Unkiss Me Explained

Unkiss Me
Border:	yes
Type:	song
Artist:	Maroon 5
Album:	V
Recorded:	2013–2014
Genre:	Power ballad^[1] ^[2]

"Unkiss Me" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It is featured as the fourth track on band's fifth studio album, V (2014). Despite the song's popularity, it has never been performed live by the band.

Composition

"Unkiss Me" starts off with a trap beat, which dissipates during the chorus in favor of a synth instrumental section.^[3] The entire song is more mid-tempo, along with the next track, "Sugar".^[4]

Lyrically, "Unkiss Me" is about a failed relationship,^{[5] [6]} which Levine struggles to overcome.^[7] The song features Levine using his lower register in his voice more so than in other songs.^[8]

Reception

"Unkiss Me" had a mostly positive reaction from critics, with some saying it was the best track on the album,^{[9] [10]} although there were some more negative reviews.^[11] Brad Wete from Billboard nominated the song to be released as a single. It was noted as an album highlight by Jimmy Donnellin from Cultured Vultures. The song has been compared to Boyz II Men.^[12]

Chart performance and streaming

Due to the success of V, "Unkiss Me" (along with many other songs) charted due to strong sales numbers. It peaked at number 56 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart, and 15 on the South Korean Gaon Chart. The song has over 66 million streams on Spotify as of November 2022.^[13]

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[14]	56
Canadian Digital Song Sales^[15]	30
South Korea International Chart (GAON)^[16]	15

Personnel

Credits are adapted from AllMusic.^[17]

Maroon 5

• Adam Levine – lead and backing vocals, additional drums, songwriting
• Jesse Carmichael – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, backing vocals
• Mickey Madden – bass guitar
• James Valentine – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Matt Flynn – drums, percussion
• PJ Morton – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Sam Farrar – backing vocals, programming
• Ross Golan – backing vocals, songwriting
• Johan Carlsson – songwriting, additional instrumentation, keyboards, mixing, production, programming, vocal production, backing vocals

Technical

this list may be incomplete list of credits

• Ryan Tedder – songwriting, production, additional instrumentation, programming
• John Armstrong – assistant
• Astma – additional instrumentation, production, programming
• Tim Blacksmith – executive production
• Max Martin – executive production, vocal production
• Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy – production
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Danny D. – executive producer
• Eric Eylands – assistant
• Rachael Findlen – assistant
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Clint Gibbs – engineer
• John Hanes – mixing
• Seif "Mageef" Hussain – production coordination

Notes and References

1. Anderson . Kyle . V Reviewed by Kyle Anderson . Entertainment Weekly . 21 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140904021932/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20849669,00.html . 4 September 2014 . 4 September 2014 . Things get mildly better when the band slows down for the Bruno Mars-ian soul jam Sugar and the middle-school-dance power ballad Unkiss Me,.
2. Web site: Chin . Aaron . MAROON 5 – V (ALBUM REVIEW) . Cryptic Rock . March 18, 2015 . 21 November 2022.
3. Web site: Floyd . Marcus . Album Review: Maroon 5 – V (Deluxe Edition) . Renowned For Sound . 21 November 2022.
4. Web site: Iandoli . Kathy . Maroon 5's 'V': Album Review . Idolator . 21 November 2022 . 2 September 2014.
5. Web site: Adam R. Holz . ALBUM REVIEW V . Plugged In . 21 November 2022 . “Unkiss Me” asks a woman to respect a man enough to tell the hard truth about their failing relationship..
6. Wete . Brad . Maroon 5 Tightens Up on 'V': Track-By-Track Review . Billboard . 21 November 2022 . 2 September 2014.
7. Web site: Donnellan . Jimmy . REVIEW: Maroon 5 – 'V' . Cultured Vultures . 21 November 2022 . 3 September 2014.
8. Web site: Maroon 5 returns with its fifth studio album, V. Adam Levine and company focus on delivering slick, modern pop songs. . The Musically Hype . 21 November 2022 . 4 September 2014 . “Unkiss Me” continues adding colorful synths. “Unkiss Me” proves more pop/urban-oriented than “It Was Always You.” Vocally, Levine’s tone is exceptional here, finding him using his lower register more. Lyrically it shines thanks to wise moments like, “You can’t light a fire, if the candle’s melted,” a larger statement of failed love..
9. Web site: Matthews . Katie . Review: 'V' sees Maroon 5 return to their roots . The Bark . 21 November 2022 . 8 September 2014.
10. Web site: album review: 'v' by maroon 5 . Spectrum Pulse . 21 November 2022.
11. Web site: V Band: Maroon 5 Album: V . Rate Your Music . 21 November 2022.
12. Web site: Goldstein . Luke . Music Review: Maroon - 5 . BlogCritics . 21 November 2022 . 11 September 2014.
13. Web site: Unkiss Me . Spotify . 21 November 2022.
14. Web site: Maroon 5 Album & Song Chart History. Canadian Hot 100. 19 September 2014.
15. Web site: Canadian Digital Song Sales . . 29 July 2024.
16. Web site: Gaon Chart . GAON. Korean . September 12, 2014.
17. Web site: V – Maroon 5: Credits. AllMusic. February 8, 2015.