Soldier of Love (Sade song)
Encyclopedia
"Soldier of Love" is a single
from the English recording group Sade
. It premiered worldwide on December 8, 2009, and it was released on iTunes
digitally on January 12, 2010. It is also the band's first new material in almost ten years, preceding their long awaited sixth studio album
of the same name
which was released worldwide on February 8, 2010. The song was #1 on the Billboard Adult R&B. The song debuted at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the band's highest debut on the chart. It has peaked at #52, making it the band's highest-peaking single on that chart since 1992's "No Ordinary Love
".
The track won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 53rd Grammy Awards
ceremony.
along with the other band members and recorded by the end of the summer in 2009.
hailed the singer's "incomparable voice, which sounds as passionately poised as it did on 1984's Diamond Life." The Hollywood Reporter
gave also a positive review, saying that "It may be just a taste of what's to come, but Sade's latest definitely has its listeners at attention." Digital Spy
rated the song four stars out of five, and described it as "a bit of revelation - a rich, atmospheric pop symphony". Rolling Stone
called it an "amazing ballad of utter emotional devastation" as well as "classic Sade - a cool and collected song about falling apart."
chart. Since then, it has peaked at No. 6 on the chart, making it the band's first top-ten appearance on the chart since "No Ordinary Love
" peaked at No. 9 in 1992.
The track debuted at No. 11 on the Urban Hot AC chart, making it the highest debut of the decade and the third highest all-time on the Urban Hot AC chart.
It debuted at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100
with the song peaking within the top 50, and remaining on the chart for eleven weeks. The song became the band's first No. 1 on the U.S. Adult R&B chart. The song rose 3-1 in its sixth week, marking the chart's speediest ascent to the top spot since Anita Baker
topped the chart in under five weeks with "You're My Everything" in 2004.
"Soldier of Love" became the first ever vocal to hit No. 1 on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 countdown. Each of the tally's 45 previous leaders had been instrumentals.
Junior Vasquez
commissioned an exclusive remix from U.S. producer Joel Dickinson
for his Soldier Of Love party in the fall of 2010. That remix and dub have been featured on a number of dj compilations in early 2011.
made its premiere onto the internet via Amazon.com
on January 10, 2010. It was directed by noted British director Sophie Muller
and choreographed by Fatima Robinson
. The video, which is rich in odd symbolism, has left many viewers wondering what it means. It has a desert landscape and features soldiers dancing and marching along the song's beats, featuring Sade in a rodeo-esque style as she rides a white stallion, with smoldering and fiery explosions in the back. Sade has said that the soldiers in the video represent her emotions "in the battle ground of life".
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the English recording group Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
. It premiered worldwide on December 8, 2009, and it was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
digitally on January 12, 2010. It is also the band's first new material in almost ten years, preceding their long awaited sixth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
of the same name
Soldier of Love (album)
Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by the English group Sade. It is their first album of original material since Lovers Rock . The album was initially released on 5 February 2010 in Germany, and it was released worldwide on 8 February 2010 and in the United States on 9 February 2010...
which was released worldwide on February 8, 2010. The song was #1 on the Billboard Adult R&B. The song debuted at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming the band's highest debut on the chart. It has peaked at #52, making it the band's highest-peaking single on that chart since 1992's "No Ordinary Love
No Ordinary Love
"No Ordinary Love" is the lead single from the English artist Sade's fourth studio album, Love Deluxe . Released in 1992 on Epic Records, it peaked at number 26 in the UK when originally released in October 1992, but reached number 14 when re-released in June 1993.-Awards:The song won a Grammy...
".
The track won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
ceremony.
Background
The song was written by Sade AduSade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
along with the other band members and recorded by the end of the summer in 2009.
Critical reception
"Soldier of Love" has been received positively from the music critics, who praised the band's comeback. Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
hailed the singer's "incomparable voice, which sounds as passionately poised as it did on 1984's Diamond Life." The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
gave also a positive review, saying that "It may be just a taste of what's to come, but Sade's latest definitely has its listeners at attention." Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
rated the song four stars out of five, and described it as "a bit of revelation - a rich, atmospheric pop symphony". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called it an "amazing ballad of utter emotional devastation" as well as "classic Sade - a cool and collected song about falling apart."
Chart performance
The single was serviced to radio stations on Tuesday, December 8, and after only one day of airplay in the chart's tracking week of December 19, 2009 "Soldier of Love" debuted at No. 49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. Since then, it has peaked at No. 6 on the chart, making it the band's first top-ten appearance on the chart since "No Ordinary Love
No Ordinary Love
"No Ordinary Love" is the lead single from the English artist Sade's fourth studio album, Love Deluxe . Released in 1992 on Epic Records, it peaked at number 26 in the UK when originally released in October 1992, but reached number 14 when re-released in June 1993.-Awards:The song won a Grammy...
" peaked at No. 9 in 1992.
The track debuted at No. 11 on the Urban Hot AC chart, making it the highest debut of the decade and the third highest all-time on the Urban Hot AC chart.
It debuted at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
with the song peaking within the top 50, and remaining on the chart for eleven weeks. The song became the band's first No. 1 on the U.S. Adult R&B chart. The song rose 3-1 in its sixth week, marking the chart's speediest ascent to the top spot since Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
topped the chart in under five weeks with "You're My Everything" in 2004.
"Soldier of Love" became the first ever vocal to hit No. 1 on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 countdown. Each of the tally's 45 previous leaders had been instrumentals.
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
commissioned an exclusive remix from U.S. producer Joel Dickinson
Joel Dickinson
Joel Dickinson is a remixer, electronic music producer, recording engineer and DJ based in Minneapolis, MN. He has worked for Junior Vasquez on a number of projects in recent years. He is a founding member of the remix team Audio Assembly who have produced for artists such as Katy Perry and Lady...
for his Soldier Of Love party in the fall of 2010. That remix and dub have been featured on a number of dj compilations in early 2011.
Music video
The "Soldier of Love" music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
made its premiere onto the internet via Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on January 10, 2010. It was directed by noted British director Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
and choreographed by Fatima Robinson
Fatima Robinson
Fatima Robinson is a noted music video director and choreographer. Robinson's choreography résumé includes many Aaliyah's Videos, and Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair"...
. The video, which is rich in odd symbolism, has left many viewers wondering what it means. It has a desert landscape and features soldiers dancing and marching along the song's beats, featuring Sade in a rodeo-esque style as she rides a white stallion, with smoldering and fiery explosions in the back. Sade has said that the soldiers in the video represent her emotions "in the battle ground of life".
Singles
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Tipparade | 9 |
| United Kingdom (Official UK Charts Company) | 123 |
| US Jazz Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Smooth Jazz Songs | 16 |
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
37 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | December 8, 2009 | Airplay | Sony Music |
| January 12, 2010 | Digital download, CD single | ||
| United Kingdom | February 8, 2010 | Digital download, vinyl |