Sade: Music’s Least-Thirsty Artist Has Captivated Us For 40 Years
When Sade debuted with Diamond Life in 1984, the group already had a vintage, classic vibe. With their sophisticated but accessible mix of R&B, jazz and pop, their songs felt both fresh and as if they’d been there forever.
But they materialized at a good time, as there were other bands with a similarly sophisticated pop sound. This was the era of Roxy Music’s Avalon, ABC’s The Lexicon Of Love, Spandau Ballet’s True, and Joe Jackson’s Night And Day.
Sade stood out visually and musically. Sade, by the way, is a band, comprising of saxophonist/guitarist Stuart Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, bassist Paul S. Denman and the iconic singer Sade Adu. Other musicians have accompanied them on their albums and tours, but the four official members have never left or been replaced. Most people probably think that “Sade” refers to the singer and not the band. You get the impression that the guys aren’t too bothered by the lack of recognition.
Of course, Ms. Adu was the focal point: it was always her on the album covers, not the guys. She was often compared to Billie Holiday — high praise indeed, and not a common influence on singers in the 1980s — but she didn’t really sound like Lady Day. She didn’t really sound like anybody. She seemed to have a cool confidence; she knew she was unique and she knew she was great.
Before Sade, Matthewman, Hale and Denman were in a band called Pride; when Adu got a gig with the band as a backing singer, the four decided to leave and form Sade. One year later, Diamond Life was released. It was an instant hit in their native U.K., thanks to the lead single, “Your Love Is King.”
It took a bit longer to hit here in the U.S.: we fell for the third single, “Smooth Operator.” It reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary Chart. Critics didn’t really get it at the time, but the album — like the band — has aged incredibly well. There were great non-singles, too, including “Frankie’s First Affair,” “Sally” and her cover of Timmy Thomas’ “Why Can’t We Live Together” (Drake later sampled the original for his massive hit, “Hotline Bling”). Rolling Stone ranked it as #200 on their list of the best albums ever and as #66 on their list of the best debut albums of all time.
Sade released three more albums over the course of their first decade: 1985’s Promise (which featured “The Sweetest Taboo”), 1988’s Stronger Than Pride (which had “Love Is Stronger Than Pride,” “Paradise” and “Nothing Can Come Between Us”) and 1992’s Love Deluxe (with “No Ordinary Love,” “Kiss Of Life,” “Cherish The Day”). But after that, the band went on hiatus.
Eight years later, they returned in 2000 with Lovers Rock. At the time, I worked at VH1, and I remember hearing that we were going to see a new Sade video in a meeting that I was invited to. During this era, VH1 was actively shedding the image it had for a long time. It was no longer the place where middle-aged classic rockers and R&B stars could get some love for their music videos. I wondered how a new Sade song would be received; so much had changed in music and culture in the past eight years. Also, this was often a particularly noisy meeting. Would a new Sade song break through the chatter?
And then the video for “By My Side” started.
“You think I’d leave your side, baby? You know me better than that.” A hush fell over the room, which lasted for the next four minutes or so. I thought that it was the best thing I’d ever heard from them (and it remains my favorite Sade song). It wasn’t just a love song. It was a dedication. Sade was in her 40s: she wasn’t just singing about young idealized love, but love that really goes the distance. She believes in the person she’s singing to and she is staying with him through the hard times, even when he doesn’t believe in himself.
“When you’re on the outside, baby, and you can’t get in/I will show you, you’re so much better than you know/When you’re lost, and you’re alone, and you can’t get back again/I will find you, darling, and I will bring you home/And if you want to cry, I am here to dry your eyes.” That’s love.
I felt that the video was a metaphor for Ms. Adu and the band. In the Sophie Muller-directed clip, Ms. Adu lives in a magical forest (we even get a glimpse of her bandmates who appear to live in a tree). We see her looking affectionately at a city in the distance. Later on, she walks towards it and soon appears on the streets of Los Angeles, trying to give out flowers to uninterested passers-by. I wondered if that was her expectation for how her return would be received. But judging by the reaction in the room, she might get a warmer welcome. The room could be a bit jaded, many of the attendees would normally talk through videos. But now, half of them looked like they were fighting back tears.
American welcomed them back just as warmly; in 2001, Lovers Rock was certified triple platinum for sales in excess of three million units. The tour was a massive success, and was one of the top 20 tours in America in 2001.
It would be a decade before they released another album: Soldier of Love dropped in early 2010. Again, time and distance made the heart grow fonder: it debuted at number one on Billboard and was certified platinum (keep in mind, all album sales numbers were lower in 2010 than they were in the early 2000s). And they headlined another arena tour which was one of the biggest tours of 2011.
Most artists are concerned with “being in the conversation,” either by frequently releasing new material or at least by doing something that gets the media (and social media) talking. A couple of years ago, a music executive made headlines when he told an interviewer, “Some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough.”
I’ll bet that when Sade decides to release another album, we’ll care. (In 2022, Billboard reported that the band was working at Brad Pitt’s Miraval Studios in France, but there have been precious few updates since then.) But real music fans have a good enough memory, we don’t need to be reminded of an artist’s existence every few years (or months). There’s something to be said for an artist who releases music when they have music ready, as opposed to chasing an algorithm or listening to a marketing department. And in an era where everyone is fighting for our attention, there’s something refreshing, something to respect and love, about someone who welcomes your attention but isn’t thirsting for it.
