Seal’s hit song “Kiss from a Rose” is permanently etched in the minds of millions of people all over the world. The song first graced ears a quarter century ago, becoming a hit thanks in part to the Batman Forever soundtrack. It’s had a remarkable shelf life, living on as an easy listening staple and pop culture fodder. Like many beloved songs, “Kiss from a Rose” has inspired countless covers, but none as captivating as the one produced by John Haskell and Dan Opsal. Inspired by Seal, their version features a group of, well, seals.
While it doesn’t quite have the melodic ring of the singular Seal, their efforts are inspiring.
Haskell and Opsal admirably cut together a series of grunts and wails from seals to match Seal’s musical stylings. The pair, who work at Late Night Starring Jimmy Fallon, make up the Real Big Boys YouTube channel. In addition to the seals’ Seal cover, the channel is home to a compelling assortment of hilarious short videos, including a video series featuring baboons doing various things and Greet Fighter, a very polite Street Fighter spoof.
In the very unlikely event anyone’s forgotten what Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” sounds like, here’s a refresher, by way of the Batman Forever music video.
While it’s impossible to imagine now, the song wasn’t initially the global sensation we remember it as. The song was released in the U.K. in 1994 on the singer’s second self-titled album. But it really rose to fame with the release of Batman Forever the following year. And shockingly, Seal wasn’t even a fan of the song, which later won a trio of Grammys, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
While Seal has yet to comment on the seals’ cover, we can only imagine he’s cheering on the efforts of his semiaquatic brethren.
Featured Image: Real Big Boys