Original release date: May 29th 1989
UK Chart Peak: Number 1
AUS Chart Peak: Number 8
Buy Sealed With A Kiss here (Amazon GB)
Read other posts from my #tengoodreasons30 project here
Read my Jason Donovan album anniversary posts here
#TenGoodReasons30:
In 1988, I was fully immersed in the world of Stock Aitken and Waterman. Oh sure, there were other artists I loved, but there was something magical about the Hit Factory that just spoke to me with every composition and S/A/W produced cover. Until Neighbours happened, Rick Astley was the crown prince of S/A/W - the type of guy you could take home to your mum. Then Kylie-mania happened and she was the spunky girl-next-door type. It was only natural that sir Jason Donovan wanted to prove his mettle with the UK and Australian pop fans - and thus a pop (and later stage) career was launched that sells out concert halls to this very day. Jason was my favourite male PWL singer. If Rick was the guy I wanted to be best friends with, Jason was the guy I wanted to be. Even in the super stylised Smash Hits poster days, there was always this frisson of rebellion about him - the leather jacket, the guitar, the hint of danger. For an impressionable young fourteen year old, this is exactly what I needed. Someone safe enough that my parents wouldn't moan about me listening to his music, but with enough suggestion of non-conformity that I believed he would buy me my first beer and teach me the riff to Paradise City by Guns 'n' Roses. It is why I have such fond memories of his debut album, Ten Good Reasons, and am starting a project to commemorate each single on the day of their UK release. Sealed With A Kiss is the fourth (of five) in this series - do feel free to share your own memories of when this single came out...
Sealed With A Kiss:
Jason's first single following the release of his debut album (Ten Good Reasons) was the subject of heated debate in the pop world. And by heated debate I mean long conversations during lunch break at school between myself and pop loving French exchange student, Pierre Jamin. I was sure Jase the Face had alluded to Every Day being the next single and I was resolute that this should be so. Pierre was far more canny than I and was convinced that Sealed With A Kiss would deliver Jason a third consecutive number one. History would prove Pierre was right - in hindsight, it was a no brainer. Sealed With A Kiss was a classic song designed to appeal to the singer's devoted fan base; lyrics that they could dreamily imagine were being sung directly to them. At this stage, Stock, Aitken and Waterman were arguably better known for transforming uptempo songs into contemporary stomper (see You Spin Me Round, Venus, The Locomotion, Help) so this was one of their earlier attempts to replicate success with ballads. Much like Rick Astley's When I Fall In Love it was an instantly ready and recognisable radio friendly melody - and a precursor to future S/A/W hits like Tears On My Pillow, End Of The World and, uh, Hey There Lonely Girl. It was a strategy that, once I'd got over my disappointment of being wrong (or just one single too early) I was fully on board with...
Building the song around an elegiac guitar solo was a smart move. It built on what I think was Jason's preferred persona of instrument playing-credible artist, firmly established during the Too Many Broken Hearts promotional campaign. It also added to the campfire-on-the-beach style sing-along vibe of the song. The subtle strings and melancholy backing vocals swathed Jason's sincere singing style perfectly. I remember being rather smitten with the infusion of piano chords during the pre-chorus, a luxurious touch I think largely and unfairly got overlooked. While the single version was the same as the album track, the promise of an extended version had me racing to Woolworths on Monday May 29th to buy the 12" vinyl. While said mix was largely an elongated instrumental introduction before the singing kicked in, it gave fans something new to play over and over. I could tell from the amount of teenage girls and nostalgia-hungry mums buying the single at the same time as me that it would be huge. I wasn't expecting a number one debut, however - something that was still a really big deal at the time (and, unfairly, something which would elude Kylie until 2000's Spinning Around). These were the halcyon days of Jason and I was loving every second.
Just Call Me Up:
It wasn't just the allure of an extended SWAK mix that had me salivating over Jason's fourth single. A brand new (ish) b-side was also hugely appealing and I quickly fell hard for the genre-hopping Just Call Me Up (even though it was mostly a reworking of album track Change Your Mind) . The dramatic intro reminded me of the Pet Shop Boys while that decadent sax solo was full on smooth adult jazz, making me feel very grown up. Holding this all together was a thumping dance beat that made this one of Jason's most club friendly tracks to date. Whilst some bemoaned that it was largely an instrumental other than the incessantly catchy titular refrain, I liked that the music was allowed to do as much of the talking as the original. It got me to wondering as to why Jason never got gifted with one of S/A/W's dance covers - Spirit In The Sky would have been ideal. Alas it was not to be and while I was more than happy with his albums, this was a delicious sneak peek into an alternate universe where Jason was a dance floor diva supreme. And hey, we'll always have the memory of him living it up to disco classics in Priscilla...
Chart run:
1-1-2-5-14-21-30-38-47-55
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