"The Sweetest Taboo"
Single by Sade
from the album Promise
B-side"You're Not the Man"
Released4 October 1985 (1985-10-04)[1]
Genre
Length4:37
LabelEpic
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Sade Adu
Producer(s)Robin Millar
Sade singles chronology
"Hang On to Your Love"
(1984) 		"The Sweetest Taboo"
(1985) 		"Is It a Crime?"
(1985)
Music video
"The Sweetest Taboo" on YouTube

"The Sweetest Taboo" is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985). It was released in October 1985 as the album's lead single. While the song peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, it fared considerably better in the United States, where it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986, remaining in the top 40 for 13 weeks. It also became the band's second consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, following "Smooth Operator".

Music Video

The music promo for the song, directed by Brian Ward, features the band playing in a New York jazz lounge whilst Sade reflects on a man who was a former lover. The storyline was continued in the video to follow-up single "Is It a Crime?".

Reception

Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS stated, "The group allows the song to shine with its mellow and uptempo flavor. Sade sings proudly and boldly about how she is given love which brings out the best in her. The quiet storm vibe allows one to stand and groove dance to the soulful peaceful sound of the song."[5]

Track listings

A. "The Sweetest Taboo" – 4:25
B. "You're Not the Man" – 5:20
A. "The Sweetest Taboo" – 4:24
B. "You're Not the Man" – 5:09
A. "The Sweetest Taboo" (extended version) – 5:30
B. "You're Not the Man" – 5:20
A. "The Sweetest Taboo" (extended version) – 5:27
B. "You're Not the Man" – 5:09

Charts

See also

References

  1. ^ Great Rock Discography. 6 March 1995. p. 712. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  2. ^ Pitchfork Staff (24 August 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 October 2022. Quiet storm" had existed as an idea since Smokey Robinson, and there it is at the heart of the song's chorus: "There's a quiet storm, and it's never felt like this before.
  3. ^ Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Refried Dreams". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 185. ISBN 0-306-80741-6. ...bossa nova did manage to mingle with soft rock tunes like...Sade's "The Sweetest Taboo"...
  4. ^ Considine, J.D.; Coleman, Mark; Evans, Paul; McGee, David (1992). "Sade". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Random House. p. 263.
  5. ^ Jefferson, Tanya Rena. "Sade's 10 best songs". AXS. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Las canciones más populares en Latinoamérica". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 7 April 1986. p. 22. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 263. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  9. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0640." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9373." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 44. 4 November 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sweetest Taboo". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 2 June 2022. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Sade" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sade" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Sade – The Sweetest Taboo". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Sade Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending March 8, 1986". Cash Box. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  26. ^ "The Cash Box Top 100 Black Contemporary – Week ending February 8, 1986". Cash Box. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – The Sweetest Taboo" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  30. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  31. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1986 – Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 27 December 1986. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  32. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1986 – Top 50 Black Contemporary Singles". Cash Box. 27 December 1986. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
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