Smooth Operator

E633759

"Smooth Operator" is a smooth jazz-influenced pop song by Sade, known for its sultry vocals and sophisticated, late-night atmosphere that helped define the band's signature sound in the 1980s.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Smooth Operator canonical 6

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf single
song
album Diamond Life
artist Sade
associatedAct Sade (band)
linked to: Sade
bSide Spirit
chartPerformance Top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100
hit single in multiple countries
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticalReception widely acclaimed as one of Sade’s signature songs
decade 1980s
firstAppearedOn UK edition of Diamond Life
format 12-inch single
7-inch single
genre jazz-pop
smooth jazz
sophisti-pop
soul
hasInstrumentation bass guitar
drums
keyboards
percussion
saxophone
hasLiveVersion performed on various Sade tours
hasMusicVideo true
influenced later smooth jazz and adult contemporary pop artists
language English
length approximately 4 minutes 16 seconds
notableFor helping define Sade’s signature sound in the 1980s
late-night, sophisticated atmosphere
sultry vocals
partOf Diamond Life
performer Sade
producer Robin Millar
recordLabel Epic Records
Portrait Records
releaseYear 1984
singleReleaseYear 1984
styleCharacteristic jazz-influenced arrangement
romantic, nocturnal mood
smooth, laid-back groove
theme sophisticated international con man
vocalist Sade Adu
linked to: Sade
writer Ray St. John
Sade Adu
linked to: Sade

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Sade notableWork Smooth Operator
Sade hasHitSingle Smooth Operator
Big Daddy Kane notableWork Smooth Operator
Diamond Life hasTrack Smooth Operator
Diamond Life includesSingle Smooth Operator
Paul S. Denman notableSongContribution Smooth Operator