French Kiss (song)
| "French Kiss" | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||
| Single by Lil Louis | ||||||||
| from the album From the Mind of Lil Louis | ||||||||
| Released | October 14, 1989 | |||||||
| Format | ||||||||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||||||
| Genre | ||||||||
| Length | 5:16 | |||||||
| Label | ||||||||
| Writer(s) |
|
|||||||
| Producer(s) | Lil Louis | |||||||
| Lil Louis singles chronology | ||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
"French Kiss" is a song by American DJ and record producer Lil Louis. The song became a European and American hit in 1989. The song also was a hit in dance clubs around the world, and it spent two weeks at number one on the American dance chart in October 1989. It was a crossover pop hit as well, peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a mainstream pop hit in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 2 in August 1989. The lead vocals on the track—recorded after the track was picked up for distribution by major labels—were performed by Chicago native and noted female house-music singer Shawn Christopher, although another vocal version exists in Europe with vocal duties performed by a woman named Pasquale.
Distinctions of this song are that it is based on a single note (F-natural) and that it gradually slows down to a complete stop, marked by the vocal climax, and then, again gradually, speeds up. This was an innovative feature for any dance track at that time. Note that the track includes a more erotic vocal performance than the title implies.
Slant Magazine ranked the song 7th in its 100 Greatest Dance Songs list, adding: “‘French Kiss’ is a moaning, sex-as-house track that audaciously and amazingly slows down and then stops altogether. It builds again, chugging back to its initial speed until it fades brighter than ever in post-orgasmic glow.”
It was sampled heavily on Josh Wink's single “How's Your Evening So Far?”—credited to Wink vs. Lil Louis. It was also sampled on The Wiseguys’ song "Au-Pair Girls," from 1998. In 1990, the French TV presenter Lagaf' used the sample of the song in a parodic version under the name "Bo le lavabo (WC Kiss)." The American 12-inch single was never released on compact disc.
The song was also sampled on a remix of "The Loco-Motion" for Kylie Minogue's Enjoy Yourself 1990 Tour titled "The Oz Tour Mix," which remained unreleased in studio form for many years until it was finally released on the bonus disc of remixes of the 2002 Greatest Hits ’87–’92.
...
Wikipedia