Soul Kissing
Words and Music by Benny Mann
April 1, 2002

In the winter of 2002, I was working the bar at the VFW in Florence, MA.

On one particular Saturday morning, I was flipping through a bartender’s recipe book trying (futilely) to memorize drinks. I ran across a shot called a “Soul Kiss”. I was so intrigued by the idea of “soul kissing” and what it might entail, that I wrote the phrase down on a bar napkin as a reminder for further reflection. I slipped the note into my pocket and it ended up sitting on my bedroom dresser for a couple months.

In the springtime, I met a young lady and proceeded (against my more reasonable, conscious desires) to become completely enamored with the idea of her. In the end, she went back to an old boyfriend and I went back to being alone. In the interim, however, I did write this song with an honest, if plaintive, heart about the conflicted desires and trepidation I was experiencing at the time. I swear to this day that I shared a soul kiss with this particular person but I have no evidence whatsoever to prove that the event transpired anywhere other than in the confines of my overly optimistic imagination. Ironically, I gave her the lyrics to this song on April Fools Day.

Life, I suppose, can only be truly enjoyed with twisted sense of humor sometimes.

I still find the concept of a “soul kiss” sweetly erotic and while this particular romantic endeavor was not to be, I, even now, harbor sincere hopes that I will eventually find a soul with whom I might share the type of passionate embrace that this song extols.