A Song to Share

The Sweet Communion of a Kiss

My life as a musician is equal parts listener and performer. My ears perk up when I hear a piano or a gorgeously rendered melody floating in the air. When I hear a song for the first time, what I do is give it the chance to sweep me off my feet and whisk me away. This rarely happens, of course. Most songs I encounter are not of that caliber.

Once in a while, however, I come across a masterpiece that completely consumes me.

A few months ago, I was listening to a podcast and the song I am featuring in this issue was mentioned and performed by the host.

Oh my goodness. Hearing this song was like looking into the face of my future husband for the first time. It was comforting, alluring, and on some visceral level, felt like somewhere I needed to be.

I was swept off my feet completely.

I later went to YouTube to see if I could find a live performance of it from the original artist, and in my mind, this is the best version. An album rendition of it exists, but its production takes a lot away from the song. I may be biased of course, but the grand piano being played in the YouTube video (featured below at the end of this posting) is perfect.

The song is called The Kiss by Judee Sill.

Here are the lyrics.

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The Kiss
Music and Lyrics by Judee Sill

Love rising from the mist
Promise me this and only this
Holy breath touching me
Like a wind song
Sweet communion of a kiss

Sun sifting through the gray
Enter in, reach me with a ray
Silently swooping down, just to show me
How to give my heart away

Once a crystal choir appeared
While I was sleeping and called my name
And when they came down nearer, saying, "Dying is done,"
Then a new song was sung until somewhere we breathed as one

And still I hear their whisper

Stars bursting in the sky
Hear the sad nova's dying cry
Shimmering memory, come and hold me
While you show me how to fly

Sun sifting through the gray
Enter in, reach me with a ray
Silently swooping down, just to show me
How to give my heart away

Lately sparkling hosts come fill my dreams
Descending on fiery beams
I've seen 'em come clear down where our poor bodies lay
Soothe us gently and say, "Gonna wipe all your tears away"

And still I hear their whisper

Love, rising from the mists
Promise me this and only this
Holy breath touching me like a wind song
Sweet communion of a kiss

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Judee Sill was a singer-songwriter who performed and released music in the 1970s. She was the first artist to be signed to David Geffen’s Asylum Records. The Kiss is featured on her second full album, Heart Food. She passed away from a drug overdose in 1979.

If you have a quiet moment, here is the version I found on YouTube for you to enjoy. The arrangement on the piano frames her vocals in the best way possible. The melody is haunting and sweet.

I hope you love this song as much as I do.

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