Tame Impala cover Seal's 'Kiss From A Rose' for Like A Version

Tame Impala have recorded a cover of Seal's 'Kiss From A Rose' for Like A Version, turning the ballad into a psychedelic, harmony-heavy arrangement. Kevin Parker says the song has personal weight: it came from the Batman Forever soundtrack, the first CD he ever bought.

"[The soundtrack] was the first CD I ever bought, so I know every song on it."

"I used to listen to it back-to-back," Parker said. Batman Forever came out in 1995, and 'Kiss From A Rose' became one of Seal's signature songs.

A psych-rock reworking

Parker was joined for the performance by Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, Julien Barbagallo and James Ireland. The arrangement keeps the melodies of the original but wraps them in layered harmonies, shimmering textures and a hazy, atmospheric backdrop.

Parker said the band had reservations about taking on a song associated with one of pop's most distinctive voices, since none of them has Seal's vocal range. They settled on treating it as a group of Australian blokes having a go at a song they love.

He also pointed to the song's structure. "There's many different parts, musically, [and] the rhythm changes in ways you wouldn't expect," he said. "It's quite proggy in that way."

Fourth Like A Version

Like A Version is triple j's weekly cover series, and this is Tame Impala's fourth appearance on it. They also performed their own song 'Dracula' in the studio.

The session follows the band's Deadbeat Tour, which took in 12 Australian shows with Ninajirachi as support. Tame Impala go into the 2026 ARIA Awards with eight nominations, level with Genesis Owusu for the most of any act. The winners will be announced at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Wednesday 18 November.