The song was first released as a single in July 1994 by ZTT, Sire and Warner Bros., and included in the film The NeverEnding Story III that year.

The song was re-released a year later in 1995 as part of the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the United States and Australia.

In 2015, Seal provided verified commentary on the "Kiss from a Rose" entry on the website Genius, stating simply: "I have avoided explaining these lyrics for over 25 years.

[6] "Kiss from a Rose" was the second single taken from the Batman Forever film soundtrack, and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week in August 1995.

[7] Seal talked about the long, strange journey that the song went through on The Brian McKnight Show season finale that aired 30 May 2010.

Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel felt that "fairy-tale-ish melodies and harmonies" uplift "Kiss from a Rose".

[11] Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "Seal's magnificent "Kiss from a Rose" – now subtitled 'Love Theme from Batman Forever' – is back a mere year after its first release when it reached number 19.