French Kiss

Album: From the Mind of Lil' Louis (1989)
Charted: 2 50
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Released on the Epic label, on the same record as "The Songbird Sings Long Vocal Mix" (9 minutes 59 seconds) and "Cherry Talk Conversational Mix" (5 minutes 29 seconds), "French Kiss" was written by Karlana Johnson and Lil Louis (Louis Burns). Johnson wrote the words - such as they are.

    This song was caught up in one of the UK's periodic censorship flaps when future Home Secretary Jack Straw told the Times that his 9-year-old son could not understand "why so many people should buy a record of a woman panting, then groaning, interspersed with the occasional mumbled phrase."
  • The song has been widely sampled, including on "Custom Made (Give It to You)" by Lil' Kim, "Quickie" by Geto Boys, "Au Pair Girls" by The Wiseguys, "Send to Robin Immediately" by Robyn and "I Feel So Free" by Madonna. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2
  • Li'l Louis - real name Marvin Louis Burns - is a Chicago DJ and producer and the son of guitarist Bobby Sims. A pioneer of the house genre, he began DJing in the mid-1970s.
  • Originally an instrumental track (apart from wordless moans), vocals were recorded after the song was picked up for distribution by major label, with American singer Shawn Christopher performing lead vocals on the US version, and a woman known only as "Pasquale" handling vocal duties on the European release.
  • "French Kiss" became a local Chicago hit in 1987 before becoming a Platinum-selling international classic after being licensed to CBS and FFRR, spending two weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart in October 1989. British DJ Pete Tong called it "one of the most important riffs ever written in house music."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.