Smooth operator

"Smooth Operator" is a song by the English group Sade, released as the fourth and final single from their debut album Diamond Life (1984). It was released (in both the U.S. and the UK) as a 7" single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12" maxi single with "Smooth Operator" and "Red Eye" on side A and "Spirit" on side B. In the U.S. it was the follow-up to "Hang on to Your Love".

This was Sade's first Top Ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in May 1985. The song spent thirteen weeks in the Top Forty, and also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for two weeks. Although "Your Love Is King" remains Sade's biggest hit in the UK to date, "Smooth Operator" is the band's breakthrough hit on the U.S. charts, and their most successful single internationally.

Ray St. John, who co-wrote "Smooth Operator" with Sade Adu, was previously a member of Adu's former band Pride, although he was not a member of the band Sade. The pair co-wrote the song in 1982 while still members of Pride, yet did not get around to recording it because St. John left Pride shortly after Sade joined. St. John later went on to play guitar with the band Halo James, which scored a UK Top Ten hit with "Could Have Told You So" in February 1990.

"Smooth Operator" is about a fashionable man who lives a jet-set lifestyle. He is popular with women and breaks many hearts. The lyrics "Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale" imply that he uses women to sustain himself. It is also clear that he does not return the affections of these women, as Adu sings near the end, "His heart is cold."[original research?][citation needed]

Music video

The video for "Smooth Operator", directed by Julian Temple, was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in 1985, Best Female Video and Best New Artist.[1] The full-length version runs around eight and a half minutes, and shows the entire story of the song (The video features a then-unknown pre-Max Headroom Amanda Pays portraying a hostess/moll.)

Popular culture

"Smooth Operator" was the subject of a segment on Australian comedy variety show Micallef Tonight in 2003. The lyric "Coast to coast / L.A. to Chicago" was lampooned by Shaun Micallef for its geographical inaccuracy ("good thing she's a smooth operator, not a tour operator").[2]
"Smooth Operator" was lampooned by comedian Lenny Henry as 'Lathe Operator'
The comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000 referenced "Smooth Operator" while riffing on the short film Why Study Industrial Arts?, during an episode of the sixth season. In response to the phrase "Tool operators", Mike and the Bots begin singing "tool operator" to the tune of "Smooth Operator".

Cover versions

Filipino bossa nova singer Sitti recorded a cover of the song in 2007 for her second studio album My Bossa Nova.
Helena Paparizou performed the song live at Mad Secret Concert 2005. The song was officially released at her album "Iparhei Logos"
R&B singer Pru covered the song on her self titled album in 2000.
Covered by Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría on his 1987 release Soy Yo (along with another '80s quiet storm hit, Anita Baker's "Sweet Love"). Also featured on his 2000 release Mucho Mambo Mongo.
Danish vocal group Basix recorded the song for their The Grass album.
It was also covered in a death metal version by Ten Masked Men on their 1999 The Ten Masked Men Strike Back EP.
Señor Coconut y Su Conjunto covered the song on their 2003 Fiesta Songs album.
Swedish crooner James Gicho released a cover version in 2005, produced by Håkan Lidbo.
Paloma Faith performed a cover of the song as part of the "Great British Songbook" segment of Simon Mayo's Radio 2 programme on 18 January 2009, where she claimed to suspect she knew who the song was about.[3]
Trumpeter Greg Adams provided an instrumental version of the song off his 1995 Hidden Agenda album.

Single by Sade
from the album Diamond Life
B-side "Spirit"
Released 15 September 1984 (UK)
2 March 1985 (U.S.)
Format 7" single, 12" maxi single
Genre Soul, smooth jazz, R&B
Length 4:54 (Album Version)
4:15 (7" Version)
5:25 (12" Version)
Label Epic, Portrait
Writer(s) Sade Adu ((folshade sijuwade)), Ray St. John
Producer Robin Millar

Track listings and formats

UK, U.S., Dutch, and Australian 7" single
Side A:
"Smooth Operator" – 4:15
Side B:
"Spirit" – 5:28
UK, U.S., Canadian, Dutch, and Japanese 12" maxi single
Side A:
"Smooth Operator" – 5:25
"Red Eye" – 3:18
Side B:
"Spirit" – 5:28

Charts

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart[4] 12
Dutch Top 40[5] 19
German Singles Chart[6] 11
Irish Singles Chart[7] 17
Swiss Singles Chart[4] 14
UK Singles Chart[8] 19
Chart (1985) Peak
position
French Singles Chart[4] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[9] 5
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[9] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[9] 11

Preceded by
"Rhythm of the Night" by Debarge Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
May 11, 1985 (2 weeks) Succeeded by
"Suddenly" by Billy Ocean