Seal recounts how the late Joel Schumacher helped turn “Kiss From a Rose” from a flop to a hit

One of Hollywood’s most interesting, varied, and enjoyably divisive directors, Joel Schumacher, died yesterday at the age of 80, leaving behind an impressive filmography that includes highs like Lost Boys and A Time to Kill and doozies like The Number 23. He’s perhaps best known for his legendarily odd DC superhero flicks—Batman Forever and Batman & Robin—and while their reputations remain a source of debate, the success of the former’s “Kiss From a Rose” is inarguable.

And, as it turns out, Schumacher is pretty much the only reason anyone ever listened to that song in the first place. In a very sweet, heartfelt video posted to Instagram yesterday, Seal took some time to explain how the filmmaker was responsible for the iconic 90’s mega-hit’s belated success.

“Kiss From a Rose” was originally the fourth single from 1994's Seal II, but flamed out on the charts. Some time later, though, Schumacher approached Seal as a fan, asking if he had any new material for his upcoming Batman sequel. Seal’s manager at the time passed along the album, noting the song. And while Schumacher decided not to include “Kiss From a Rose” in the film itself, he played it over the end credits and helped Seal make a free music video using leftover Batman Forever set pieces.

The rest is history—the Val Kilmer Caped Crusader entry is what it is, and “Kiss From a Rose” became Seal’s biggest hit of his career, not to mention a karaoke staple. Revisit the music video below.

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