Performance

Hundreds upon thousands of songs have been about love. But how many make you actively fall in love with the song itself, like the lyrics are vying for our hearts? That’s the kind of power that only “Your Love is King” by Sade can boast to have, and for this song, every re-listen is the honeymoon phase. Sade struck gold with this hit jam from their debut album, 1984’s Diamond Life. The Britain-based band made a solid first impression on listeners on both sides of the pond, with “Your Love is King” remaining Sade’s highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart to this very day. Stateside, it reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With so many people in love with this track, it’s no wonder music credits still consider it one of the best love songs out there. “Your Love is King” by Sade had all the ingredients to be a huge success and squandered none of it Sade had just formed in London in 1982, two years before they’d introduce the world to “Your Love is King.” It was formed between members Stuart Mathewman, Paul Anthony Cooke, and Paul Spencer Denman, and named after the lead singer, Sade Adu, who proved herself a titan in the industry. RELATED: “Summer in the City” By The Lovin’ Spoonful Still Has The Best Rhythm It probably shouldn’t be surprising Sade would do so well at such an early point entering the music scene. To this very day, Adu is regarded as one of the most successful female British artists of all time. Her reach proved so great that she is cited as a significant influence in contemporary music. Adu wrote the song with bandmate Matthewman, whose career has seen him serve as a musician, songwriter, and record producer alike. He became a household name as the band’s guitarist and saxophonist. The track remains crowned in so many hearts Adu is regarded as one of the most influential artists in recent history / (c) Orion/courtesy Everett Collection Sade was a jack of all trades for some very unique genres—from your popular and influential soul and smooth jazz to the more particular brands like quiet storm and sophisti-pop. The former is essentially a type of R&B that’s performed in a particularly romantic style with heavy jazz influences. As for the latter, it's a pop music genre spawned from the new wave era in Britain that’s all about marrying the best of pop with jazz and soul, all tied up in a neat ribbon of luxurious presentation. In other words, all that makes “Your Love is King” so downright seductive, the very essence of falling dizzyingly and intoxicatingly in love, turned into sound. Your Love is King as performed by Sade still commands adoration from listeners / YouTube screenshot Performing so well with their debut album was a slight double-edged sword for Sade, as nothing reached quite that unprecedented success as Diamond Life, but much of their following work still generated highly respectable numbers, with a particularly fervent shoutout to Promise, which was certified quadruple platinum in the U.S. and double platinum in the U.K. Album number five, 2000’s Lovers Rock won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. 2010’s Soldiers in Love also topped the charts on both sides of the pond. So, yes, nothing else was quite “Your Love is King,” Sade more than earned a place on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” where they ranked at number 50. Honestly, it could even be higher up for how well they’re still making us dance. SADE, singing in a scene from the film, ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS, 1986. (c) Orion Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection