Sixpence None the Richer is an American alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs "Kiss Me" and "Breathe Your Name", and their covers of "Don't Dream It's Over" and "There She Goes".
members: Leigh Nash
formed in: New Braunfels
labels: R.E.X. Records
genres: pop rock, indie rock, Christian alternative rock
awards: GMA Dove Award for Group of the Year
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Guitarist/songwriter Matt Slocum met Leigh Nash in the early 1990s and recorded a demo, circulated as "The Original Demos", with bassist T.J. Behling at Verge Music Works recording studio in Dallas, and eventually an album, The Fatherless and the Widow, for the independent label R.E.X. Records in 1994. After adding more members, the band toured in support of The Fatherless and the Widow. The band released This Beautiful Mess in 1995.
"Kiss Me" is a song written by Matt Slocum and performed by American Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None the Richer. The ballad served as the lead single from their self-titled third album (1997).
"Kiss Me" was serviced to US modern rock radio on July 14, 1998, and was issued physically on August 12. Several critics compared the song to works by English alternative rock band the Sundays, and it was nominated for a Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 42nd Grammy Awards.
"Kiss Me" originated as a draft of a song written in a Dutch motel. Sixpence None the Richer's lead vocalist Leigh Nash said the band had been in their rooms for about an hour when member Matt Slocum called to tell her he had written a new song. Nash added, "We were on tour over there, and we had a show that night at Flevo Festival. We performed it that night! I went down into his room and learned it. It was an instant hit with fans, but it was still like a year and a half before we recorded it."
The song is in E♭ major, with a "moderate beat" of 96 bpm. The time signature is 44 common time, and the vocal range is B♭3–B♭4, according to Musicnotes.com.
In January 1999, Miramax used "Kiss Me" as the theme song of its teen romantic comedy film She's All That. The film's box office success helped "Kiss Me" gain widespread mainstream attention and chart success. In Italy, the film was retitled Kiss Me. The song was also included on Dawson's Creek's first soundtrack in April 1999.
Rick Anderson of AllMusic called the song "an utterly irresistible slice of swoony guitar pop", adding that "is impossible to shake loose from the brain and could well turn out to be this generation's 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'." Chuck Taylor and Deborah Evans Price of Billboard magazine compared the song to those recorded by the Sundays. Taylor called it "admirably well-written" and "brightly produced", further comparing the track to 10,000 Maniacs. British music columnist James Masterton also compared "Kiss Me" to the Sundays, calling it a cross with a mellow Cranberries song and a "wonderful tapestry of jangling guitars". Jim Kerr of Radio & Records magazine called the song an "amazing piece of alterna-pop" reminiscent of the Sundays....