Life (Des'ree song)

"Life"
Single by Des'ree
from the album Supernatural
B-side "Open Mind"
Released 8 June 1998
Format CD single, CD maxi, 12" maxi
Recorded 1998
Genre Soul, pop
Length 3:28
Label S2
Songwriter(s) Prince Sampson
Des'ree Weekes
Producer(s) Prince Sampson
Des'ree Weekes
Des'ree singles chronology
"Fire"
(1998)		 "Life"
(1998)		 "What's Your Sign?"
(1998)

"Fire"
(1998)		 "Life"
(1998)		 "What's Your Sign?"
(1998)
Audio sample
Des'ree – "Life"
  • file
  • help

"Life" is a popular song recorded by the British pop and soul singer Des'ree. It was the third single from her third album, Supernatural, and was released on 8 June 1998. This song remains Des'ree's biggest hit, peaking at number one in Austria, Hungary, Malawi, Italy and the Netherlands. "Life" is also the theme song for the Japanese drama To Heart.

Lyrics and music video

Taking an "innocuous tone", this playful song mixes "stories about superstitions, phobias and travels around the world". The melody is "upbeat and jubilant".[1] However, the banal lyrics and simplistic rhymes have been widely derided, with the song winning the "worst ever pop lyric" in a BBC poll,[2] particularly for the verse:

I don't want to see a ghost
It's the sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast
Watch the evening news

In the music video, the singer is sitting on the back seat of a black 1965 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass convertible, driven by a chauffeur. Des'ree is initially sheltered from the sun by a black umbrella, which then flies away. The car passes through sugar cane fields, apparently in Guyana. A crop duster flies overhead, but instead of spraying pesticide, it drops a host of butterflies. The video was directed by Mike Lipscombe.

Track listings

CD single – UK
  1. "Life" (single version) – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19
CD maxi 1 – UK
  1. "Life" – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19
  3. "Get a Life" – 3:32
  4. "I'm Kissing You" – 4:52
CD maxi 2 – UK
  1. "Life" (long version) – 4:22
  2. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  3. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45
  4. "Life" (Brooklin funk R&B mix – no rap) – 5:00
CD maxi – Australia
  1. "Life" (single version) – 3:28
  2. "Open Mind" – 4:19
  3. "Get a Life" – 3:32
  4. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  5. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45
12" maxi – UK
  1. "Life" (long version) – 4:22
  2. "Life" (cosmack mix) – 4:25
  3. "Life" (cosmack extended mix) – 7:45
CD single – Promo
  1. "Life" (cosmack radio edit) – 3:09
  2. "Life" (special radio mix) – 3:12
  3. "Life" (Brooklyn funk R&B radio edit) – 3:52

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ↑ Elia Habib, Muz hit. tubes, p. 431 ( ISBN 2-9518832-0-X)
  2. ↑ "6 Music reveals worst pop lyrics in the world... ever!" (Press release). BBC 6 Music. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Life", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  4. ↑ "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 285 Vikuna 13.8. - 20.8. 1998)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  7. ↑ Italian Singles Chart Hitparadeitalia.it (Retrieved 24 February 2008)
  8. 1 2 "Single top 100 over 1998" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  10. ↑ "Life", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 21 August 2008)
  11. ↑ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
  12. ↑ 1998 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  13. ↑ 1998 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived 8 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  14. ↑ 1998 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart Ultratop.be (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  15. ↑ 1998 French Singles Chart Ifop.com Archived 16 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  17. ↑ 1998 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 22 August 2008)
  18. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  19. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Des'ree in the field Interpret. Enter Life in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen. 
  20. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  21. ↑ "French single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  22. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Des'ree; 'Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  23. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Des'ree – Life" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Life in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  24. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  25. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Des'ree; 'Life')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.