VA - Sealed with a Kiss (The story of a beautiful song)

The story of a beautiful song

When a cover becomes more popular than the original

"Sealed With a Kiss", or simply S.W.A.K. is a traditional signature on a letter sent to a loved one. And it can be translated as "sealed, sealed with a kiss" or "with the seal of a kiss."

This wonderful lyrical composition is known and popular mainly due to Jason Donovan, who performed and recorded it in 1989. The song performed by him not only got to the first place of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, but also broke through to the dance floors, as it carried elements of romantic slow dance music.

However, this song was written back in 1960 by the authors Gary Geld and Peter Udell, and the group "The Four Voices" (1960), singing in the style of "barbershop quartet", is considered its first performer, but it did not find responses from the listeners. And the group itself did not shine with special success in the field of musical activity. 

The single came out frankly a failure and for several years the song was simply forgotten.

In 1962, the idea of recording a new version comes to the mind of the American pop singer Brian Hyland, who in those years actively collaborated with Geld and Udell, performing many of their works. Sweet-voiced teen idol Hyland, upon hearing the first recording of the song, said then that “The four voices” did not put their soul into the song, and that is why it did not become a hit, remaining a lifeless craft. It was then that he decided to personally perform "Sealed with a kiss". It turned out, perhaps, one of the slowest performances of this song, quite in the spirit of the 60s. Following its performance by Hyland, the single peaked at number three on both the English Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed at number three for 11 weeks.

  The next performer to consolidate the success and popularity of the song was the team of Gary Lewis and The Playboys, whose recording in 1968 took the 19th line of the American hit parade.

Thus began the unfading popularity of "Sealed With a Kiss", which over the years has been covered and replayed by dozens of bands and performers.

In 1990 The Shadows recorded an instrumental version.

In 2004, Agnetha Fältskog sing  "Sealed with a kiss" in her nostalgic album "My coloring book", performing hits from the 60s.

Other well-known artists addressed the song: Shelley Fabares, Christine Laven, Gabor Szabo, Bobby Vee, Dana Winner of The Glitter Band, The Happenings, The Lettermen, Spanky and Our Gang, The Toys...

Of course, translations into various languages speak of the wide popularity of the song. For example, already in 1962, the French song "Derniers Baisers" ("Last Kisses"), written on the basis of "Sealed with a kiss", was released. There are also covers of the song in at least Czech, Polish, Finnish, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Danish, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish, as well as Cantonese and Khmer....

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I will be very grateful for the addition of variants of this song in the comments...I'm sorry for my "perfect" English.

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VA - Sealed with a Kiss 

1. The Four Voices - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)

2. Hyland Brian - Sealed With A Kiss  (249 kbps)3. Jason Donovan - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)4. Jerome C. - Derniers Baisers  (196 kbps)

5. Agnetha Faltskog - Sealed With A Kiss  (240 kbps) 6. Bravo - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 7. Paper Lace - Sealed With A Kiss  (182 kbps) 8. Franco Battiato - Sigillata Con Un Bacio  (245 kbps) 9. Demetrius - Sealed With A Kiss  (246 kbps) 10. Everly Brothers - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps) 11. Mud - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps) 12. Valeriy Dayneko - В Письмах Сентября (September Letter)  (192 kbps) 13. Brian Hyland - Schön War Die Zeit  (169 kbps) 14. The Hounds - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps) 15. Billy Shane - Derniers Baisers  (320 kbps) 16. Eino Grön - Suudelmin Suljetut Kirjeet  (192 kbps)

17. The Flamin' Groovies - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 18. The Tin Cans - Sealed With A Kiss  (218 kbps) 19. Bobby Vinton - Sealed With A Kiss  (230 kbps) 20. The Jailbirds - Sealed With A Kiss  (256 kbps) 21. Kingston Kitchen - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps) 22. The Lettermen - Sealed With A Kiss  (265 kbps) 23. Brødrene Olsen - -Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 24. The Rocking Stars - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 25. I Quelli - Sigillato Con Un Bacio  (320 kbps) 26. Gary Lewis & The Playboys - Sealed With A Kiss  (189 kbps) 27. Vilma Santos - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 28. Oleg Kapralov - Запечатано Поцелуем (Sealed With A Kiss)  (192 kbps) 29. St. Eve' - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps) 30. He Flying Pickets - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)

31. Septima Brigada - Sellado Con Un Beso  (192 kbps)

32. Karel Gott - Oči Barvy Holubí  (192 kbps) 33. The Arrows - Sealed With A Kiss  (160 kbps)34. Paul Anka - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)

35. Chris De Burg - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)36. Glitter Band - Sealed With A Kiss  (260 kbps)37. Fatima Marques - Sealed With A Kiss  (231 kbps)38. Gene Pitney - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)39. The Falling Leaves - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)40. Olympic - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)41. Ray Pilgrim, Mike Redway - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)42. The Jock Nisbet Group - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)43. The Happenings - Sealed With A Kiss  (158 kbps)44. Atom - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)45. Cliff Richard - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)46. Les Chats Sauvages - Derniers Baisers  (320 kbps)47. Fergus Hambleton - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)48. Four Bitchin' Babes - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)49. Jeanie Mai & Minh Phúc - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)50. Kai Hyttinen - Suudelmin Suljetut Kirjeet  (320 kbps)51. Junia Walker - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)52. Grupo Lluvia - Sellado Con Un Beso  (320 kbps)53. Jean-Pierre Kusela - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)

54. Kari Tapio - - Suudelmin Suljetut Kirjeet  (320 kbps)55. Dana Winner - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)56. Pedro & Thiago - Quatro Semanas De Amor  (320 kbps)57. Union Of Sound - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)

58. Andreas Tsoukalas - Antio.mp4  (192 kbps)59. Rick Hale & Cory Mccloskey - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)60. Toys - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)61.Plommons - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)

62. Shanes - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)63. Lecia & Lucienne - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)64. Rauni Pekkala - Suudelmin Suljetut Kirjeet  (320 kbps)65. Shinrai - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)66. Luigi Fiumicelli - Sigillata Con Un Bacio  (192 kbps)67. Pirjo Bergstroem - Suudelmin Suljetut Kirjeet  (192 kbps)68. Spanky & Our Gang - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)69. Albert West - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)70. Orlando - Derniers Baisers  (320 kbps)71. River Star - Sealed With A Kiss  (320 kbps)72. Richard Marx - Sealed With A Kiss  (128 kbps)73. Shelley Fabares - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)74. Laurent Voulzy - Derniers Baisers  (222 kbps) 75. Cuneta Faith - Sealed With A Kiss  (192 kbps)

VA - Sealed with a Kiss (Instrumental)

1. Brad Goode  2. Chet Atkins 3. Ensemble 4. Hank Marvin 5. Hawaii Romantic Saxophone 6. Jontez  7. Les Jaguars  8. Line Lorie  9. Man Chau Po Orchestra 10. Omar Garcia  11. Romantic Guitar  12. Santo Y Johnny  13. Unknow 14. Unknow15. Unknow 16. Hank Marvin .Phil Mcgarrick 17. Unknow 18. The Shadows 19. Szabo Gabor 20. Sealed With A Kiss 21. The Intimate Orchestra 22. The Spotnicks 

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