Kissing the Pink.

Yes, that's totally what it means. Ahem.

Now that we've dispensed with all that, Kissing the Pink formed in 1980 in London and never really broke through in a big way, either home or abroad. Their first album, "Naked" came out in 1983 and MTV picked up on the moody video for "Maybe This Day", a darkish new wave/funk number featuring a sax solo perfect for stripping.



I haven't seen that video since (HELLO, VH1 CLASSIC PERSON WHO READS THIS BLOG - yeah, I see you in my stats!). As I grew older, I thought maybe I imagined this song until Napster came along (ah, memories) and I finally found it again. "Maybe This Day" even cracked Billboard's Hot 100, then Kissing the Pink went down.

Ahem.

Three years later, they surfaced for air, this time calling themselves the more broadcast-friendly KTP, and brandishing a much glossier sound with the album "Certain Things Are Likely". The album's first single, "One Step," got some minor club and MTV play, but the title track follow-up is what got KTP noticed in the States. "Certain Things Are Likely" topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts in 1987, with a much funkier and superior remix of the album track that also paved the way for the emerging Chicago house scene. And hey, cowbell!

After this brush with success, the group became Kissing the Pink again, but never matched their previous heights. Another album followed in 1993, with another recorded for, then abandoned by Sony. Kissing the Pink members went on to do various production work, leaving two classic singles behind. Not bad for a band with...that...name...

Download "Maybe This Day".
Download "Certain Things Are Likely (Club Mix)".

"Maybe This Day" peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Certain Things Are Likely" peaked at #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart.

A guide to buying Kissing the Pink albums.