Story of the song "The Sweetest Taboo" (1985) - Sade.

The composition "The Sweetest Taboo" was released at the end of September 1985. The English band Sade released it as part of their 2nd studio album entitled "Promise".

Background

Helen Folashade Adu helped redefine urban soul when, as Shade, the Nigerian-born Londoner burst onto the scene in the mid-'80s with her multi-platinum debut album Diamond Life. Her laid-back, almost emotionless vocals served as the perfect counterbalance to the passionate, heavily embellished singing of Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston. Recorded by "production engineer" Mike Pela and featuring Sade bandmates Stuart Matthewman (guitar/saxophone), Paul Denman (bass) and Andrew Hale (keyboards), "Diamond Life" was produced by Robin Millar in a smooth, quasi-jazz style at his own powerhouse in North West London. It spent 98 weeks on the UK charts, 81 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 and spawned the hit singles "Your Love Is King", "Hang On To Your Love" and "Smooth Operator".

Between February and August 1985, the same team reconvened for Shade's even more successful follow-up, Promise, produced by herself, Robin Millar, Mike Pela and Ben Rogan. The album contained hits such as "Is It A Crime", "Never As Good As The First Time" and "The Sweetest Taboo"...

The meaning of the song

"The Sweetest Taboo" is descriptions of the ultimate pleasure in love. In this song, Shade sings with tenderness and love about the man who was able to give her those feelings. And now she has every day is Christmas and every night is New Year's Eve. The lyrics "There's a quiet storm" are a reference to the Quiet Storm radio format ("Quiet Storm" is a blend of musical styles such as soul, jazz and jazz fusion. Some radio stations have incorporated soft rock and pop into their formats), which is characterised by soft music. "Quiet Storm" is an allegory of Shade's sensual experience ....

Recording

Shade Adu wrote this song with Martin Ditcham, who was the band's touring drummer. He and the band's official drummer, Dave Earley, came up with the characteristic percussion before the chorus in the studio by setting up glasses and bottles, then tapping them with various instruments and inflating the bottles. Martin Ditcham played this on a Yamaha RX11 and presented it to his fellow musicians with a basic chord sequence. They then processed the result, turned it into a basic song with an "A" section and a "B" part and brought the result into the studio for Millar, Pela and Schade to improve the structure and arrangement.

"What I like to do is focus on the quirky little things that can come up when people are looking at material without thinking about what they're doing - I can say, 'Hmmm, that's a good one. Let's use that on every eighth tact."

 

- Recording engineer Mike Pela

The sound of rain was added to the beginning and end of the song from the sound effects disc.

"Basically, we worked on the track 'Taboo' for six or seven days and then went back and tweaked it a bit towards the end of the project because there had to be 12-inch and seven-inch versions. Had a lot of fun recording it because it was a good-sounding track. It was simple but with lots of detail and I remember finishing it when the sun came up over Willesden (Neighbourhood in London), Beautiful sight!"

 

- Recording engineer Mike Pela

Video clip

Directed by Brian Ward, the video clip shows Shadeh looking out the window at a desert landscape and thinking about a young man. Other scenes show the protagonist riding a horse and relaxing with her lover, who is a "sweet taboo" to her. The video was continuously broadcast by the TV channel "VH1", which at the time had just been launched as an alternative to the MTV channel. VH1 was aimed at an older audience.

Achievements

At home in the UK, "The Sweetest Taboo" reached #31 on the UK Singles Chart, while in the US it did much better, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying in the top 40 for 13 weeks. It is also worth noting that it is the second Sade single (after "Smooth Operator") to reach number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Pop Rock chart.

Sade transforms the composition and lets it shine in all its power of softness and quickness of flavour. Singer Sade Adu boldly sings about how she was given a love that revealed only the best in her. The song is imbued with the presence of a "quiet storm" that allows you to stand and, at the same time, dance to the warm and peaceful sound.

- Review by Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS

Sade Live 2011