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Is It a Crime?

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"Is It a Crime?"
Single by Sade
from the album Promise
B-side
  • "Punch Drunk"
  • "Wired"
ReleasedDecember 1985[1]
Recorded1985
Genre
Length6:21
LabelEpic
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Sade Adu
Producer(s)Robin Millar
Sade singles chronology
"The Sweetest Taboo"
(1985) 		"Is It a Crime?"
(1985) 		"Never as Good as the First Time"
(1986)
Music video
"Is It a Crime?" on YouTube

"Is It a Crime?" is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985).[2][3] It was written by Sade Adu, Andrew Hale and Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Miller.[4] The song was released as the album's second single by Epic Records.

Music video

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Directed by Brian Ward, the music promo for the single is the follow-up to the previous video for The Sweetest Taboo featuring Sade's former lover as he walks down a street in New York. Whilst Sade sings the song in a jazz lounge, both reminisce how the relationship ended up becoming violent and abusive.

Critical reception

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Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS stated, "'Is It a Crime' is a smooth jazz filled song that fills up your brain with soulful joy. Sade sings in confidence on how she is in love, and she is so in love that she wonders if it is a crime that she loves her lover so. The romantic mellow song has a great tempo that fills your ears with sudden relaxation and ease."[2] Sophie Heawood of The Guardian commented that "Sade's penchant for the epic was fully indulged on this six-and-a-half-minute 1986 single, from its length to its metaphors: her love here is 'wider than Victoria Lake ... taller than the Empire State' – and, unsaid, clearly able to traverse half the globe as well."[3] Frank Guan of Vulture commented, "The alternation between low/slow verse and high/loud chorus is so effective here you wonder if the Pixies hadn't learned a thing or two from this track. There's a kind of subtle but forceful politics in her assertion of the scale of her love: it exceeds all imperial figures."[5] Dave Rimmer of Smash Hits wondered: "Can hardly blame old "shimmering" Sade herself for this?"[6]

Track listings

[edit]
  • 7-inch single
A. "Is It a Crime?" – 6:21
B. "Punch Drunk" – 5:25
  • 12-inch single
A1. "Is It a Crime?" – 6:21
A2. "Wired" – 3:34
B. "Punch Drunk" – 5:25

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Is It a Crime?"
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 28
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 17
France (SNEP)[9] 46
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 21
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 32
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 49
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 32
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 55
US Black Contemporary Singles (Cash Box)[17] 47
West Germany (GfK)[18] 57

References

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  1. ^ Great Rock Discography. 1995. p. 712. ISBN 978-0-86241-541-9.
  2. ^ a b Jefferson, Tanya Rena (2 April 2015). "Sade's 10 best songs". AXS. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b Heawood, Sophie (13 March 2012). "Why Sade is bigger in the US than Adele". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. ^ Rosen, Craig (1996). The Billboard Book of Number One Albums: The Inside Story Behind Pop Music's Blockbuster Records. Billboard Books. p. 296. ISBN 9780823075867. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  5. ^ Guan, Frank (26 October 2017). "All 73 Sade Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  6. ^ Rimmer, Dave (15–28 January 1986). "Singles reviewed by Dave Rimmer" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 8, no. 2. p. 39. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 22 November 2023 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Is It a Crime". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Sade" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Sade – Is It a Crime?". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Sade: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Sade Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  16. ^ "Sade Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Cash Box Top Black Contemporary Singles – Week ending August 2, 1986". Cash Box. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – Is It a Crime?" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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