"Delicate" | ||||
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Single by Terence Trent D'Arby featuring Des'ree | ||||
from the album Symphony or Damn | ||||
B-side | "She's My Baby" | |||
Released | June 7, 1993 [1] | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Terence Trent D'Arby | |||
Producer(s) | Terence Trent D'Arby | |||
Terence Trent D'Arby singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Delicate" on YouTube |
"Delicate" is a song by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby featuring English singer Des'ree,released on June 7,1993 by Columbia Records as the third single from his third studio album, Symphony or Damn (1993). It was written,arranged and produced by D'Arby,and peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. In the US,the song reached numbers 74 and 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. Its music video was directed by Andy Morahan.
In an 2018 retrospective review,Patrick Corcoran from Albumism stated that "Delicate" "demonstrated that the delightful soul voice was still ready and primed for action in a song that lived up to its dainty title". [2] Upon the release of the single,Larry Flick from Billboard wrote,"With sweet vocal assistance by Des'ree,D'Arby is poised for his first top 40 hit in years. A tinkly jazz-pop shuffle beat and richly expressive vocals are the basis for an expansive retro-soul tune. Pretty and soothing track should also be of note to adult-geared urban and AC radio formats." [3] In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton said that this is "by far the best track on his new album and destined surely for Top 10 success next week". [4] Andrew Smith from Melody Maker wrote,"'Sign Your Name' was a cute song and this one tries for the same lovelorn effect,without getting anywhere near it." [5]
Pan-European magazine Music &Media commented,"Dueting with last year's soul revelation Des'ree,YID hits radioland completely K.O.. Count to 10,and try to recover after this exquisite ballad." [6] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five,writing,"An appropriate title for a sweet and soulful duet,this shuffling and summery song is destined for the Top 10." [7] John Mulvey from NME said D'Arby "shakes off the dodgy Kravitzisms of his last single and rewrites 'Sign Your Name' to reclaim the upmarket smooch market." He added,"...but a hit,I suppose." [8] A reviewer from People Magazine noted its "Middle Eastern lounge-jazz filigree",adding that "his sexy,edgy tenor is a voice that grabs you in all its guises." [9] Siân Pattenden from Smash Hits also gave it four out of five. She felt that D'Arby "has come up with a truly corking pop single. "Delicate" is a soft,ambling tune,as the tender sheen on the pedal of a pansy. It is very smooth and a bit girlie,making sensible people want to snog you." [10] Charles Aaron from Spin viewed it as a "exquisitely gooey single" and "a time-lapse synth-photo of a flower blooming". [11]
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The official music video for the song was directed by British commercial, film and music video director Andy Morahan. [12] It was released on June 7, 1993, [13] and features D'Arby and Des'ree performing the song in a completely white setting. The video was later made available on Terence Trent D'Arby's official YouTube channel, as Sananda Maitreya, in 2012, and had generated almost five million views as of February 2024. [14]
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Sananda Francesco Maitreya, who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby (1987). The album included the singles "If You Let Me Stay", "Sign Your Name", "Dance Little Sister", and "Wishing Well".
Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby. It was first released in the United Kingdom on July 13, 1987 on Columbia Records, and debuted at number one there, spending a total of nine weeks (non-consecutively) at the top of the UK Albums Chart. It also hit number one in Switzerland and number two in New Zealand and The Netherlands. It was eventually certified 5× Platinum. Worldwide, the album sold a million copies within the first three days of going on sale.
Neither Fish nor Flesh is the second album by American singer Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1989 on Columbia Records. A follow-up to his debut Introducing the Hardline, the album was a commercial disappointment, spending only four weeks on the UK Albums Chart, and was largely dismissed by critics as self-indulgent and overreaching.
Terence Trent D'Arby's Symphony or Damn* is the third studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1993 through Columbia Records. This album marked something of a comeback after the disappointing performance of his previous album Neither Fish nor Flesh, and was generally well received by many critics, with Q magazine rating it five stars upon its release.
Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator* is the fourth album by Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 1995 on Columbia Records. It was self-written, produced, and arranged, and features the single "Holding On to You", which peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.
Wildcard is Terence Trent D'Arby's fifth album. It was released in Europe on October 11, 2001, following a six-year absence from the music industry on his own independent record label, Treehouse Publishing and distributed by RockUp Records. The album spawned two singles and featured both his previous and new stage name on the cover.
