Kiss and Not Tell

"Kiss and Not Tell" is a song by English singer Elly Jackson, known professionally as La Roux, from her second studio album, Trouble in Paradise (2014). It was written and produced by Jackson and Ian Sherwin, with additional writing from Ben Langmaid and Darren Berry. The song was released as the album's second and final single on 20 October 2014. La Roux performed the track on Live with Kelly and Michael on 10 July 2014, as well as throughout the Trouble in Paradise tour. "Kiss and Not Tell" was La Roux's first single to fail to enter the UK Singles Chart, instead reaching number 53 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.

"Kiss and Not Tell"
Single by La Roux
from the album Trouble in Paradise
B-side"Tropical Chancer"
Released20 October 2014 (2014-10-20)
GenreElectro[1]
Length3:53
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
  • Elly Jackson
  • Ian Sherwin
  • Ben Langmaid
  • Darren Berry
Producer(s)
  • Ian Sherwin
  • Elly Jackson
La Roux singles chronology
"Uptight Downtown"
(2014)		 "Kiss and Not Tell"
(2014)		 "The Best of It"
(2018)
Music video
"Kiss and Not Tell" on YouTube

Background

Elly Jackson has revealed that the song's lyrics are about a "feeling of when you're in a relationship and you both know the problems you might come up against maybe five years or 10 years into the relationship, but you choose to ignore them. [...] It's about all those secrets that you have that you both know about".[2]

Jackson premiered "Kiss and Not Tell" at a concert in Brighton on 28 March 2013, along with three other songs that would eventually make it onto Trouble in Paradise: "Uptight Downtown", "Sexotheque" and "Tropical Chancer".[3][4] She announced "Kiss and Not Tell" as the next single on her Instagram page on 2 September 2014, simultaneously revealing the cover art.[5] The single was released on 20 October exclusively as a seven-inch vinyl single with "Tropical Chancer" as its B-side. A remix of the song was uploaded onto YouTube on 17 November, however, without crediting a specific author or stating the name of the remix.[6]

Critical reception

The song was met with positive reviews from music critics. Heather Phares picked it as one of the standout tracks in her AllMusic review.[7] Billboard's Jason Lipshutz called the song an "effervescent treat".[8]

Music video

The music video for "Kiss and Not Tell" was directed by Alexander Brown[9] and premiered on 7 September 2014. Designed as a 1980s TV advert for phone sex hotline, it pictures Jackson as a recipient for the calls.[10][11] Upon dialing, the phone number advertised in the video directed to the pre-recorded voice message from Jackson: "You're through to the 'Kiss and Not Tell' hotline. Press 1 to get down. Press 2 to leave a cheeky message. Be careful what you say – these recordings can and will be shared".[9] The hotline was also advertised on promotional stickers distributed in London's Soho area in autumn 2014.[12][13]

Track listing
A. "Kiss and Not Tell" – 3:51
B. "Tropical Chancer" – 3:29

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Trouble in Paradise.[15]

  • Ian Sherwin – production, engineering, bass guitar, drum programming, mixing
  • Elly Jackson – production, vocals, guitar, synth bass, keyboards, percussion, mixing
  • Ben Langmaid – engineering
  • Darren Berry – drum machine
  • Chilly Gonzales – piano, Hammond organ
  • Alan Moulder – mixing
  • John Catlin – mixing assistance
  • Caesar Edmunds – mixing assistance
  • John Dent – mastering

Charts
Weekly chart performance for "Kiss and Not Tell"
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[16] 26
UK Physical Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 53

Release history
Release dates for "Kiss and Not Tell"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United Kingdom 20 October 2014 7-inch single Polydor [18]

References
  1. Staples, Derek (21 July 2014). "La Roux – Trouble in Paradise". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  2. Ugwu, Reggie (9 July 2014). "6 True Stories That Inspired La Roux's New Album". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  3. "La Roux's in full-on Get On With It mode, and about time too to be honest". Popjustice. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  4. Williott, Carl (2 April 2013). "Remember La Roux? They're Back!: Watch Elly Jackson Perform 4 New Songs". Idolator. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  5. La Roux (2 September 2014). "LA ROUX on Instagram: "Next Single || #KissAndNotTell"". Retrieved 9 July 2017 – via Instagram.
  6. "La Roux – Kiss And Not Tell (Remix)". YouTube. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  7. Phares, Heather. "Trouble in Paradise – La Roux". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  8. Lipshutz, Jason (22 July 2014). "La Roux Finds Peace on 'Trouble In Paradise': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  9. Walker, John (8 September 2014). "We Called La Roux's Faux Phone-Sex Hotline". MTV News. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  10. Rettig, James (8 September 2014). "La Roux – "Kiss And Not Tell" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  11. Davidson, Amy (8 September 2014). "La Roux channels adult chat line in new 'Kiss And Not Tell' video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  12. Zaremba, Mat [@MatZaremba] (14 September 2014). "Love the promo campaign for @larouxofficial new single! Call 01557280014 for #KissandNotTell hotline now! It's free!" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 July 2017 – via Twitter.
  13. "LA ROUX on Instagram: "@richardchapman good find ☎️"". 21 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017 – via Instagram.
  14. "La Roux – Kiss And Not Tell (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  15. Trouble in Paradise (liner notes). La Roux. Polydor Records. 2014. 2094302.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "La Roux – Kiss and Not Tell" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  17. "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  18. "Kiss And Not Tell [7" VINYL]: La Roux". Amazon. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
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