Sixpence None the Richer had a huge hit in the late 90s called Kiss Me. And why not? It is a sweet song, well executed. But I have a hard time believing that the success of the song was not, at least in part, due to the wonderfully romantic video (no doubt indicative of the whole marketing campaign once the song got a little traction) that went along with it. Take a look at this horrible (sorry) copy:
What is most remarkable about this video to me is how much they managed to change the look of Leigh Nash. When the song was released, she did not look like this. Here is what she looked like:
I doubt it is just me who thinks this is a modern “in your face” gal! This is the kind of woman with the intelligence and drive to get to the top of the music business. That girl (and I do mean “girl”) in the video is a marketing department creation intended to make men feel warm and protective. This works perfectly with the fragility of the song’s production. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. But there is little doubt that if she and the rest of the band got past their anemic Christian “good boys and girls” mentality, they might be able to produce engaging adult music, and not just the occasional well-produced cover.
Nice one! Thanks for the video! Really appreciate this song. Kiss me! And of course, we living in age of technologies. Dont believe what you see, dont believe what you hear. :-)
This idea for this article came from a play I have been writing for the last three years that is about the image creation process. I doubt the play will ever come to anything, so I wrote this brief article.
I do love the song. New Found Glory does an excellent cover of it, so it isn’t just the production nor the emotional appeal of the video nor Nash’s looking cute as a button. But those things do matter, and they make the Sixpence version a perfect pop song.
Unfortunately, I fear that what makes the song perfect is what makes the band imperfect. Other than "Kiss Me," all of their notable songs are well-produced, but not terribly original, covers of other artists’ work. It is rare that great art is completely inoffensive. "Kiss Me" is completely inoffensive. And so is the rest of their work.
Great video!Thanks for the post Really love this song. Kiss me! it is quite amazing how she had changed.
Awww, this song just always makes me think of the movie She’s All That… Laney Boggs, coming down the stairs looking cute as ever… I think I’ll watch it when I get home! :)
~Kayla