"Wishing Well" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby. The second single from the 1987 album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, the song reached number one on both the Soul Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 on May 7, 1988. "Wishing Well" was certified "Gold", indicating sales of 500,000, by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 1991. Written by D'Arby and Sean Oliver, D'Arby said "Wishing Well" was written "when I was in a half-asleep, half-awake state of mind", and that he "liked the feel of the words". Martyn Ware of Heaven 17 paired with D'Arby in production of the song, which was released on CBS Records. Once released, "Wishing Well", along with D'Arby's debut single "If You Let Me Stay", went into "heavy rotation" on MTV. D'Arby performed the song live at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, where he lost the Grammy Award for Best New Artist to Jody Watley. When the single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, it had charted for 17 weeks, the longest progress to number one in the US charts since Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams " in 1983.
"You Gotta Be" is an R&B/soul song by British singer and songwriter Des'ree, written by her with Ashley Ingram, who produced the song. It is the third track on the singer's second album, I Ain't Movin' (1994), and the opening track on the US release of that album. The song was released as a single in March 1994 by Sony Soho Square, 550 and Epic, becoming a top-40 hit in several countries, and a top-10 hit in the United States and Australia. Its music video was directed by Paul Boyd. By 13 June 1998, the single had sold 358,000 copies in United States, and it has received sales certifications in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
"Sign Your Name" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby, released as the fourth single from his debut album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby (1987). The song was an international success, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 1988 and number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was remixed by Lee "Scratch" Perry for some European releases. The music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and was premiered in January 1988. The music video features model Kelly Brennan.
"If You Let Me Stay" is the debut single by American singer Terence Trent D'Arby in 1987. It was taken from his debut album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby.
Desirée Annette Weekes, known by her stage name Des'ree, is a British pop recording artist who rose to popularity during the 1990s. She is best known for her hits "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and "Kissing You". At the 1999 Brit Awards she received the Brit Award for Best British female solo artist.
"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in May 1993 by Logic and BMG Ariola as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, The Madman's Return (1992). It features American singer Niki Haris, who also is credited for co-writing it. The song received positive rewiews from music critics, many of them were comparing it to the work of Giorgio Moroder. "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" reached number one in Finland, while peaking within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. On MTV Europe, its accompanying music video received heavy rotation.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Terence Trent D'Arby, released in 2002.
"This Side of Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby taken from his second album, Neither Fish Nor Flesh (1989). The song was composed and produced by D'Arby, and he played several of the instruments on the recording. Critics have likened it to the work of musicians such as Sly and the Family Stone and Prince, and have noted its unpolished and compelling sound.
"Let Her Down Easy" is a song written and produced by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby for his third studio album, Symphony or Damn (1993). It was released as the fourth single in November 1993 by Columbia and reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number six in New Zealand.
"Feel So High" is a song by British singer-songwriter Des'ree, released in August 1991 by Sony Soho Square and Epic as the first single from her debut album, Mind Adventures (1992). The song was co-written by Des'ree with Michael Graves, and produced by Ashley Ingram. It received critical acclaim, peaking at No. 13 in the UK and No. 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Three different music videos were produced to promote the single.
American singer Terence Trent D'Arby has released 12 studio albums, four greatest hits compilation albums, four live albums, one extended play, and 31 singles. D'Arby has earned one platinum album. His début album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby (1987) peaked at number 4 in the US, and while receiving positive reviews, it became a huge success in Europe. The album featured the number 1 single "Wishing Well", which sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Follow up albums were less successful. After Columbia Records parted ways with the artist in the mid-1990s, D'Arby later changed his stage name to Sananda Maitreya. He went on to release 8 studio albums, and 4 live albums, under his own independent record label Treehouse Publishing.
"Dance Little Sister" is a song by Terence Trent D'Arby, the third single from the 1987 album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby.
"Buddy X" is a song by Swedish musician Neneh Cherry, released in 1993 by Circa and Virgin Records as the third and final single from her second album, Homebrew (1992). Co-written and co-produced by Cherry, it was a top-40 hit in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, peaking at numbers 23 and 35, respectively. The song also charted in the United States, reaching No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in Canada, where it reached No. 28 on the RPM Top Singles chart. Additionally, it peaked at No. 2 on the European Dance Radio Chart by Music & Media and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Its music video was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
Prometheus & Pandora is the eleventh studio album by Sananda Maitreya, formerly known as Terence Trent D'Arby, released on October 13, 2017. It was recorded at Maitreya's home studios, Treehouse Lab, in Lodi, Italy, and was made available in CD format and to download from his official website. It has 53 tracks in three volumes. Guest vocalist Luisa Corna performs as Pandora on several tracks. Maitreya gave an interview to The Guardian ahead of its release, but said "I didn’t make this album to be back in the fray... Maybe it’s not meant for mass consumption."