“Haunt Me” by Sade
Sade’s “Haunt Me” is an interesting piece in that first of all, the nature of the relationship between the vocalist and addressee is never really specified. And secondly, this can be deemed a song of devotion which, as lyrically terse as it may be, is also one of the most poetic we ever came across.
In other words, this track sports sort of a lean-on-me inspired sentiment. Here, we find out that Sade is basically telling the person she’s singing to that if they should need her, he or she should never doubt her willingness to help.
It should be noted that in the second verse, the vocalist does identify herself as being “a friend” to the addressee. So this person may be a romantic interest, as of course two individuals can be friends as well as lovers. And the fact that Sade states a willingness to be ‘haunted’ by the addressee at the beginning of the song, even though that is a very open-ended metaphor, in honesty it does read as one that is more romantic than platonic.
But even if the vocalist and addressee are lovers, then obviously in the mind of the former it is the friendship side of the equation that takes precedence. And all lyrics considered, she wants to make sure that the addressee never forgets that, i.e. Sade’s concern for him or her being a genuine one.
Sade
By the looks of things, Sade may hold the distinction of being the most-successful female soul singer of the 1980s. Back then in the pre-internet days many, if not most of her fans were unaware of the fact that the songstress was actually born in Nigeria and is partly Nigerian herself, though she only spent the very-early part of her childhood living in Africa.
Indeed at that time, at least as far as the United States goes, many people were actually under the impression that Sade was of Latin American origins, in part due to her sound but also the imagery associated with her music, including the fact that to some degree, she physically resembles a Latin American (due to her mother being a European).
Sade’s first two albums, 1984’s “Diamond Life” and 1985’s “Promise”, were multi-platinum hits both in the UK and stateside, where ultimately she was even more popular.
Even though she hasn’t been as active since the turn of the century, many of her earlier works are considered classics, as Sade has a very unique sound amongst popular musicians.
When did Sade release “Haunt Me”?
“Stronger Than Pride”, which Epic Records made public on 5 April 1988, isn’t one of the more notable albums from Sade’s heyday. However, it still achieved multi-platinum status in the US and France. One of the songs that was spawned from that joint is “Haunt Me”, which interestingly appears to be Sade’s only single of the 20th century that failed to chart.
Interesting to Note:
In actuality, Sade is a reference to a band as well as the frontwoman of said outfit, the aforenoted Sade Adu.
Sade Adu co-wrote “Haunt Me” with one of her backup musicians, Stuart Matthewman.
Meanwhile, the entire band produced it alongside Ben Rogan and one of their regular collaborators, engineer Mike Pela.
“Haunt Me” ranks amongst Sade’s most famous songs. Others include:
- “Your Love is King”
- “Smooth Operator”
- “No Ordinary Love”
- “The Sweetest Taboo”
- “Hang on to Your Love”
- “Love Is Stronger Than Pride”
- “King of Sorrow”
The Sara Jane Morris Version
English singer, Sarah Jane Morris covered “Haunt Me” as part of her third solo album, “Blue Valentine”. The album itself was released in 1995 and recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s.
Artists that have Sampled/Interpolated “Haunt Me”
The following recording artists have made use of “Haunt Me” in their songs:
- 1997: Lace Da Booms in “Murder Season”
- 1997: Mad Mone in “The Letter”
- 1998: The Kraken (Hip Hop) in “Dusty Trails”
- 1998: ATK in “Ma Mort”
- 2004: Mac Dre in “Cutthoat Soup”
- 2009: Post Mortem in “Fremoris Duo”
- 2004: Sinik in “D.3.32”
- 2014: Knucks in “Doubt Me”
- 2016: Punto 2h in “Reves”
