"Hang On To Your Love" by Sade

    Hello friends, it’s time once again to revisit a forgotten track from the radio broadcasts of decade’s past. Today, we look back at a tune released at the beginning of a celebrated act’s career, which kicked off several years of smooth soulful hits from the band in both the UK and the US. Settle in for London’s Sade and their lovely single “Hang On to Your Love”.

 

“Take time if you’re down on luck… it’s so easy to walk out on love…

Take your time if the going gets tough, it’s so precious…”

“Sade” is not only the first name of the “face and voice” of the band, Sade Adu (which is her stage name, as her given name is Helen Folasade Adu), but it’s also the name of the band itself, comprising of Adu, guitarist and saxophonist Stuart Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, and drummer Paul Denman. And remember, “Sade” is pronounced “Shar-day”, not “Say-dee” or “Sayd” (rhyming with “paid”).

The first US single taken from their breakthrough 1984 LP Diamond Life, “Hang on…” was proceeded in the UK by four other singles, most of which had belated release dates in the states.

Perhaps Epic/Portrait Records (their label at the time) wasn’t sure how or even IF they should market the band in the U.S. due to the band’s very European and unique sound. Luckily for American music fans, the label eventually decided to test the band’s fortunes in the States.

“Hang On” did reasonable well on Billboard’s Hot Black singles (now called the hot R&B/Hip Hop chart) with a peak of #14, however the single did not cross over to the Hot100, though it came close by “bubbling under” at #102. For a lot of bands, the story probably would have ended here with a song that didn’t set the charts on fire, however Epic/Portrait decided to push one more single in the US, a little ditty called “Smooth Operator”… maybe you’ve heard of it.

Of course, “Smooth Operator” was the tune that catapulted Sade to super stardom, reaching US #5 on both the pop and R&B charts, and additionally topping the adult contemporary chart in 1985.

On a side note, I always appreciated that the first two words Adu sings in “Smooth Operator” were “Diamond Life”… which was also the name of the parent LP. Nice little bit of subtle self-promotion there.

“So if you want it to get stronger… you better not let go…
You gotta hold on longer… if you want your love to grow…”

“Hang On…” was one of the many songs that I thought was a bigger hit than it actually was, based solely on how frequently I heard it on the urban-leaning  pop radio stations in the Washington DC market that I grew up in. I assumed it went top 10 on the pop charts and was astonished that it earned no hot 100 chart showing, and only a top 20 R&B chart position.

Long before I knew of the term “sophisti-pop” or “quiet storm”, I appreciated Sade’s music. Adu’s sensual vocals perfectly mesh with the classy vibe of the band’s instrumentation to create the smoothest, most interesting R&B I’ve ever heard. Additionally, Sade’s lyrics (chiefly written by Adu and Matthewman) tend to lean more towards the intellectual side of things than most top 40 or R&B tunes.

So, settle back and relax for a smooth soul classic courtesy of Londoners Sade, and be sure to periodically check in with the Dial for more great tunes from years past!

Kyle’s Radio Dial – the more you listen – the MORE you remember!

“In heaven’s name, why are you walking away?

Hang on to your love…

In heaven’s name, why do you play these games?

Hang on to your love…”