Is It A Crime?
by Sade

Album: Promise (1985)
Charted: 49
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is similar to Sade's "Smooth Operator," in which an urbane but essentially innocent woman is in love with a scummy man who used her. In "Is It A Crime?" she sees him for what he is and has walked out on him, although she still loves him and misses him.
  • The song is part of Sade's second album, Promise, released in 1985 as the follow-up to their breakout debut, Diamond Life. It's the first track on the album and the second single, following "The Sweetest Taboo."

Comments: 1

  • Mr Franx from AustraliaHello,
    What isn’t mentioned here is that “Is it a crime?” is the follow up song to “The sweetest taboo” song.
    If you watch both video clips this will make sense.
    In “The sweetest taboo”, Sade’s love interest with Temor is set in an exotic location and she is singing about him afterwards in the New York rehearsal space.
    In “Is it a crime” Sade is singing about the same guy in the same rehearsal space as Temor rides around New York in a cab looking for Sade after their breakup because of his rough treatment to her.
    He eventually gets to the bands space to find it empty. He does find his name that Sade wrote on the window, at the end of “The sweetest taboo” video.
    He wipes it away in frustration.
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