Kiss From a Rose- Seal: Full Song Interpretation

Listen to Kiss From a Rose via YouTube

Seal begins painting the picture of a dark, gloomy state he was in without this woman. He describes himself as a "graying tower" standing "alone on the sea." The moment he meets this woman she becomes the light that shines on the "dark side" of this tower. He describes his addiction to her love but includes the detail that he wasn't addicted directly to her love but the feeling that it gave him. He continues to depict another image of a beautiful, snowy day and light that she exudes which he can vividly see. In the chorus, he compares her to a kiss from a rose, a flower synonymous for love and divine beauty.

He repeatedly uses the color gray throughout the song. I tie gray to being dull and lifeless and this woman,the kiss from a rose, brings color, vitality, and warmth into his life. He says now that her "rose is in bloom," or now that she has given him all her love, a "light" shines on the "gloom on the gray." Again, she brings light to the darker, loveless side of him.

In the next verse, he describes everything that she is to him. She is "power," "pleasure," and "pain." He again describes her to an addiction that he can't overcome and isn't sure if it's good for him. But then he repeats the image of the beautiful snowy day and the light she shines, which tells the listener that he rather be addicted to her and to be able to see this beauty in his life as opposed to the dark, graying tower he once was.

He ends the song with the repetition of everything he has said in the song. He repeats that he has been kissed by a rose and everything she is to him. It puts an emphasis on how much she has changed his life for the better and how much he's in love with her and the feeling that she gives him.

Kiss From a Rose- Seal: Background and Muse

(image credit to inconsideratepatrick.blogspot.com)

Seal is a soul-alternative singer from England. He is best known for his internationally chart-topping song titled, "Kiss From a Rose" which was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie Batman Forever. Seal was raised in an inner city of London by foster parents. He is also well known for his distinguishable facial scars which are a result of being struck by a specific type of the disease Lupus as a child, which afflicts the skin above the neck. Seal began singing in a blues band in Asia but caught his big break when he met famous producer Adamski and recorded his first huge hit, "Killer."

 I've been itching to interpret the song, Kiss From a Rose because it's imagery is so rich and paints a dark picture of love and dependency. I believe Seal taps into his original blues and soul beginnings to write a love song that fit the love scene between Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman in the movie Batman Forever.