Sade "Smooth Operator" is a song by English band Sade from their debut studio album, Diamond Life (1984), and was co-written by Sade and Ray St. John. It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single with "Spirit" as its B-side, and as a 12-inch maxi single with "Smooth Operator" and "Red Eye" on side A and "Spirit" on side B. Released on 28 August 1984, it reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Smooth Operator" was released in Febru