Black Coffee (All Saints song)

"Black Coffee"
A filtered split portrait of All Saints dressed casually while seated on one couch, and jeans and trousers hanging over another couch. Towards the top stands "All Saints" in glittering silver font and the title "Black Coffee" is smaller white font.
Single by All Saints
from the album Saints & Sinners
B-side"I Don't Wanna Be Alone"
Released2 October 2000 (2000-10-02)
Studio
Genre
Length4:49
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)William Orbit
All Saints singles chronology
"Pure Shores"
(2000)
"Black Coffee"
(2000)
"All Hooked Up"
(2001)
Music video
"Black Coffee" on YouTube

"Black Coffee" is a song by English girl group All Saints from their second studio album, Saints & Sinners (2000). It was released on 2 October 2000 by London Records as the album's second single. The track was produced by William Orbit, and written by Tom Nichols, Alexander von Soos and Kirsty Bertarelli (credited as Kirsty Elizabeth), initially intended as a single for Kirsty under the title "I Wouldn't Wanna Be". It is a mellow electropop, acid techno and R&B song, unique for its production-laden sound featuring breathy keyboards, glitching electronics and elements of ambient music. A wistful love song, its lyrics stem from Kirsty's relationship with Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli, detailing feelings of love at first sight and contentment.

The track was met with general acclaim from music critics who likened it to the group's previous single "Pure Shores" for their wistful chorus delivery and Orbit's distinctive production. Its unconventional structure was also cited as influential upon the sound of later girl groups such as the Sugababes and Girls Aloud. A commercial success, "Black Coffee" marked All Saints' fifth and final number-one single in the UK. It also reached the top 10 in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden.

Bo Johan Renck directed the accompanying music video which features the group serenading an arguing couple in bullet time in a high rise apartment block. All Saints promoted "Black Coffee" with live performances on CD:UK, Children in Need, Later... with Jools Holland, Top of the Pops and at the 2000 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. Much group in-fighting happened during the promotion of the single, prompting tense live renditions and eventually causing the group to split up in 2001, acrimoniously.