Kiss Me (Sixpence None the Richer song)

"Kiss Me" is a ballad recorded by American pop rock band Sixpence None the Richer from their 1997 self-titled album. Released as a single on August 12, 1998, the song was a worldwide success. It reached No. 4 on the UK and New Zealand singles charts as well as No. 1 on the Australian and Canadian singles chart, making it the group's highest-charting single worldwide. "Kiss Me" is also the group's best-selling single in the United States, peaking at No. 2 and becoming the country's sixth best-selling single of 1999. "Kiss Me" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Critical reception.
Rick Anderson of AllMusic described the song as "an utterly irresistible slice of swoony guitar pop" adding that "is impossible to shake loose from the brain and could well turn out to be this generation's 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'". Chuck Taylor and Deborah Evans Price of "Billboard" magazine compared the song to those recorded by English band the Sundays. Taylor called the song "admirably well-well written" and "brightly produced", further comparing the track to 10,000 Maniacs. British music columnist James Masterton also compared "Kiss Me" to the works of the Sundays, referring to the song as a cross with a mellow Cranberries song, and called it a "wonderful tapestry of jangling guitars". Larry Flick of "Billboard" described "Kiss Me" as a "refreshing summertime tune" with "airy" production and "romantic" imagery. "Daily Record" said it is an "excellent pop song".
Chart performance.
"Kiss Me" debuted on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 90 on the issue of November 28, 1998, but it fell out of the top 100 the following week. On February 13, 1999, it re-entered the listing at number 91, then took another 11 weeks to reach its peak of number two on May 1, where it stayed for a single issue. It stayed in the top 100 for 33 weeks, ending 1999 as the United States' sixth-most-successful song of the year. The single additionally peaked atop the "Billboard" Mainstream Top 40 chart and reached number two on the Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts. In Canada, "Kiss Me" debuted at number 45 on the "RPM" Top Singles chart on March 22 and rose to number one on May 10, becoming Canada's 11th-best-performing hit of 1999. It topped the "RPM" Adult Contemporary chart as well.
The track reached number one in Australia, where it stayed for three weeks in June 1999 following a four-week climb up the ARIA Singles Chart. It appeared at number 19 on the Australian year-end chart of 1999. In New Zealand, "Kiss Me" debuted at number 16 in May and rose to its peak of number four on July 18, spending 15 weeks in the top 50 and ending the year at number 44 on the RIANZ year-end chart. The song became a hit in several European countries, reaching the top 10 in Austria, Flanders, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It peaked within the top 20 Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Wallonia, attaining a peak on number 15 on the Eurochart Hot 100. In France, it rose to number 32 in September 1999. "Kiss Me" has earned several certifications, earning platinum discs in Australia and the United Kingdom and gold discs in Belgium, New Zealand, and the US (digital and physical).
Music videos.
Sixpence None the Richer version.
The original music video, also directed by album/single producer Steve Taylor, pays tribute to French filmmaker François Truffaut and his film "Jules et Jim", made in black and white and recreating many of the classic scenes from the film. Two alternate versions of the video were also released later, which featured the band sitting on a park bench, performing and watching scenes from either "She's All That" or "Dawson's Creek" on a portable television or projected on an outdoor screen. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook appeared in the "She's All That" version of the video. The "Dawson's Creek" version of the video became VH1's number-one video for the entire month of May 1999.
New Found Glory version.
New Found Glory's music video revolves around a large group of teenagers who construct a tree house out of mattresses, and throw a raucous garden party involving pillow fights and kissing, while the members of the band, along with the members of Paramore, perform the song around them. While the bands perform, a young man, played by drummer Chase Dodds of the band Classic Addict, sets off on a mission to kiss as many girls as possible during the party, keeping a tally on his inner left forearm in black pen. After narrowly avoiding kissing a man (whom he mistakes for a girl because of his long hair), Chase attempts to kiss Paramore's lead singer, Hayley Williams, only to have her recognize the tally on his arm, and slap him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He is then set upon by all the girls he has kissed at the party, who then proceed to strip him of his shirt and tie him to a nearby tree with duct tape. One of the girls tapes his mouth shut, before writing "kiss me" on his chest in black ink. The girls then rejoin the party, leaving Chase tied to the tree.
Track listings.
US Christian retail single
US cassette single
European CD single
Japanese CD single
Covers.
The song has been covered by Avril Lavigne, UK R&B singer Nathan, Lava Lava on their album "Tour Demo", and New Found Glory on their album "From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II". The New Found Glory version has been released as a single with a music video.
It has also been covered by Singaporean Olivia Ong on her album "A Girl Meets Bossa Nova 2", and by American Jewel. A cover by Debbie Scott appeared in the game "Pump It Up: Exceed". A cover of the song was put in the game "Karaoke Revolution". The song was covered on the eighth series of "The X Factor" by Janet Devlin in Week 7.
In popular culture.
Three months after the debut release of the single, The WB's popular teen drama "Dawson's Creek" played "Kiss Me" as background music in two of its episodes, "The Dance" and "The Perfect Wedding". The song was included on the first soundtrack on "Songs from Dawson's Creek", released on April 27, 1999, which made No. 7 on the album charts.
In January 1999, Miramax used "Kiss Me" as the main theme song of its teen romantic comedy film "She's All That". The film's box office success helped "Kiss Me" to gain widespread mainstream attention and chart success. "Kiss Me" climbed to No. 2 on "Billboard"'s Hot 100 list, and stayed in the Top 10 for 16 straight weeks. In Italy the film was retitled "Kiss Me". 
In June 1999, BBC Television in the United Kingdom used the song as a closing theme for the BBC One broadcast coverage of Prince Edward's royal wedding.
The song was part of the official soundtrack for the 2001 comedy film "Not Another Teen Movie" which used the song in a scene parodying a scene from "She's All That".
The song was also featured in the film "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and in the episode "Simprovised" of Fox animated series "The Simpsons".
In an interview with "Vogue", Taylor Swift said that "Kiss Me" was the very first song that she learned to play on guitar when she was 12 years old.
The song was included in "A Fresh Start", the first episode of the second season of Netflix's "You".
The song was included in "Dead Mall", the fourth episode of the second season of "Bless the Harts".