Kiss You All Over

"Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by the group Exile, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's album Mixed Emotions, and featured lead vocalist Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Pennington on vocals.

"Kiss You All Over"
Single by Exile
from the album Mixed Emotions
B-side	"Don't Do It" (US) "There's Been A Change" (UK)
Released	1978 (1978)
Genre	Soft rock[1]
Length	4:57
Label	Warner/Curb Records (US) RAK Records (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Mike Chapman Nicky Chinn
Producer(s)	Mike Chapman

On the American Top 40 broadcast of May 26, 1979, Casey Kasem reported that Chapman stated his source of inspiration for "Kiss You All Over" was "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" by Barry White.

The song 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),[2] and Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1978. The track also reached number-one in at least three other nations.

In the United Kingdom, the tune was released on Mickie Most's RAK Records, and peaked at number 6 in the UK Singles Chart.[3] The strings are played with a synthesizer in backing track. In 2010, Billboard ranked the song ninth on its list of "The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time".[2]

Lead vocalist on the number, 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-up 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.

Charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4]	9
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[5]	7
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[6]	2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7]	2
Ireland (IRMA)[8]	7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11]	7
Norway (VG-lista)[12]	5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13]	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14]	3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15]	6
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[16]	19
US Billboard Hot 100[17]	1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[18]	3

All-time charts

Chart (1958-2018)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100[19]	163

No Mercy version

"Kiss You All Over"
Single by No Mercy
Released	22 August 1997
Genre	Europop
Songwriter(s)	Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
Producer(s)	Johnny Vicious, Darrin "Spike" Friedman
No Mercy singles chronology
"Please Don't Go" (1997) "Kiss You All Over" (1997) "Hello How Are You" (1998)
Music video
"Kiss You All Over" on YouTube

The German band No Mercy's 1997 remixed version by Johnny Vicious and Darrin "Spike" Friedman reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[20] It also reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and number 47 in Australia.

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that "there's no denying that No Mercy's eponymous album is several notches above standard dance/pop fare-as evidenced by this Latin-spiced rendition of Exile's '70s-era hit." They noted further that "the song's hook thrives within FMP's arrangement of swirling house beats and flamenco guitars." They also added "factor in the act's sweet harmonies".[21] Music & Media commented that "this highly successful trio has given this song a poppy-flamenco treatment that is likely to mean it will chart all over the place once again, something that proves that good songs last a long while."[22]

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[23]	47
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24]	13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25]	43
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[26]	20
Germany (Official German Charts)[27]	40
Hungary (Mahasz)[28]	5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29]	30
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30]	44
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[31]	10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32]	33
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[33]	16
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[20]	1

Cover versions

• 1978: A version by Jim Mundy and Terri Melton made number 87 on the Hot Country Songs charts.
• 1978: A Disco version was covered by Broadway.
• 1978: An Italian version was recorded by Genoa-based band Latte e Miele, with the title Sto volando con te (I'm flying with you), Italian lyrics by Massimo Gori (RCA, PB 6250); the song was included in the 2004's compilation L'amore... cos'è? (Love ... what is it?) (DeAgostini, BAN19-2).
• 1979: Along with the track "So Strange", Phyllis Hyman covered this song and had a minor disco hit, peaking at number 75.
• Also in 1979, Millie Jackson covered this song for her album A Moment's Pleasure and it was released as a single in Europe.
• 1982: A lovers rock version by Samantha Rose produced by reggae producer Winston Curtis was recorded in London.
• 1990: Tommy Puett recorded a version on his only album Life Goes On, which was named for the TV series of the same name, in which he starred.
• 1993: Tiffany released a version on her Asia-only album Dreams Never Die. The album (and song) were re-released in the U.S. in 2005.[34]
• 2003: Cilla Black covered the song on her last ever studio album, Beginnings: Greatest Hits & New Songs. Her version was later remixed by Tommy Sandhu for the 2009 remix album Cilla All Mixed Up.
• 2013: On the album Love Will..., Trace Adkins recorded a cover version with Exile (J.P. Pennington and Les Taylor).
• 2016: A cover of the song appears on the Information Society album Orders of Magnitude.

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. The Exile version of the song also closes episode seven of the Netflix series Mindhunter and also closes the final season (2) of the Bravo series Imposters (TV series).

References

1. Sendejas Jr., Jesse (August 7, 2014). "The '70s' Seven Sexiest Soft-Rock Songs". Houston Press. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
2. M. Tye Comer, Mariel Concepcion, Monica Herrera, Jessica Letkemann, Evie Nagy and David J. Prince (February 11, 2010). "The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2016.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
3. "Exile - Kiss You All Over / There's Been A Change - RAK - UK - RAK 279". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
4. "Austriancharts.at – Exile – Kiss You All Over" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
5. "Ultratop.be – Exile – Kiss You All Over" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
6. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 0054." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0014a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
8. https://www.ukmix.org/showthread.php?31984-Irish-Singles-Charts-1976-1978/page4
9. "Charts.nz – Exile – Kiss You All Over". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Exile" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Exile – Kiss You All Over" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Exile – Kiss You All Over". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Exile – Kiss You All Over". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
14. "Swisscharts.com – Exile – Kiss You All Over". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
16. "Exile Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
17. "Exile Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Exile – Kiss You All Over". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
19. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
20. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 191.
21. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard magazine. October 11, 1997. p. 84. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
22. "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 17. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
23. "Australian-charts.com – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over / Bonita (Remix)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
24. "Austriancharts.at – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over / Bonita (Remix)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
25. "Ultratop.be – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
26. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
27. "Offiziellecharts.de – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
28. "Top 10 Hungary" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
29. "Dutchcharts.nl – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over / Bonita (Remix)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
30. "Charts.nz – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over / Bonita (Remix)". Top 40 Singles.
31. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
32. "Swisscharts.com – No Mercy – Kiss You All Over / Bonita (Remix)". Swiss Singles Chart.
33. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
34. "Kiss You All Over: Tiffany: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.