Songfacts®:

• Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry wrote this song in response to a tell-all book by his ex-girlfriend, American model Jerry Hall: 1985's Tall Tales. Ferry and Hall began dating in 1975 when Hall appeared on the front cover of the Roxy Music album Siren. The pair got engaged soon after, but Hall broke off their relationship and started seeing The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger in 1977.
  
  In Tall Tales, Hall says Ferry was envious of her success, describing him as "a bit tyrannical." Ferry was angry at this portrayal. Opening with the unmistakable sound of a typewriter, "Kiss and Tell" was him hitting back at Hall for profiting off their love affair.
• Hip-hop was rapidly gaining popularity at the time of "Kiss and Tell," and Ferry wanted to capitalize on the trend by including a rap at the end of the song. Producers Chester Kamen and Patrick Leonard were less enthusiastic about the idea. Speaking to Q in 2002, Ferry explained: "I like Missy Elliott as well as the next man, but there's too much rap at the moment that isn't any good. I remember when I was making Bête Noire in the late '80s, a song called 'Kiss and Tell,' I wanted to have a rap on the end of it and the producer said, 'Oh no, that's over now.' Not quite."
• "Kiss and Tell" is the main theme song to the 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City, directed by James Bridges. The movie stars Michael J. Fox as Jamie Conway, an aspiring author struggling with substance abuse in New York City. Based on the popular Jay McInerney novel of the same name, Bright Lights, Big City also features music from Prince, New Order, Depeche Mode, and more.
• The official video for "Kiss and Tell" includes a cameo from Christine Keeler, a British model who gained notoriety as the "Monica Lewinsky of England" due to her involvement in The Profumo Affair. The scandal exposed the sexual relationship between Keeler, who was only 19 years old at the time, and John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, leading to the downfall of the Conservative government in 1964.
  
  Denice D. Lewis, an American model whose photograph features on the front cover of the "Kiss and Tell" single, also stars in the video. The visual was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video From a Film in 1988, but lost to "La Bamba" by Los Lobos.
• Ferry performed this song on Saturday Night Live December 5, 1987, as part of an episode hosted by the American actor Danny DeVito. He also performed "The Right Stuff" with The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who helped to write the Bête Noire cut.
• "Kiss and Tell" was the second single released from Bête Noire, following "The Right Stuff." The song reached #41 in the UK and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Ferry's highest-charting solo single in the US. In addition to the album version and the shorter single version, "Kiss and Tell" has two remixes: "Dub Remix" and "Dance Remix."
• Ferry's seventh solo album, Bête Noire, was a Top 10 hit in the UK, charting at #9. Prior to its release, Ferry found himself in a legal dispute with his label, E.G. Records. While Ferry believed his contract with E.G. Records had ended and he was free to sell the album to another label, E.G. Records claimed exclusive rights to Bête Noire. Following a hearing at the High Court of Justice in London, E.G. Records won the legal dispute against the Roxy Music singer-songwriter. The label went on to market the album across the US and Canada, where it charted at #63 and #23, respectively.