by Sade · 2024
The song “No Ordinary Love” by Sade is about the intense, devoted, and all-consuming love the singer feels for someone, a love that is unique, deeply sacrificial, and enduring despite pain and heartache.
This song has been Shazamed over 2,430,366 times. As of this writing, No Ordinary Love is ranked 29
No Ordinary Love’ by Sade is a beautiful song from the early ’90s about love that feels different from anything else. We’re going to break down what the lyrics mean and why this song touches so many hearts. ⬇️
Sade’s voice floats over a lush, slow-moving tide of music, creating a dreamy space filled with longing and devotion. The song tells a story of giving everything for love, only to be met with uncertainty and heartbreak.
The chorus, repeating “This is no ordinary love,” pulses like a heartbeat—steady, unwavering, desperate to be heard. We’re swept into the urgency of loving someone so deeply, it almost hurts to breathe. The repetition isn’t just a catchy hook; it’s a plea, a protest, a way of insisting that what we feel isn’t just ordinary—it’s rare, maybe even impossible to replace.
️ In the verses, Sade confesses, “I gave you all the love I got, I gave you more than I could give.” That line alone feels like an open wound—raw, honest, brimming with quiet pain. Each phrase peels back a layer of vulnerability, and as she repeats, “You took my love,” we sense both her exhaustion and her relentless hope, as if she’s talking directly to the universe, begging it to make sense of all she’s poured out.
️ The song’s refrain—“I keep crying, I keep trying for you”—echoes like a late-night confession. It’s the sound of someone who refuses to give up, who keeps fighting for a love that might never fully be returned. Even when she sings, “Keep flying for you, and I’m falling,” there’s this dizzy contrast between rising hope and crashing disappointment, something we’ve all felt in love’s messiest moments.
Sade’s true message is that extraordinary love can be both a blessing and a burden, carrying us higher than we thought possible—and sometimes, letting us fall.
Writer(s) of No Ordinary Love:
