KISS FROM A ROSE

SEAL
SONGWRITER: SEAL
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: SEAL
LABEL: SIRE RECORDS
GENRE: SOUL
YEAR: 1994
 
        Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel (born 19 February 1963), known professionally as Seal, is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He has sold over 20 million records worldwide, with hit songs "Crazy" and "Killer", the latter of which went to number one in the UK, and his most celebrated song, "Kiss from a Rose", which was released in 1994. Seal is renowned for his distinctive soulful singing voice.
       Seal has won multiple awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards; he won Best British Male in 1992, as well as four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. As a songwriter, he received two Ivor Novello Awards for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors for "Killer" (1990) and "Crazy" (1991).
         He was a coach on The Voice Australia in 2012 and 2013, and returned to Australia to work as a coach in 2017.
        Seal(sometimes referred to as Seal II to avoid confusion with the 1991 album of the same name) is the second eponymous studio album by British singer Seal. The album was released in 1994 on ZTT and Sire Records and features the worldwide smash hit single "Kiss from a Rose".
          The image on the cover has since become nearly synonymous with Seal, in that it has appeared on several singles covers and was reused for his greatest hits album.
There used to be a graying tower, alone on the sea
You became the light on the dark side of me
Love remained a drug, that's the high and not the pill
But did you know that, when it snows
My eyes become large and
The light that you shine can be seen?
 
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
The more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
 
There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby
To me, you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny
Won't you tell me, is that healthy, baby?
But did you know that, when it snows
My eyes become large
And the light that you shine can be seen?
 
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
The more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
 
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey
I've been kissed by a rose (on the grey)
I've been kissed by a rose on the grey
And if I should fall along the way?
I've been kissed by a rose
Been kissed by a rose on the grey
 
There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say
You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain
To me, you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, yeah
Won't you tell me, is that healthy, baby?
But did you know that, when it snows
My eyes become large
And the light that you shine can be seen?
 
Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
The more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
 
Yes, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
The more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey
 
Now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the grey.

SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT

ANNE MURRAY
SONGWRITERS: BOURKE RORY MICHAEL & BLACK CHARLES FRANK
COUNTRY: CANADA
ALBUM: NEW KIND OF FEELING
LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS
GENRE: POP
YEAR: 1979
 
       New Kind of Feeling is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian country and pop vocalist Anne Murray, issued in January 1979 on Capitol Records. The recording continued her chart success from the previous year's Let's Keep It That Way, with the newer album hitting #2 and #23 on the United States Country and Pop album charts, respectively. It was certified platinum by the RIAA.
          In her native Canada, New Kind of Feeling hit #1 on the Country album charts, and number 6 on the Pop album charts. In the United States, both of the album's singles, "Shadows in the Moonlight" and "I Just Fall in Love Again", topped the Country and Adult Contemporary charts. Both tracks were big Pop hits as well, with "Shadows in the Moonlight" reaching number 25, and "I Just Fall in Love Again" reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stands as one of Murray's biggest career albums.

We'll be shadows in the moonlight
Darlin', I'll meet you ev'ry midnight
Hand in hand we'll go
Dancin' through the Milky Way
 
And we'll find a little hideaway
Where we can love the whole night away
We'll be shadows in the moonlight
Right up 'til the light of day
 
Ooh, the night is young
And baby, so are we
I'm gonna make you glad you came
 
Ooh, you won't need a thing
Just bring your love for me
And darlin', I will do the same
 
We'll be shadows in the moonlight
Darlin', I'll meet you ev'ry midnight
Hand in hand we'll go
Dancin' through the Milky Way
 
Just bring your love for me
You'll be glad you came
Just you wait and see
 
We'll be shadows in the moonlight
Darlin', I'll meet you ev'ry midnight
Hand in hand we'll go
Dancin' through the Milky Way
 
And we'll find a little hideaway
Where we can love the whole night away
We'll be shadows in the moonlight
Right up 'til the light of day.

