slice of swoony guitar pop" adding that "is impossible to shake loose from the brain and could well turn out to be this generation's 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'". Chuck Taylor and Deborah Evans Price of Billboard magazine compared the song to those recorded by the Sundays. Taylor called the song "admirably well-written" and "brightly produced", further comparing the track to 10,000 Maniacs. British music columnist James Masterton also compared "Kiss Me" to the works of the Sundays, referring to the song as a cross with a mellow Cranberries song, and called it a "wonderful tapestry of jangling guitars". Jim Kerr of Radio & Records magazine wrote that the song is an "amazing piece of alterna-pop" reminiscent of the Sundays. Larry Flick of Billboard described "Kiss Me" as a "refreshing summertime tune" with "airy" production and "romantic" imagery. Daily Record said it is an "excellent pop song". Chart performance "Kiss Me" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 on the issue of November 28, 1998, but it fell out of the top 100 the following week. On February 13, 1999, it re-entered the listing at number 91, then took another 11 weeks to reach its peak of number two on May 1, where it stayed for a single week. It stayed in the top 100 for 33 weeks, ending 1999 as the United States' sixth-most-successful song of the year. The single additionally peaked atop the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart and reached number two on the Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts. In Canada, "Kiss Me" debuted at number 45 on the RPM Top Singles chart on March 22 and rose to number one on May 10, becoming Canada's 11th-best-performing hit of 1999. It topped the RPM Adult Contemporary chart as well. The track reached number one in Australia, where it stayed for three weeks in June 1999 following a four-week climb up the ARIA Singles Chart. It appeared at number 19 on the Australian year-end chart of 1999. In New Zealand, "Kiss Me" debuted at number 16 in May and rose to its peak of number four on July 18, spending 15 weeks in the top 50 and ending the year at number 44 on the RIANZ year-end chart. The song became a hit in several European countries, reaching the top 10 in Austria, Flanders, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and the United