Brian Hyland – Sealed With A Kiss
About the song
If you are a fan of classic pop songs, you might have heard of “Sealed With A Kiss”, a romantic ballad about two lovers who have to part ways for the summer. But do you know the history behind this song? Who wrote it, who recorded it first, and who made it a hit? In this blog post, we will explore the origins and evolution of this timeless tune.
“Sealed With A Kiss” was written and composed by Peter Udell and Gary Geld, a songwriting duo who began their partnership in the early 1960s and wrote over 100 songs together. One of their first songs was “Sealed With A Kiss”, which they wrote in 1960. According to Brian Hyland, who later recorded the song, Geld was inspired by a finger exercise for the piano based on Bach’s music. The lyrics are from the point of view of one of the lovers who promises to send his love and dreams in daily letters “sealed with a kiss”. The two also bind each other to a pledge, under seal of a kiss, that they will reunite in September.
The original recording of “Sealed With A Kiss” was by The Four Voices, a vocal group who had a sound like The Brothers Four. They released it as a single in May 1960, but it did not become a hit. It dragged and lacked life, according to Hyland.
Two years later, in 1962, Brian Hyland, a young pop singer who had already scored a number one hit with “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” in 1960, decided to cover “Sealed With A Kiss”. He gave it a more upbeat and lively arrangement, with guitars, harmonica, piano, bass, drums, and percussion. He also added some vocal harmonies and echo effects. His version was released as a single in May 1962 and became a top three hit in both the US and the UK. It also charted in Australia and Germany. Hyland’s version is considered the definitive version of the song and is still played on oldies radio stations today.
Hyland’s version was not the last one, however. Many other artists have covered “Sealed With A Kiss” over the years, including Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Bobby Vinton, Jason Donovan, Dana Winner, and Richard Marx. Some of them changed the lyrics or the style of the song to suit their own tastes. For example, Gary Lewis and the Playboys made it more rock-oriented, Bobby Vinton made it more orchestral, Jason Donovan made it more synth-pop, Dana Winner made it more country-pop, and Richard Marx made it more acoustic.
Which version of “Sealed With A Kiss” do you like best? Do you have any memories or stories associated with this song? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends who love classic pop songs.