DISTANT SUN

CROWDED HOUSE
SONGWRITER: NEIL FINN
COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA & NEW ZELAND
ALBUM: CROWDED HOUSE
LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS
GENRE: POP ROCK
YEAR: 1986
 
       Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn(vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour(bass). Later band members included Neil Finn's brother, Tim Finn, and Americans Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod. The current line-up includes Finn's sons Elroy and Liam and the American keyboard player Mitchell Froom. Neil Finn and Nick Seymour have been the sole constant members of the group since its formation.
        Originally active from 1985 to 1996, Crowded House had consistent commercial and critical success in New Zealand and Australia and international chart success in two phases, beginning with a self-titled debut album that reached number 12 on the US Album Chart in 1987 and provided the Top Ten hits "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong". Further international success came in the UK, Europe and South Africa with their third and fourth albums (Woodface and Together Alone) and the compilation album Recurring Dream, which included the hits "Fall at Your Feet", "Weather with You", "Distant Sun", "Locked Out", "Instinct" and "Not the Girl You Think You Are". Neil and Tim Finn were each awarded an OBE in June 1993 for their contributions to the music of New Zealand.
            In June 1996, Crowded House announced that it would disband. The band played several farewell concerts that year, including the "Farewell to the World" concerts in Melbourne and Sydney. On 26 March 2005, Hester died by suicide, aged 46. In 2006, the group re-formed with drummer Matt Sherrod and released two further albums (in 2007 and 2010), each of which reached number one on Australia's album chart. After several years of inactivity, it was announced a revised line-up of Crowded House would tour the UK in 2020. The new line-up features Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn's sons Liam and Elroy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the band's planned 2020 concerts were postponed.
         As of 2021, Crowded House have sold over 15 million albums worldwide. In November 2016, the band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
    Crowded House is the debut album by Australasian band Crowded House. Produced by Mitchell Froom, it was released in August 1986 and was certified platinum in four countries. The album includes the hit singles "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Mean to Me", "World Where You Live" and "Now We're Getting Somewhere".
           At the 1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards the album won Best Debut Album. In December of 2021, the album was listed at nº 7 in Rolling Stone Australia’s ‘200 Greatest Albums of All Time’ countdown. 

Tell me all the things you would change
I don't pretend to know what you want
When you come around and spin my top
Time and again, time and again
 
No fire where I lit my spark
I am not afraid of the dark
Where your words devour my heart
And put me to shame, put me to shame
 
When your seven worlds collide
Whenever I'm by your side
And dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
 
Still so young to travel so far
Old enough to know who you are
Wise enough to carry the scars
Without any blame, there's no one to blame
 
It's easy to forget what you learned
Waiting for the thrill to return
Feeling your desire burn
And drawn to the flame
 
When your seven worlds collide
Whenever I'm by your side
Dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
Dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
 
And I'm lying on the table
Washed out in a flood
Like a Christian feeling vengeance from above
I don't pretend to know what you want
But I offer love
 
Seven worlds will collide
Whenever I'm by your side
Dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone
 
As time slips by
As time slips by.

TIME AFTER TIME

CYNDI LAUPER
SONGWRITERS:  CYNDI LAUPER & ROBERT HYMAN
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: SHE’S SO UNUSUAL
LABEL: PORTRAIT RECORDS
GENRE: POP
YEAR: 1983
 
        She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.
         In 1978, Lauper formed the band Blue Angel. The band soon signed a recording contract with Polydor Records; however, their debut album, Blue Angel, was a commercial failure. The band parted ways after firing their manager, who sued Lauper for $80,000 and forced her into bankruptcy. Lauper went on to sing in many New York night clubs, and caught the eye of David Wolf, who became her manager and subsequently got her signed to Portrait Records.
           Six singles were released from the album, with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" becoming a worldwide hit and her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. "Time After Time" became her first number-one hit on the chart and experienced similar success worldwide. Lauper found success with the next two singles as well, with both "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" peaking in the top five. This makes Lauper the first female singer to have four top five singles on the Hot 100 from one album. She's So Unusual was promoted by the Fun Tour throughout 1983 and 1984.
         The album is primarily new wave-based, with many of the songs being influenced by synthpop and pop rock. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics, who noted Lauper's unique vocals. Lauper earned several awards and accolades for the album, including two Grammy Awards at the 27th Grammy Awards, one of which was for Best New Artist. She's So Unusual peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's top forty for 65 weeks. It has sold over 6 million copies in the United States and 16 million copies worldwide. This makes it Lauper's best-selling album to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s. In 2003, She's So Unusual was ranked at number 494 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and it subsequently placed at number 184 in a 2020 reboot of the list. In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"
Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after
 
Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say, "go slow"
And I fall behind
The second hand unwinds
 
If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time
 
After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside (deep inside)
And the drum beats out of time
 
If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time
Time after time
 
I've got a suitcase of memories that I almost left behind
Time after time
Time, time, time
But you say to go slow but I fall behind
Time after time after time (after time, oh).