Kiss with a Fist

"Kiss with a Fist"
Single by Florence and the Machine
from the album Lungs
B-side"Hospital Beds"
Released9 June 2008 (2008-06-09)[1]
Recorded17 November 2007
Genre
Length2:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stephen Mackey
Florence and the Machine singles chronology
"Kiss with a Fist"
(2008) 		"Dog Days Are Over"
(2008)
Music video
"Kiss with a Fist" on YouTube

"Kiss with a Fist" is the debut single by indie rock band Florence and the Machine, taken from their debut studio album Lungs (2009). The single was released through Moshi Moshi Records on 9 June 2008 in the UK and was then released four months later on 6 October 2008 through IAMSOUND Records in the US. The B-side to "Kiss with a Fist" is a cover version of the Cold War Kids song "Hospital Beds".

It has been featured on the original motion picture soundtrack to 2009 black comedy film Jennifer's Body, as well as the 2008 film Wild Child, NBC comedy Community (Season 1, Episode 12 - "Comparative Religion"), Cougar Town (Season 1, Episode 3 - "Don't Do Me Like That"), Saving Grace, United States of Tara and The Good Doctor. The song was also used to advertise the launch of the Channel 4 music channel.

Background

"Kiss with a Fist" first appeared with the same lyrics under the name "Happy Slap" on Ashok's (Florence Welch's previous band) first (and only) album Plans.[8] "Kiss with a Fist" was originally released as a non-album single and was later finalised as track number five on Lungs. It is significantly the shortest track on the album and was co-written by Florence Welch herself along with Isabella Summers (who co-wrote the majority of the songs on the album with Florence) and Matt Allchin. The song is in an indie garage-rock style and features Christopher Lloyd Haiden on drums, Robert Ackroyd on bass guitar and Tim McCall on guitar. The track was both recorded and mixed by Richard Flack with producer, former Pulp bassist Steve Mackey (renowned for his work with M.I.A.) credited as a co-mixer as well.[9]

Originally, a great deal of confusion surrounded the song's meaning. With lyrics such as "broke your jaw once before", "split your blood upon the floor", "you smashed a plate over my head", "you gave a kick" and "I gave a slap" - the song was thought by many to be based on domestic violence, which Florence denies.

Florence explained the song's meaning on her MySpace:

"Kiss with a Fist" is NOT a song about domestic violence.

It is about two people pushing each other to psychological extremes because they are fighting but they still love each other. The song is not about one person being attacked, or any actual physical violence, there are no victims in this song. Sometimes the love two people have for each other is a destructive force. But they can't have it any other way, because it's what holds them together, they enjoy the drama and pushing each other's buttons. The only way to express these extreme emotions is with extreme imagery, all of which is fantasism and nothing in the song is based on reality.

Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" isn't actually about her bleeding and this song isn't actually about punching someone in the mouth."[10]

The single was performed on BBC Introducing and at Academy 1 as part of the release's promotion. The song is also a regular feature of the band's performance setlist, being performed at numerous festivals in and around the UK, including Glastonbury, Brighton, the NME Awards tour, the Ben & Jerry festival and the Electric Picnic among others.

Florence further elaborated on her inspiration behind the song:

I was 16 or 17 when I wrote this. I'd just fallen in love for the first time, and I'd also started hanging out with an older group of people, watching how their relationships worked. There was this one couple who were so cool, but so visceral and so intense. The guy never hit the girl, but I saw her lamp him a couple of times, and she'd always give as good as she got. But it wasn't really physical violence, it was more about the fact that their animal passion for each other was the thing that was attractive for them. It was how joyful destruction can be, and how alluring it is to be in a relationship so fiery. There was never a dull moment when they were around. I don't know how they do it! I'm a conflict avoider. I think I write about such intense things because I'm actually really bad at expressing anger.[11]

Critical reception

MusicOMH questioned the song by saying "Those lyrics are likely to prove pretty contentious - is Welch condoning domestic violence with lines like "a kiss with a fist is better than none"? Or is it a character sketch of a woman cowed into submission by her violent lover?" but finished that paragraph by saying "Whatever the meaning, this is an exhilarating debut single."[12] Leedsmusicscene.net gave the song three stars out of five, saying that "The single sees a punchy garage-blues racket (albeit acoustic led) accompaniment to Florence, who sticks to the fore throughout by belting out a soulful yet feisty Joplin-esque growl." They then went on to say about the B-side, "Florence belts out another powerful vocal on Cold War Kids cover 'Hospital Beds', this time over the top of a more subdued, but no less apt, acoustic guitar line."[13] Boomkat.com reviewed the song:"You can't help but make links between this and The Crystals' "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)". That said the song itself sounds a bit more like The White Stripes' "We're Going to Be Friends", which is all fine and dandy. Florence sounds reasonably rooted in DIY roughness and she puts plenty of character into everything she does. The B-side is a cover of "Hospital Beds" by Cold War Kids, which really showcases Florence's voice."[14]

