Sade was formed in 1982, when members of Latin soul band Pride — Sade Adu, (real name Helen Folasade Adu - born 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria) Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman — together with Paul Cook formed a splinter group and began to write their own material. Sade made their debut in December 1982 at Ronnie Scott's Club in London, England, in support of Pride. Later, in 1983, Andrew Hale joined Sade. In 1984 Paul Cook left the band.
Sade Adu, the band's singer, is the daughter of a Nigerian father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London. Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday. Sade studied fashion design at St. Martin’s School of Art in London while also doing some modeling on the side.
Around 1980, Adu started singing harmony with a Latin funk group called Arriva. One of the more popular numbers that the group would perform was a Sade original co-written with bandmember Ray St. John, “Smooth Operator,” that would later become Sade’s first stateside hit. The following year Adu joined the eight-piece funk band Pride as a background singer. The band included future Sade band members guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman (a key player in ’90s urban soul singer Maxwell’s success) and bassist Paul Denman. The concept of the group was that there could shoot-offs. In essence, a few members within the main group Pride formed mini-groups that would be the opening act. Pride did a lot of shows around London, stirring up record company interest. Initially, the labels wanted to only sign Adu, while the group members wanted a deal for the whole band. After a year, the other band members told Adu, Matthewman, and Denman to go ahead and sign a deal. Adding keyboardist Andrew Hale, the group signed to the U.K. division of Epic Records.
In May 1983, Sade performed at Danceteria Club in New York, NY, United States. It was the first US Sade show. They received more attention from the media and record companies and separated finally. On 18 October 1983 Sade Adu signed with Epic Records. The rest of the band signed in 1984. All Sade albums were released through this label.
Their debut album, Diamond Life (with overall production by Robin Millar), went Top Ten in the U.K. in late 1984. January 1985 saw the album released on CBS’ Portrait label and by spring it went platinum off the strength of the Top Ten singles “Smooth Operator” and “Hang on to Your Love.” The second album, Promise (November 1985), featured “Never As Good As the First Time” and arguably her signature song, “The Sweetest Taboo,” which stayed on the U.S. pop charts for six months. Sade was so popular that some radio stations reinstated the ’70s practice of playing album tracks, adding “Is It a Crime” and “Tar Baby” to their play lists. In 1986, Sade won a Grammy for Best New Artist.
Sade’s third album was 1988’s Stronger Than Pride and featured their first number one soul single “Paradise,” “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” and “Keep Looking.” A new Sade album didn’t appear for four years. 1992’s Love Deluxe continued the unbroken streak of multi-platinum Sade albums, spinning off the hits “No Ordinary Love,” “Feel No Pain,” and “Pearls.” While the album’s producer Mike Pela, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale have gone on to other projects, the new millennium did spark a new scene for Sade. She issued Lovers Rock in fall 2000 and incoporated more mainstream elements than ever before. Debut single “By Your Side” was also a hit among radio and adult-contemporary listerners. The following summer, Sade embarked on their first tour in more than a decade, selling out countless dates across America. In early 2002, Sade celebrated their success of the tour by releasing their first ever live album and DVD, Lovers Live.
Sade made a great contribution to development of modern music. They dismantled many of the old music business ways and quite promptly became a fully functioning autonomous unit with a firm grip on every aspect of the recording process.
Sade is first and foremost a live act. Sade Adu said in one of her interviews: "When we play I know that the people love the music. I can feel it." Throughout their history, Sade have always attracted a diverse, multi-racial audience who are drawn by the band's open-minded approach to music. "And that's the best thing we've achieved."
Soldier of Love, Sade's first official studio album since the multi-platinum release of Lovers Rock in 2000, was released on 8th February, 2010.
Discography:
Studioalbums:
1984 - Diamond Life
1985 - Promise
1988 - Stronger Than Pride
1992 - Love Deluxe
2000 - Lovers Rock
2010 - Soldier of Love
Livealbums:
2002 - Lovers Live
2012 - Bring Me Home - Live 2011
Compilations:
1994 - The Best Of Sade
2011 - The Ultimate Collection
Soldier Of Love
Sade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It's a wild, wild west
I'm doing my best
I'm at the borderline of my faith
In the front line of this battle of mine
But I'm still alive
I'm a soldier of love
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life
I've been torn up inside (oh)
I've been left behind (oh)
Tall I ride
I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound (oh, oh)
I know that love will come (that love will come)
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life
I am lost but I don't doubt, oh
Tall I ride, I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound
I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
In "Soldier of Love," Sade sings about being a warrior of love, bravely fighting for the possibility of love despite the trials and tribulations that come with it. She begins the song declaring that she's lost the use of her heart, not in the sense that she isn't capable of loving, but rather that she's been hurt to the point where she's numb to the idea of love. Despite this, Sade is still alive and looking for a way to experience that ever-elusive feeling again. The song portrays this quest as a wild, wild west, a chaotic and unpredictable environment where Sade is doing her best to stay alive.
