Stories Like This: kiss from a rose

Is your favorite song just about the song?

I can say I’ve pretty much landed on “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal for being MY Best* Favorite* Song of All Time. There are certainly some pretty close runner ups, all with stories themselves, but nothing like “Kiss From a Rose.” Not even sure if it’s possible to overtake The Champ at this point all these years after its release. If Mr. Brightside never did, it may never happen.

When I think of my favorite song, it’s not just the song.

How do other people think of their favorite song? Because for me it’s:

the MTV of it all. It felt like that video played once an hour.

It was the Batman Forever clips cut in with the video. Movie clips IN the video?

It was watching it with my friend Collin on his TV at his Moms house.

It was singing THAT part.

It was the Batman Forever cups from McDonald’s.

It was Jim Carrey being in the midst of a career heater following hit after hit.

It was the summer.

It was 95.

I was 9.

That song-better than the movie.

Now. What? Almost 30 years later, at a Chiefs Super Bowl party (more on them sometime I’m sure) I watched a Mountain Dew commercial along with everyone else in utter horror as we see Seal actually being a seal as he Baja Blast’s a childhood memory to oblivion. Even as that spot unraveled, I was aware my jaw was on the floor, and I actually imagined (if I wanted to make a mess) my drink falling in slow motion and crashing on the floor.

When that ended, I was at the very least self aware enough to know that I was around many people I was meeting for the first time so I shouldn’t scream at the TV or burst into tears in front of them. Internally I was more fired up than the entire Chiefs team I assure you.

Seal.

I get it.

The dollars and what not.

Not the first.

Not the last.

But now…

Damn it man.

How could you forget about the summer of 95?

I certainly didn’t.

…this was when kids went outside.

The trophy Collin and I got that summer on that YMCA team.

The 3 points I got that season.

Seeing Batman Forever opening day, 3rd row at Ward Parkway with Collin and his Dad.

Jim. Carrey.

It was the summer that had 4 minute breaks in it to stop what I was doing and watch the video if I was able to catch it. I remember vividly standing in front of a tube television because why bother sitting down if I’m just going to watch it and go right back outside. It’s so cool they use clips from the movie, can’t wait to see it!

I left that Super Bowl party kind of wondering which was the bigger loss, the Chiefs or Seal tarnishing his own memory in my brain? A memory he obviously doesn’t even know about. I’m really trying not to quote the fictional character in The Dark Knight, but it does feel a bit like that too. Lived long enough to witness Seal play a joke on himself and his own damn song, and through various brain cells and traffic jams up there, somehow-a joke on me. (Which I know is absurd as I type it)

These three things exist.

My summer of ‘95.

Kiss From a Rose is my favorite song of all time.

Seal became a seal.

I thought everyone had stories like this.

___As I sit here and finalize this, I don’t think I ever would have had a reason to write about my favorite song-yeah-take it or leave it-it is what it is-Runner Up Songs-would have Stories Like This as well. However, I will say if it hadn’t been for seal becoming a seal-I don’t think I would have written about that summer this way. So there’s that. Thanks Seal, even for this I guess.___

Bryce

…if you made it this far, would you consider? My Venmo

Seal singer. I think I might have AI generate an image with every Post haha