Sadeness (Part I)
"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 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 both the Dance Club Play and 12-inch Singles Sales charts. Its music video was directed by Michel Guimbard. 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).[1]
"Sadeness (Part I)"
"Introit: Benedicta sit sancta Trinitas"
1 October 1990
4:16
- Michael Cretu
- Fabrice Cuitad
- Frank Peterson
Michael Cretu
History[edit]
"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.[2]
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."[3]
The track makes use of the following:
Chart performance[edit]
The single reached number-one on the UK Singles Chart on 13 January, 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.
Music video[edit]
The accompanying music video for "Sadeness (Part I)" was directed by Michel Guimbard,[23] and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.[24] 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[25][26]) 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.[27]