Kiss That Frog
"Kiss That Frog" is the fourth single from English rock musician Peter Gabriel's sixth album, Us (1992). It was written by Gabriel and produced by him with Daniel Lanois. The single was released in September 1993 by Real World, and narrowly failed to enter the UK top 40, peaking at number 46. However, the song did reach the top 40 in Canada, where it peaked at number 36. In the United States, the song missed the Billboard Hot 100 but reached number 18 on both the Billboard Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts.
"Kiss That Frog"
The song was issued as a 7 inch single, CD single, and a limited edition CD maxi single, with all editions featuring the "Mindblender Mix", which was produced by both Gabriel and William Orbit. Both the CD and CD maxi singles also included "Across the River", a song previously used as the b-side for Gabriel's 1982 "I Have the Touch" single.[1] The single art for "Kiss That Frog" was created by Jim Atkinson and Jim Cahill.[2] A separate piece of artwork for "Kiss That Frog" was also included in the liner notes for US. The second piece of artwork, which was designed by Bili Bidjocka, features a blowup doll representing frigidity, and a frog within an aquarium, both of which are contained within a box.[3]
Background[edit]
Gabriel developed the lyrics "Kiss That Frog" after reading Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment, a book that employed the use of Freudian psychology to analyze fairy tales. Further inspiration was taken from The Frog Prince, a fairy tale written by Brother Grimm. Gabriel transformed the fairy tale into a sexual metaphor where the princess is depicted as an innocent princess and the frog as a lusting male.[1] The lyrics are sung from the frog's perspective and include euphemisms about being all puffed up, getting wet, and a line about how the frog's tongue can kill.[4]
The song’s rhythm track dates back to 1984 when Gabriel was working on his Birdy soundtrack album.[5] The Adzido Pan African Dance Ensemble supplied one of the son'’s percussion loops, Richard Blair was credited with programming, and Manny Elias, formerly of Tears for Fears, played Senegalese shakers. Some of these sounds comprise the song's intro, which also feature soft keyboard chords that lead into an electric guitar riff played by David Rhodes.[4] Maryln McFarlane sang backing vocals during certain portions of the song, including the fade-out.[1] Writer Durrell Bowman described the song as lacking a conventional chorus, saying that the title-tag instead functions as a mini-chorus.[4]
Kiss That Frog appeared both on Gabriel's Secret World Tour and the accompanying Secret World Live concert film.[6][7] During live performances on this tour, Gabriel and his bandmates were filmed through a pool of water contained within a trapdoor.[5] In 2016, the song was revived for Gabriel's Rock, Paper, Scissors Tour, with Sting handling lead vocals.[8]
Critical reception[edit]
Author Graeme Scarfe highlighted Gabriel's vocal delivery on "Kiss That Frog", drawing comparisons to Otis Redding, who was an early influence for Gabriel. Scarfe stated that Gabriel's "vocals have never been richer", describing them as amongst the "throatiest" and "croakiest" of his career.[1] Robert Christgau noted the sexual undertones of "Kiss That Frog" and singled out the song as the only fast songs on Us other than "Steam".[9] Greg Kot also identified "Kiss That Frog" as one of the few uptempo tracks on Us, adding that the song provided "much needed humor" to the album.[10] In his review for Rolling Stone, Kot also thought the song was "instantly engaging and subversive", further commenting on the "queasy twist" that Gabriel gave to the fairy tale of The Frog Prince.[11] Record Collector labeled "Kiss That Frog" as a "pleasing reconnect with his [Gabirel’s] bizarro side."[12]
Credits from the Us liner notes.[17]