on his debut album a few years later.
When he started work on his second studio album, Horn kept pestering Seal to bring him the song. It seems a friend of Seal’s had heard the song and told the producer about it. Horn eventually convinced the singer to let him include it on Seal II. “Kiss from a Rose” was released in 1994 and included on the soundtrack for “The NeverEnding Story III.” The song never charted in the U.S. and fell off the charts quickly in the few countries where it did find success.
Then Joel Schumacher came calling. The screenwriter, director, and producer wanted to include the song in the soundtrack for his next movie, “Batman Forever.” Schumacher and Seal filmed a new music video together using footage from the movie, and the song was re-released. This time around, the song took off, and the rest is history. Seal acknowledges now that he stopped being embarrassed by the song when he was walking across the stage to accept his Grammy Awards for it.
Don't stop here
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