“By Your Side” by Sade
In “By Your Side”, Sade promises never to leave her significant other but to always be present in every moment of his life, especially the low moments. This person, may have some doubts that anybody would remain by their side during their gloomy days, but the singer proves his thoughts wrong, by pledging that she will never leave their side.
The singer is not only interested in the joyous moments of her partner’s life but in the lonely and sad moments as well. She realizes that those are the times that her lover really needs her presence, and in order for her to prove her loyalty, she is willing to make time and be with him.
Sade uses various terms to signify her partner’s state of mind including moments when he’s down on his knees in depression, or cold in loneliness. She explains that she will take care of him and keep him close enough so that he does not feel isolated. The singer also wants her lover to understand that she is very interested in his well-being and interests; which is why she wants to be his eyes when he cannot go somewhere and bring him back home when he gets lost.
The song is also full of encouragement in that, the singer shows this person that he is more valuable than he thinks he is. She also realizes that when he’s in pain, it needs to be released naturally through tears, but she promises to be there throughout the process of healing.
Sade’s goal is mainly to make her partner feel better and happier than he is, and doesn’t mind even if it means she has to convince him he’s right when she knows he is wrong.
Writing and Production of “By Your Side”
“By Your Side” was written by the members of Sade. Thus the full list of writers is as follows:
- Lead vocalist, Sade Adu
- Bass guitarist Paul S. Denman
- Guitarist, Stuart Matthewman
- Keyboardist, Andrew Hale
The band also handled the production of “By Your Side” along with their longtime producer, Mike Pela.
Release Date
The group dropped this soul/R&B song on the 13th of October 2000. It was selected as the lead single of the Lovers Rock album. Lovers Rock came out as Sade’s 5th album and featured “King of Sorrow” as its second and final single.
Music Video
The music video for “By Your Side” was filmed in Los Angeles. It was directed by Sade’s long-time collaborator music video director Sophie Muller.
Cover Versions and Appearances in other songs
Covers of this track have been performed by a number of recording artists since Sade released it in 2000. For example, a 2017 version of this song was released by English band, The 1975. Billy McCarthy also recorded a version of this tune in 2017. Norwegian singer/songwriter Ane Brun performed her version of this track in 2018.
The tune was sampled by American songstress, Teyana Taylor in her 2018 song, called, “Issues/Hold On”.
Accolades and Chart Performance
VH1 magazine ranked “By Your Side” as the 48th Best Love Song of All Time.
In 2000, this single reached #17 on the UK Singles charts and peaked at #10 in Italy. The following year, the song got to #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Did “By Your Side” win a Grammy?
The song’s popularity earned the band an award nomination for the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 44th edition of the annual Grammy Awards ceremony. However, it was beaten to this award by “I’m Like A Bird” by Nelly Furtado.
