ENIGMA
Sadeness
«Sadeness (Part I)» is the debut single by German musical project Enigma. The song was released in 1990 as the first of four singles from their debut album MCMXC a.D. (1990). It became an international hit, reaching number one in 14 countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on its dance chart. 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).
Track information
- Released 1 October 1990
- Recorded 1990
- Genre New-agedowntempo
- Label CharismaVirginEMI
- Songwriter(s) Michael CretuFabrice CuitadFrank Peterson
Track 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 told, «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.»
Chart performance
The single reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart on January 13, 1991,[20] 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.[21] The single has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.[22] 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.
Did you know?
The title is a combination of the words «Sade» and «sadness.» «Sade» refers to Marquis de Sade, a French novelist whose sexual activities gave us the word «sadism.» He believed sex had to be painful in order to be pleasurable.
The background vocals are a Gregorian chant, which is a kind of singing popular in a lot of church music. The lyrics are in Latin, which are how many of the chants were sung in church.
The Gregorian chant on this song came from a recording of The Kapelle Antiqua Choir, which is based in Munich. When this became a hit, the choir sued Enigma, who did not ask permission but did distort the sample. They settled the case.
Enigma is the husband and wife duo of Michael and Sandra Cretu. Michael worked as a studio musician before working on his own material under the group name Enigma, Sandra providing the vocals.
«Sadeness (Part One), is the first of three parts that comprise the 11 1/2 minute track «Principles of Lust.» The other two parts are «Find Love», and «Sadeness (Reprise)».
