Kiki Dee “Love is a Warm Kind of Sorrow”
Northern Soul Monday
“Love is a warm kind of sorrow,
when I know that all too soon it has to end.
Yes, love is a warm kind of sorrow,
’cause I know I’ll never feel this way again.”
It’s time for this week’s installment of Northern Soul Monday featuring the best in Northern Soul Music every month, every week, and every Monday.
Are you ready to hear pre-“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”-Kiki Dee belting out a Northern Soul Monday kind of Track? I know I sure am.
Kiki Dee’s “Love is a Warm Kind of Sorrow” is an early 70’s upbeat track with a Northern Soul sound and heartbreak-infused lyrics. It was released in 1970 on Kiki Dee’s album, Great Expectations, put out by Tamla/Motown Records.
Kiki Dee, born Pauline Mattews, was born in 1947 in Little Horton, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire. She is known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, and for her big mid-70’s hits “I’ve Got the Music in Me”, and duet with Elton John, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.
She was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown’s Tamla Records.
At age 10 Kiki Dee won a local talent contest, and at age 16 she had her first paid job in show business. She said of that time in her life:
“I realized when I sang at family parties and Christmases I’d suddenly get everyone’s attention and, being the youngest of three, I thought what a brilliant attention-seeking ploy it was,”
She went on to say:
“My older brother had a lot of Elvis on vinyl and really that was my first introduction to music during the Fifties.”
Kiki worked at Boots UK in Bradford at 16 during the day, and at night she sang songs with a dance band in Leeds. A record scout liked her singing and invited her to London to do an audition. There, in 1963, she signed as a solo artist to Fontana Records.
Kiki’s recording career began as a session singer. She sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, among others, and was well regarded by other singers but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years. In 1963, she released her first single, “Early Night”, and recorded her debut album I’m Kiki Dee, which included a series of Phil Spector style tracks and covers.
“Why Don’t I Run Away From You”, a cover of Tami Lynn, was released by Kiki in 1966 and was her first big hit on Radio London and Radio Caroline.
“On a Magic Carpet Ride” by Kiki Dee
Her 1968 release of “On a Magic Carpet Ride”, which was originally a b-side, has remained popular with the Northern Soul circuit, as has Today’s Song – “Love is a Warm Kind of Sorrow” – released in 1970.
What are your thoughts on “Love is a Warm Kind of Sorrow”? Did you Press Play more than once? Wha ut the her other Northern Soul track, “On a Magic Carpet Ride”? What did you think of it?
BE SURE TO CHECK BACK HERE EVERY MONDAY FOR MORE OF THE BEST OF NORTHERN SOUL MUSIC. RIGHT HERE IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE BEST NORTHERN SOUL SONGS EVERY MONDAY, AND BE STOMPING, AND READY TO START YOUR WEEK OFF RIGHT.
