Seal probably didn’t think he had a hit on his hands when "Kiss from a Rose" first flopped in 1994. It was weird. It was a waltz. It had these layered, Gregorian-chant-style vocals that felt more like a medieval cathedral than a Billboard chart-topper. But then Joel Schumacher put it in Batman Forever, and suddenly, you couldn't go to a grocery store without hearing about petals and snow. Because the song is so tied to Seal’s specific, gravelly baritone and those intricate vocal harmonies, attempting a kiss by a rose cover is basically a death wish for most singers.
It’s a vocal minefield. If you go too soft, you lose the power. If you go too hard, you sound like you’re auditioning for a cruise ship.
Over the decades, everyone from pop-punk bands to heavy metal icons and a Capella groups has tried to reclaim the rose. Some of them actually managed to find something new in the soil. Others? Well, they should have probably left the thorns alone.
The Pop-Punk Reimagining: Punk Goes Pop
Back in the early 2010s, there was this massive trend of taking soulful 90s hits and throwing them through a distortion pedal. Jack’s Mannequin (Andrew McMahon) took a stab at a kiss by a rose cover for the Punk Goes Pop series, and it’s... polarizing.
Andrew McMahon is a brilliant songwriter. His work with Something Corporate is legendary. But "Kiss from a Rose" relies on a certain rhythmic fluidity that pop-punk usually kills. In this version, the drums are very "four-on-the-floor," which fights against the natural 3/4 or 6/8 waltz feel of the original. It’s snappy. It’s clean. But does it have soul? Kinda. It sounds like a high school prom in 2006. For some people, that’s the peak of nostalgia. For Seal purists, it feels a bit like sacrilege.
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Why Heavy Metal Actually Works for This Song
You wouldn't think a song about "the light on the dark side of me" would work with screaming guitars, but heavy metal artists keep gravitating toward it. Maybe it’s the drama. The song is inherently theatrical—it's "big."
The Dan Vasc cover is a prime example of why this works. Vasc has this operatic, power-metal range that can actually match Seal's intensity. Metal thrives on those soaring high notes and the dark, brooding atmosphere that the original song flirts with. When the "Ba-da-da" hook kicks in with double-bass drumming, it feels like a Viking war chant. Honestly, it fits the "Dark Knight" vibe better than the original pop version did.
Then there’s the Northern Kings version. This is a "supergroup" of Finnish metal vocalists, including Marko Hietala (formerly of Nightwish). They turned it into a symphonic metal anthem. By leaning into the orchestral elements, they respected the complexity of Seal’s arrangements while adding a layer of grit that makes it feel fresh.
The Problem with Being Too Faithful
Most people who attempt a kiss by a rose cover fail because they try to out-Seal Seal. You can’t.
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Seal’s production on that track, handled by the legendary Trevor Horn, is a masterpiece of layering. There are dozens of vocal tracks stacked on top of each other. When a solo artist tries to cover it live with just a guitar or a piano, it often feels thin.
- Kelly Clarkson: She covered it during her "Kellyoke" segment. She’s one of the best vocalists of our generation. She hit every note. But even Kelly struggled to capture the "vibe" because the song is so rhythmically dense.
- The Glee Cast: This one is a bit of a fever dream. It’s perfectly tuned, perfectly sung, and completely devoid of any human emotion. It’s the "uncanny valley" of covers.
When you’re looking for a great cover, you want someone who strips it down or blows it up. Middle ground is where this song goes to die.
The Unlikely Success of Luke Combs
If you told me ten years ago that a country superstar would deliver a definitive kiss by a rose cover, I’d have laughed. But Luke Combs did exactly that during a live session.
Why did it work? Because Combs has a similar "sandpaper and silk" quality to his voice. He didn't try to make it a country song with a banjo or a steel guitar. He just sang it with raw, unadulterated power. He leaned into the soul roots of the track. It proved that the song’s DNA isn't just "90s pop"—it's basically a spiritual.
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Understanding the "Waltz" Trap
One thing most casual listeners don’t realize is that "Kiss from a Rose" is written in triple meter. Most modern pop is in 4/4 time. 1-2-3-4.
This song goes 1-2-3, 1-2-3.
When amateur singers or bands try to cover it, they often lose the "swing." They treat it like a standard ballad, and it becomes clunky. If you’re listening to a cover and it feels "off," check the rhythm. If the drummer is playing it like a rock song, the magic is gone. The song needs to swirl. It needs to feel like it’s spinning.
The Best Way to Experience These Covers
If you’re diving into the world of Seal covers, don’t just stick to Spotify. A lot of the best versions are actually hidden in YouTube "bedroom" covers or live performances that never got an official release.
- Search for "A Capella" versions. Since the song is built on vocal harmonies, groups like Pentatonix or even collegiate groups often do the best job of recreating that "wall of sound."
- Look for the 8-bit versions. Seriously. The melody is so strong that it sounds like a final boss theme in a Castlevania game.
- Check out the instrumental jazz takes. Because the chord progression is actually quite sophisticated (moving from G to A to 7th chords in ways pop usually doesn't), jazz musicians have a field day with it.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Playlist
If you want to curate the best experience with this specific song, follow these steps:
- Diversify the Genre: Don't just listen to pop covers. Add one metal version (Dan Vasc), one country-adjacent version (Luke Combs), and one acoustic version (the Jessie J live take is surprisingly solid).
- Listen for the Harmonies: The "make or break" moment of any kiss by a rose cover is the bridge. If the artist can't pull off the "I’ve been kissed by a rose on the grey" climax with enough vocal weight, skip it.
- Compare to the Original’s Production: Listen to the 1994 original right before the cover. Pay attention to the oboe. Yes, there is an oboe. If a cover replaces that haunting woodwind sound with something interesting—like a cello or a synth—it’s usually a sign of a high-quality arrangement.
- Ignore the Batman Nostalgia: Try to judge the song as a piece of music, not a movie tie-in. The best covers are the ones that forget the capes and cowls and focus on the lyrics, which are actually quite dark and cryptic about addiction and healing.
Ultimately, covering Seal is a flex. It’s a way for a singer to say, "Look what I can do." Whether they succeed or fail, the attempt usually tells you everything you need to know about their technical skill and their ability to handle one of the most complex hits of the 20th century.