Released 1978 (1978) Genre Soft rock | Format 7" single Length 4:57 | |
B-side "Don't Do It" (US)
"There's Been A Change" (UK) Label Warner/Curb Records (US)
RAK Records (UK) | ||
"Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by the group Exile. It was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's album Mixed Emotions, and it featured Jimmy Stokley and guitarist JP Pennington on lead vocals. It was a number one single in the United States, but proved to be Exile's only big hit in the pop rock market (they would later have great success on the country music charts). It held the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks (starting September 30), and Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1978. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on Mickie Most's RAK Records, and it peaked at number 6 in the UK Singles Chart. In this song, a string synthesizer is used. In 2010, Billboard ranked the song ninth on its list of "The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time".
Contents
Lead vocalist on the song Stokley was ousted from the band in 1979, his health declining thereafter until he died at the age of 41 in 1985. The band moved into country music following the synth-pop success of "Kiss You All Over" and the 1979 follow-on hit "You Thrill Me" (reaching #40 (UK no. 67)) and "How Could This Go Wrong", #88 on the charts. "Take Me Down" peaked at #3 on the Euro Hit 40 in the mid-1980s.
Cover versions
Appearances in other media
The song was featured in the films Happy Gilmore, Wild Hogs, Man on the Moon, Employee of the Month, and Zookeeper. It was also used in 2007 on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada during a montage of Stanley Cup celebrations at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The song closes out the finale of the first season of the Amazon Series Red Oaks.