"Paradise" is a song by English band

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

from their third studio album, ''

Stronger Than Pride ''Stronger Than Pride'' is the third studio album by English band Sade, released by Epic Records in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1988 and in the United States on 10 May 1988. In September 2018, ''Pitchfork'' placed the album at number 37 on its ...

'' (1988). It was released in May 1988 by

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

as the album's second single. It is Sade's most successful track on the US ''Billboard''

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chart, peaking at number one for one week. The single also reached number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 21 on the ''Billboard''

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chart. Its music video was directed by Alex McDowell. "Paradise" is often considered one of the band's

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

s, alongside "

Smooth Operator "Smooth Operator" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, ''Diamond Life'' (1984), and was co-written by Sade Adu and Ray St. John. It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single w ...

" (1984), " The Sweetest Taboo" (1985), and "

No Ordinary Love "No Ordinary Love" is a song by English band Sade, released in September 1992 by Epic Records as the lead single and opening track from their fourth studio album, ''Love Deluxe'' (1992). The song is written by lead singer Sade Adu and Stuart ...

" (1992).

Composition

"Paradise" is written in the key of

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp ...

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 102 beats per minute. Adu's vocals span from F₃ to A♭₄.

Critical reception

The song was described as "swaggering" and "sinewy" by Lloyd Bradley of

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. Pan-European magazine ''

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'' viewed it as a "brooding, percussion-orientated, summery track. Highly swinging through its persistent, up-tempo, although at the same time somehow restrained, groove." John Tague from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' said, "...well, 'Paradise' is no different to any other song she's done in the last four years, as cooly sculpted as her features and about as engaging as an average ''

Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...

'' leader." Frank Guan of

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commented, "Any song titled 'Paradise' had better sound like it, and her version doesn't disappoint – in fact, no song better expresses the phase of love where disappointment is impossible."

Music video

Released in June 1988 and directed by British narrative designer and creative director Alex McDowell, the accompanying music video for "Paradise" features Sade joining in a celebration in a Mexican village and dancing with a young girl.

Track listings

* 7-inch single :A. "Paradise" (remix) – 3:35 :B. "Paradise" (instrumental) – 4:00 * 12-inch single :A. "Paradise" (extended remix) – 5:33 :B1. "Paradise" (extended instrumental) – 4:01 :B2. "Paradise" (extra beats) – 2:11 * UK and European CD single #"Paradise" (extended version) – 5:30 #"

Hang On to Your Love "Hang On to Your Love" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, ''Diamond Life'' (1984). It was written by Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, and produced by Robin Millar. It was released in September 1984 as the album's firs ...

" (US remix) – 5:13 #"Keep Hangin' On" (live) – 2:59 #"Paradise" (instrumental) – 4:02 * US mini CD single #"Paradise" (remix) – 3:35 #"Super Bien Total" – 4:03 * Japanese mini CD single #"Paradise" (remix) – 3:39 #"Paradise" (instrumental) – 4:03

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1988 singles 1988 songs Epic Records singles Sade (band) songs Song recordings produced by Mike Pela Songs written by Sade (singer) Songs written by Stuart Matthewman