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Remaining a source of truth for her audience, Sade maintains perspective by warning her listeners that moving forward isn’t easy. Better yet, it’s awareness of the self, and not dependence on other people, that will lead to peace. Sade relates the battle to a matter of life or death, claiming that she’s “Doing [her] best / To stay alive.”

Its beats are intense

For nearly six minutes, “Soldier of Love” is backed by an unrelenting, harsh drumbeat. On top of that, a jazzy marching drum plays, adding a physical element to the idea of a soldier – lifted from the song’s very title – engaging in a battle of love. And on top of that (!), a quirky guitar riff fills the remaining dead air, supplementing the “wild wild west” atmosphere we get from the lyrics.

In addition, “Soldier of Love” has the obvious benefit of being a product of Sade Adu, a Nigerian-British singer-songwriter whose years of musical experience have developed her into one of the business’s best vocalists and lyricists. She’s comparable to a singer like Bono, whose voice, like a fine wine, has merely improved with age. (Side note: My spirit soars every time I hear Sade’s “By Your Side,” a single off Lover’s Rock. Were someone to perform the song for me with added acoustic guitar, I’m almost certain my heart would melt).

In “Soldier of Love,” Sade is as great as ever. Her voice booms with clarity, punctuating the messages embedded in the lyrics. Even more, an array of voices accompanies Sade in the song’s refrain. The vocal help adds significant weight to the piece, haunting the listener long after the song has ended.

Its music video is simple, yet elegant

The music video to “Soldier of Love” is like a Salvador Dali painting come to life. Strange, unexplained backdrops – heavy storms, sandy beaches, serene water, crashing waves, ominous mountains – envelope choreographed dance numbers by men in casual uniform, Sade tossing around a giant lasso and Sade again riding horseback atop a gorgeous white stallion. She attacks and conquers a lowly male, dances suggestively with another and then stands erect while her eight pieces of man meat rhythmically dance for her. Symbolic, yes, but it largely plays on the lyrics’ themes of holding your ground when a kinship goes bust.

It bridges the gap between pop and contemporary jazz

Maybe what impresses me most about “Soldier of Love” is that it positions jazz more in the mainstream. And not in the purposeful genre-bending way that country music has done over the past decade. Instead, “Soldier of Love” is simply a perfect storm of everything discussed here – meaningful lyrics, nifty beats, Sade’s vocals, intriguing music video – constructed carefully together to become one kick-ass piece of jazz tune that listeners are bound to enjoy.

Not convinced? Take “Soldier of Love’s” chart performance. The song debuted at #58 (a Sade record) on the Billboard Hot 100 – again, an industry standard for tracking the popularity of released singles. In time, “Soldier of Love” would max out at #52, Sade’s highest-peaking single since 1992’s “No Ordinary Love.”

On other charts, the results are even sweeter. “Soldier of Love” debuted at #11 on the Urban Hot AC Chart, good enough for highest debut by any artist in the ‘00s. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, “Soldier of Love” peaked at #6, another Sade record.

Even better, “Soldier of Love” hit #1 in U.S. Adult R&B and, unsurprisingly, the Smooth Jazz Top 20 – effectively becoming the first vocal jazz song to be top dog.

Perhaps “Soldier of Love’s” biggest conquest, however, was in being handpicked by ABC’s promo team for the final season of Lost. The network’s fourth trailer for the series’ final season was essentially clips from seasons one through five set to “Soldier of Love.” There’s arguably no grander stage this television season than sharing an association in some way to Lost’s final season.

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