411mania.com described "Kiss with a Fist" as a track featuring punky, distorted and assertive female vocals built around the controversial notion that "A kiss with a fist is better than none".[15]

The B-side, the band's cover of "Hospital Beds" by the Cold War Kids has been described as "exemplifying their acoustic bar/pub goodness".[16]

Chart performance

"Kiss with a Fist" debuted at #58 on the UK Singles Chart on 16 August 2008. The following week it rose seven places to #51 and in total spending two weeks within the top 100. The single is Florence + The Machine's fifth most successful single to-date, outpeaking "Drumming Song".[17] As of July 2018 in United Kingdom combined sales stand at 135,000.[18]

Music video

On 4 June 2008 the music video for "Kiss with a Fist" was uploaded onto YouTube five days before the single's official release. It was directed by Price James and produced by Julia Frost of Black Dog Films. It has received over 6,000,000 views on Florence + The Machine's VEVO YouTube channel alone.[19]

The video takes on an eighties-styled theme and primarily takes place in a room of white-coloured background. It features Florence dressed in a cheeky punk themed outfit, running around - kicking, screaming in turn exclaiming how forceful love can be to contrast with the song's lyrical intention.

Usage in media

The track was featured on the soundtrack to the films Wild Child,[20] Jennifer's Body,[21] and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold,[22] as well as in the television series 90210, Saving Grace, Community, Chuck,[23][24]The Good Doctor and This Is Going to Hurt.

The song was used by Sky Sports to promote the 2013 Investec Ashes Series played between England & Australia.

Track listing and formats

UK CD Promo
  1. "Kiss with a Fist" - 2:04
UK 7" Vinyl/UK CD Promo
  1. "Kiss with a Fist" — 2:04
  2. "Hospital Beds" — 2:14

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)[25] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[26] 51

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Moshi Moshi Records | Releases: Kiss with a Fist". Moshimoshimusic.com. 9 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Florence and the Machine - Lungs". The A.V. Club. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Florence + The Machine - Lungs". Delusions of Adequacy. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Album Review: Florence and the Machine - 'Lungs'". NME. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Album review: Florence and the Machine". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Album review: Florence and the Machine - Lungs". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Review: Florence + the Machine Go Big, Then Go Home on 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'". Spin. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Plans: Ashok: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  9. ^ "Florence + The Machine* - Lungs (CD, Album, Enh, Ltd, Dig + CD, Album, Ltd, Dig) at Discogs". Discogs. July 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  10. ^ "Florence and the Machine's Blog". MySpace. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Official Website | News | Gigs | Music | Blogs - News". Florence and the Machine. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  12. ^ http://www.musicomh.com/singles/florence-and-the-machine_0608.htm Archived 16 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine MusicOMH review
  13. ^ "leedsmusicscene.net review". Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  14. ^ "FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, Kiss with a Fist / Hospital Beds". Boomkat. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  15. ^ "Music - Jennifer's Body (OST) Review". 411mania.com. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  16. ^ "Altsounds.com Reviews | Florence and the Machine - A Lot of Love, A Lot of Blood [EP]". Hangout.altsounds.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  17. ^ "UK Singles Chart runs". Polyhex.com. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  18. ^ Bloodworth, Adam (2 July 2018). "Florence and the Machine's Official Top 10 biggest UK singles revealed". Official Charts. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Florence and the Machine - Kiss with a Fist; Youtube VEVO video". YouTube. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  20. ^ "Wild Child The Movie Soundtrack Party Album: Various Artists". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  21. ^ "Jennifer's Body – Various Artists". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  22. ^ "St. Trinian's II (The Legend of Fritton's Gold) – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  23. ^ ""90210" Secrets and Lies (2008) – Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  24. ^ ""Saving Grace" Looks Like a Lesbian Attack to Me (2009) – Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  25. ^ [1] ARIA Report 1014. Retrieved 26 November 2012
  26. ^ "Florence & The Machine: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  27. ^ "British single certifications – Florence & The Machine – Kiss with a Fist". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – Florence & The Machine – Kiss with a Fist". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 10 August 2023.

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