Exile – Kiss You All Over

BBC Top Of The Pops – 31 August 1978

“Kiss You All Over” – Single by Exile from the album Mixed Emotions
B-side: “Don’t Do It” (US), “There’s Been a Change” (UK)
Released: 1978
Songwriters: Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
Producer: Mike Chapman
Charted #1 in US and No.6 in UK

You don’t see this very often: a #1 pop hit by a country group from Kentucky written by the leading glam rock songwriters from the UK.

“Kiss You All Over” was the brainchild of Mike Chapman, who wrote and produced the song with his partner Nicky Chinn.

A very unusual song, “Kiss You All Over” combines elements of rock and disco, which was the stylistic sweet spot of 1978. It was the first song Mike Chapman wrote on a keyboard instead of guitar; the instrument could replicate strings, which gave him a new sonic arsenal.

It held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks (starting September 30), and Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1978. The track also reached number one in at least three other countries. In the United Kingdom, the song was released on Mickie Most’s RAK Records, and peaked at number 6 on the UK singles chart.