"Kiss Kiss Kiss" is a song by Japanese singer

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

. It was originally released on ''

Double Fantasy ''Double Fantasy'' is the fifth collaborative studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the final one before Lennon's death. Released in November 1980 on Geffen Records, the album marked Lennon's return to recording music full-time, followin ...

'', her joint album with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

, as well as on the B-side of his "

(Just Like) Starting Over "(Just Like) Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon from the 1980 album, '' Double Fantasy''. It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 in the United Kingdom, with Yoko Ono's " Kiss Kiss Kiss" as the B-side. It reac ...

" single. The

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

and new wave-influenced song features Ono gasping heavily and appearing to reach

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling"), sexual climax, or simply climax, is the sudden release of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, characterized by intense sexual pleasure resulting in rhythmic, involu ...

. In 2002, following the success of " Open Your Box", the track was remixed by

Superchumbo Tom Stephan (born June 6, 1970) is an American house music, producer, DJ and film director. He was born in New York, United States. He is also known as Superchumbo. Biography In 1990, Stephan relocated to London, England and studied film at ...

and released as a single. It reached #20 on the US dance charts. In 2005, Detroit group

The Dirtbombs The Dirtbombs are an American garage rock band based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and Soul music, soul, while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs we ...

included their cover of "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss" on their album ''If You Don't Already Have a Look''. Most recently, the track was remixed by

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

for the ''

Yes, I'm a Witch ''Yes, I'm a Witch'' is a remix album by Yoko Ono released on February 6, 2007 by Apple Records and Astralwerks. Artists invited to contribute were asked to select a song from Ono's back catalogue, and were then presented with all the necessary e ...

'' album.

Composition

According to Beatle biographer John Blaney, "Kiss Kiss Kiss" combines elements of adult-oriented rock with

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

. According to music lecturers Ben Urish and Ken Bielen, the song has

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

elements along with martial drum rolls. Blaney regards it as being "more musically and lyrically adventurous" than "(Just Like) Starting Over." Urish and Bielen describe the lyrics as having "an erotic tone," pointing explicitly to a line that includes the phrases "touch me" and "shaking inside." In the second half of the song, Ono's provides a spoken word voice-over that leads to the orgasmic climax by repeating the words "faster" and "harder" in Japanese, interspersed with groans and cries that Ono biographer Jerry Hopkins describes as "blatantly sexual." As she does this, Urish and Bielen describe Lennon's "screeching" guitar playing as " rgingher on." In Lennon and Ono's joint 1980 interview with ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', Ono said: :John is saying in his song Starting Over">(Just_Like)_Starting_Over.html" ;"title="/nowiki>(Just Like) Starting Over">Starting Over/nowiki>, OK, we had the energy in the Sixties, in the Seventies we separated, but let's start over in the Eighties. He's reaching out to me, the woman. Reaching out after all that's happened, over the battlefield of dead families, is more difficult this time around. On the other side of the record is my song, "Kiss Kiss Kiss," which is the other side of the same question. There is the sound of a woman coming to a climax on it, and she is crying out to be held, to be touched. It will be controversial, because people still feel it's less natural to hear the sounds of a woman's lovemaking than, say, the sound of a Concorde, killing the atmosphere and polluting nature. Altogether, both sides are a prayer to change the Eighties. Although Ono described the song as being about liberation and being courageous enough to show vulnerability, she felt embarrassed when she tried recording the simulated orgasm vocals in front of the male recording engineers. She stated that "I started to do it and then I suddenly looked and all those engineers were all looking, and I thought, I can't do that, you know? So I said, well, turn off all the lights and put a screen around me, and I did it that way." Music critic

Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Davies. ...

stated that the song "offered proof of Yoko's commercial and contemporary sound, with

Andy Newmark Andrew Newmark (born July 14, 1950)

's drums prominent in the mix and the vocal surprisingly pleasant and in tune. ''Iowa City Press-Citizen'' critic Curt Seifert described "Kiss Kiss Kiss" as a "rather disposable xampleof the fatuity of no'spast experimentations with so-called "avant garde" music. ''Atlanta Constitution'' critic Bill King regarded "Kiss Kiss Kiss" as the best of Ono's songs on ''Double Fantasy''. ''Miami Herald'' critic Bill Ashton described the song as "a sort of rock dance number that sounds a lot like the warblings of

Lene Lovich Lili-Marlene Premilovich (born March 30, 1949), known professionally as Lene Lovich ( ), is an American-British singer. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Sin ...

." In 2013 ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Ono's 2nd best song of all time.

Recording

"Kiss Kiss Kiss" was first recorded at

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History In 1969, songwriter Jerry Ragavoy opened a recording studio in New York City and named it ''The Hit Factory.'' On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, ...

in New York City on 8 August 1980. Ono was dissatisfied with the performance and the song was re-recorded on 26 August 1980.

Track listing

#"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Twisted Kiss) #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Twisted Touch) #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Single Edit)

Official versions

#"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Album Version) - 2:41 #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Stripped Down Version) - 2:45 (from ''Double Fantasy - Stripped Down'') #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Single Edit) - 3:48 (later included on ''Open Your Box'') #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Twisted Kiss) - 7:03 #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Superchumbo's Twisted Touch) - 8:31 #"Kiss Kiss Kiss" (featuring Peaches) - 3:18 (from ''Yes I'm a Witch'')

Personnel

– vocals, handclaps, direction *

– guitar, percussion *

Earl Slick Earl Slick (born Frank Madeloni; October 1, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist best known for his collaborations with David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith. He has also worked with other ...

Hugh McCracken Hugh Carmine McCracken (March 31, 1942 – March 28, 2013) was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally ...

– guitar *

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer specializing in electric bass guitars, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (19 ...

– bass guitar * George Small – keyboards * Arthur Jenkins – percussion, handclaps *

Andy Newmark Andrew Newmark (born July 14, 1950)

– drums

References

{{authority control Songs about kissing 1980 songs Yoko Ono songs Peaches (musician) songs 2002 singles Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Song recordings produced by John Lennon Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono Geffen Records singles Parlophone singles Songs written by Yoko Ono