Smooth Operator

Sade recorded Smooth Operator during the Diamond Life sessions at The Power Plant in London. Sade Adu and Ray St. John wrote the song, and Robin Millar produced the recording with the band lineup of Sade Adu, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman and Andrew Hale. Smooth Operator was released by Epic in 1984 and became one of Sade's defining early singles. It reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and helped carry Diamond Life from British breakthrough to international success. Smooth Operator remains one of Sade's signature recordings and a staple of the band's catalogue. Its polished atmosphere, saxophone line and portrait of an elegant con man have kept it prominent in radio, television and retrospective coverage of 1980s pop.