by Amanda London· Published · Updated
Hot Chocolate’s “It Started with a Kiss” is a song premised in puppy love, as in the singer and the addressee originally being elementary school sweethearts.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();Indeed at the time their relationship kicked off he was “just about turned nine”, and she was just “eight years old”. And as the title suggests their romance “started with a kiss” the two of them shared, more specifically while they were in the classroom.
A True Story
And at first in his young naïve mind Errol Brown, with this being a real-life story from his childhood, thought everything was all good. He was basically under the impression that they would go on to live happily ever after.
But the lad had a personality flaw, if you will, in that he was jealous. In fact he felt so intimidated by rivals that he once fought “some good-looking boy” who was ‘hanging around’ his sweetheart, whose name by the way was actually Barbara Blackwood.
Well said jealousy ended up working against him, as in such mannerism seemingly did not impress Barbara at all. For after getting into a fight with the good-looking boy, the “look in her eyes” towards the singer suddenly became “distant”.
But perhaps, his behavior aside, that change in perception rather had something to do with the fact that said boy apparently kicked his behind.
But anyway it seems their relationship lasted, to some capacity, all the way ’til their mid-to-late teens. However, around the time, when Errol “turned 17” and Barbara was 16, he could no longer maintain the relationship.
So at some unspecified point after parting ways, the two of them randomly cross paths, and the singer’s heart starts to beat wild with excitement. So he calls out to Barbara, only for her to ‘look and look away’, i.e. ignore him. And of course this “hurt” him very bad. But he also seems to imply that maybe she didn’t even recognize him.
Conclusion
And that’s how the song concludes. At a juncture in time, even if he was just a kid, the love of the singer’s life was the addressee.
But now his relationship with her has reached a point where it’s like in her mind, she doesn’t even know he exists. And as he explains in the chorus, he “never thought it would come to this”.
So it can be said that Errol is a bit heartbroken, even though as an adult he realized that it was in fact puppy love, i.e. something that wasn’t really that serious in the first place.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();Who is Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate is a band from London which traces its heyday back to the late 20th century, i.e. around the time this song was released. They’ve come out with nine studio albums, all within a 20-year timespan, between 1974 and 1993.
And this track (“It Started With A Kiss”) is from the seventh of those projects, which is entitled “Mystery” (1982).
Release and Success of “Started With A Kiss”
This song also came out during that same year, in 1982. And it reached fifth place on the UK Singles Chart, in addition to charting in approximately 10 countries in total. Where it performed most impressively was in the European nation of Belgium. Here, it topped the Ultratop chart.
“It Started With a Kiss” also reappeared on the UK Singles Chart in 1993 and 1998 and has been certified silver across the pond. Additionally, this track is featured on the ultra-popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2002), on one of its fictional radio stations, VCFL.
Hot Chocolate have a few signature songs. This track is one of them. Another is 1975’s “You Sexy Thing”, which unlike “It Started With a Kiss” also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100.
Writing Credits
This song was written by one of the founders of Hot Chocolate, the late Errol Brown (1943-2015), who remained with the group from its formation in 1968 until 1986.
He was actually born in Jamaica, where his relationship with Barbara Blackwood took place.
And the track was produced by Mickie Most (1938-2003) and came out under Most’s label, Rak Records, in conjunction with EMI Electrola.
Other Members of Hot Chocolate
In addition to lead vocalist Errol Brown, the other members of Hot Chocolate at the time this song was released were:
- Harvey Hinsley (guitars)
- Larry Ferguson (keyboards)
- Tony Connor (drums)
- Patrick Olive (bass)
And as of the early 2020s Hinsley, Connor and Olive remain members of the group, alongside Andy Smith (keyboards), Steve Ansell (keyboards) and Kennie Simon (vocalist).
Interesting to note…
As with perhaps most other puppy loves, Errol Brown and Barbara Blackwood lost contact with each other as the years progressed. In fact the vocalist went on to explain that there’s no way she’d ever know that this song was about her (:
