1990 single by Enigma
"Sadeness (Part I)" is a song by German musical project Enigma, released in October 1990 by Virgin Records as the lead single from their first album, "MCMXC a.D." (1990). It was written by Michael Cretu, Fabrice Cuitad and Frank Peterson, and produced by the latter. The song features French lyrics whispered by Cretu's then-wife, Sandra and became an international hit, reaching number one in 14 countries. In the United States, it peaked at number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number one on both the Dance Club Play and 12-inch Singles Sales charts. Its music video was directed by Michel Guimbard, featuring a scribe dreaming of wandering into "The Gates of Hell". A sequel to the song, "Sadeness (Part II)" featuring Anggun, was released on Enigma's eighth studio album, "The Fall of a Rebel Angel" (2016).
History.
"Sadeness" was written by Michael Cretu (under the pseudonym Curly M.C.), Frank Peterson (under the pseudonym F. Gregorian), and Fabrice Cuitad (under the pseudonym David Fairstein). The song was named "Sadeness (Part I)" on its single release in Germany, and "Sadness Part I" on its single release in the United Kingdom and Japan. It is a sensual track based around "questioning" the sexual desires of Marquis de Sade; hence the German release name of "Sadeness", as opposed to the English word of "Sadness" used in the UK release. The track reached number-one faster than any new release in German history - before its video clip had even been finished. The record company Virgin had done virtually no promotion on the song. Sales took off purely on the strength of radio and club play.
In the 2017 book "Stars of 90's Dance Pop: 29 Hitmakers Discuss Their Careers" by James Arena, producer Frank Peterson recalled: "Well, we finished the song, and we were in total awe of ourselves. Michael's manager, who also managed Sandra, came out to Ibiza with us for a weekend, and we played him the track. He was sitting there listening and said, "That's very heavy going. You'll never get that on radio." We started thinking, "Oh shit." An hour later, our contact at Virgin tells us his secretary and other people at the office are fucking amazed by the song. He said he didn't get it, but everyone else seemed to love it. So pretty quickly the song came out."
Music.
The track makes use of the following:
Critical reception.
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"This is what I totally believe—the song combined so many things. It was culture, it was hip, it was new sounding, and people couldn't tell where in the world it came from. American, French, Italian? They had no idea. It sounded so familiar, but yet so foreign at the same time. I think that was the key to its success."
—Frank Peterson talking about the success of the song.
Ned Raggett from AllMusic commented, "Snippets of monks invoking the Almighty effortlessly glide in and out of a polite but still strong breakbeat, shimmering, atmospheric synth and flute lines and a Frenchwoman whispering in a way that sounds distinctly more carnal than spiritual (as her gasps for breath elsewhere make clear)." Keith Clark from "Bay Area Reporter" called the song "suggestive". Larry Flick from "Billboard" described it as "brilliant and quirky", remarking that "it is currently the fastest-selling single in German recording history." He added that it "has already raised the ire of religious groups for its use of traditional Gregorian chants within the context of orgasmic groaning and a tribal hip-hop groove." Leah Greenblatt from "Entertainment Weekly" described it as a "incense trance". Irish "Evening Herald" called it "one of the most seductive dance records of the past couple of years". Swedish "Expressen" noted that church song are used "as a very reliable vocal generator".
Dave Sholin from the "Gavin Report" wrote, "Listeners may not have a clue what it's about, but the mood created by this totally unique production will keep 'em glued and wanting more. Not only have the Germans demolished the Berlin Wall, they had the good sense to make this a number one "sod - as in (Marquis De Sade) ness." A reviewer from "Music Week" described it as "chanting monks and a sensual muttering rolling over a hypnotically rolling slow beat". Ian Cranna from "Smash Hits" noted the "atmospheric lines" of the song in his review, adding that it's "combining medieval monks' chants and wispy, wistful synthesiser driftings over hippety-hoppety beats." Bob Mack from "Spin" called it "the Dark Ages disco cut". He added that "the track starts with a standard call and response—but it's one of monks doing Gregorian chants. After the beats kick in, synth washes buoy the flute flourishes, while French spoken words and heavy female panting get the point across." Kimberly Chrisma from "The Stanford Daily" felt the result of combining Gregorian chant with "pulsating synthesizers" was "an ambient fantasia that made the heart throb and the mind tingle."
Chart performance.
The single reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart on 13 January 1991, as well as in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It reached the top spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained at the top for nine weeks. In the United States, the single peaked at number five on the "Billboard" Hot 100 singles chart in April 1991. The record sold over 500,000 copies in the US and was certified Gold there. The single has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. It earned a gold record in Australia, Austria, France, the Netherlands and the United States, and a silver record in the United Kingdom. It also earned a platinum record in Germany and Sweden.
Music video.
The accompanying music video for "Sadeness (Part I)" was directed by Michel Guimbard, and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe. It shows a scribe who dreams of wandering among cathedral ruins. He comes up to Auguste Rodin's "The Gates of Hell"; and as the scribe looks on, he sees a woman (played by French model Kati Tastet) beyond it, who whispers the main lyrics from the song to him. The scribe then opens the gates and, realising what he has done, attempts to flee, but is dragged through the gates. The video ends with the scribe waking up.
Impact and legacy.
In July 2013, "Complex" included "Sadeness (Part I)" in their list of "15 Songs That Gave Dance Music a Good Name", commenting, "We doubt that something like this, with lyrics in Latin and French that dealt with religion and the sexual desires of Marquis de Sade, would fly in today's pop charts, but there's something that was so undeniable about this new age/downtempo track that it was featured everywhere, from "Single White Female" to "Tropic Thunder"." In February 2022, "Classic Pop" ranked it number four in their list of the top 40 dance tracks from the 90's, praising it as "unique".
Track listings.
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Charts.
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See also.
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References.
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