Music

Seal’s ‘Kiss From A Rose’ Might Be About Cocaine And People Are Shook

Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose” wasn’t just one of the best songs of the ’90s, it’s one of the best songs ever, period. It’s sweeping, cinematic (it was used in Batman Forever, after all), beautifully sung, and lyrically engaging.

Speaking of the lyrics, where were you when you learned that “Kiss From A Rose” is actually about cocaine? Music critic and reporter Bijan Stephen posed that very question on Twitter this week and people’s minds are understandably blown. 

If you’re skeptical about this theory, I don’t blame you. However, if you really listen to and think about the lyrics to the song, it becomes very obvious that “Kiss From A Rose” is actually an ode to Seal’s love for the white powder and the high he feels whenever he uses it. 

seal, kiss from a rose

The song starts off innocently enough, but by the time you get to the first pre-chorus, Seal begins singing about “when it snows” and how the snow causes his eyes to become large. 

seal, kiss from a roseEveryone—or at least everyone who went through the D.A.R.E. program in middle school—knows snow is another term for cocaine and that using the narcotic causes the user’s pupil’s to dilate. Yikes. 

By verse two, Seal’s ode to cocaine really hits a high note (pun intended) and he sings about how the drug is his pleasure, pain, and power. Not only that, he admits that he’s got a “growing addiction” and implores someone to tell him that it’s “healthy” even though he knows it’s a serious problem and actually not healthy at all. 

“Kiss From A Rose” does have enough other vague imagery about the rose blooming on the grey and the lighthouse and all of that to make it possible to interpret as an actual love song. After all, love has long been compared to a drug in pop culture. However, it only takes a close examination to see the darker truth. 

Of course, fans who saw Stephen’s tweet and suddenly realized what was happening were shocked and said as much in reply. 

You really do learn something new every day.

More music and pop culture news:

Jennifer Still