Sade goes on to say that she's at the borderline of her faith and the hinterland of her devotion. She's in the midst of a battle, but she's still standing. In the chorus, Sade refers to herself as a soldier of love, indicating that her pursuit of love is a war that she's fighting every day and night. She acknowledges that she's been torn up inside and left behind, but she still has the will to survive. She's pushing herself to the limit, trying her hardest, and doing her best to stay alive. The song ends with Sade waiting for the sound of love, knowing that it will come and that it has the power to turn everything around.
Line by Line Meaning
I've lost the use of my heart
I'm emotionally exhausted and cannot love like I used to.
But I'm still alive
Despite my emotional exhaustion, I'm still living and seeking something more.
Still looking for the life
I'm searching for meaning and purpose.
The endless pool on the other side
I believe there's more to life than what I'm currently experiencing.
It's a wild, wild west
Life is unpredictable and chaotic.
I'm doing my best
I'm trying my hardest to navigate through life's unpredictability and chaos.
I'm at the borderline of my faith
I'm struggling to maintain my beliefs and values due to life's difficulties.
I'm at the hinterland of my devotion
I'm questioning the extent of my dedication to my beliefs and values.
In the front line of this battle of mine
I'm facing my own personal obstacles and fighting to overcome them.
But I'm still alive
Despite my struggles, I'm persevering and still living.
I'm a soldier of love
I'm dedicated to love and the pursuit of it.
Every day and night
I'm constantly striving towards love regardless of the circumstances.
All the days of my life
My pursuit of love will be a lifelong journey.
I've been torn up inside (oh)
I've experienced emotional turmoil and internal conflict.
I've been left behind (oh)
I've been hurt and abandoned.
Tall I ride
I'm strong and resilient despite my past experiences.
I have the will to survive
I have the determination to overcome any obstacle and continue living.
I wait for the sound (oh, oh)
I'm eagerly anticipating a positive change or breakthrough.
I know that love will come (that love will come)
I'm confident that I will find love or that positive change will occur.
Turn it all around
My current situation will improve and change for the better.
Still wait for love to come
I'm patiently waiting and searching for love or a positive change in my life.
I'm a soldier
I'm strong and resilient as I persevere towards my goal of love and positivity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman, Helen Adu, Andrew Hale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@princesatartaruga444
I've lost the use of my heart
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side
It's a wild, wild west
I'm doing my best
I'm at the borderline of my faith
I'm at the hinterland of my devotion
In the front line of this battle of mine
But I'm still alive
I'm a soldier of love
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life
I've been torn up inside (oh)
I've been left behind (oh)
Tall I ride
I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound (oh, oh)
I know that love will come (that love will come)
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life
I am lost but I don't doubt, oh
Tall I ride, I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best
To stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound
I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
Still wait for love to come
@cullensnow126
Can't believe this came out 5 years ago?! Who's listening to it now in 2015?
@dayquilassleak2913
Me
@thefatalveli1
Cullen Romias Joking ? it's older than five years...
@raeqwansavage30
Me too
@thetarotpirate
Soldier of Love was released in the fall of 2010. It's not yet five years old.
@KillerShrimp2012
Cullen Romias A lot of people are. What a silly question. J.S.Bach came out 300 years ago, millions of people are still listening.
@catherineantoine7688
Sade has never needed to throw a million dollars show with insane designers costumes, hundreds of dancers, back ups, lights, soecial effects, crazy choreography to make you feel and breathe for hundreds of years. She just shows up and sings. And its way enough. QUEEN SADE 🌟🖤👑
@JACK_ROSSO
❤
@pedromonteiro9199
Honey she wears chanel
@nikkithomasTV
SHE NEVER HAD TO! #truth Her beauty, mystique & Talent are enough