ENIGMA – Sadeness

Enigma is a musical project founded in 1990 by Romanian-German musician and producer Michael Cretu. Cretu had released several solo records, collaborated with various artists, and produced albums for his then-wife, German pop singer Sandra, before he conceived the idea of a new-age, worldbeat project. He recorded the first Enigma studio album, MCMXC a.D. (1990), with contributions from David Fairstein and Frank Peterson. The album remains Enigma’s most successful, helped by the international hit single “Sadeness (Part I)”, which sold twelve million units alone. According to Cretu, the inspiration for the creation of the project came from his desire to make a kind of music that did not obey “the old rules and habits” and presented a new form of artistic expression with mystic and experimental components.

Fun facts: The word “sadness” gained an extra “e” to connect with the figure of Marquis de Sade. It questions the behavior of the Marquis . The lyrics are in Latin and French, the Latin part quotes Psalms 24:7-8. On 10/16/2002 the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Anne Dudley performed the song live. The door that appears in the video is a sculpture called “The Gates Of Hell” by the artist Auguste Rodin, inspired by the scene “The Inferno” from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Karen Melchionne, silver medalist at the ISI World Recreational Ice Skating Championship on 08/03/99 said: “This song gives me great inspiration on the ice and winning the silver medal, skating with Sadeness from Enigma at the ISI World was incredible”. The single was released in the United Kingdom and Australia as Sadness because the companies decided to follow the dictionary. It became number 1 in 24 countries, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide. A mystery solved: in 2013, the name of the model in the “Sadeness” video was revealed. It was the French Cathy Tastet (17 at the time), hired by the Elite agency. Cathy plays the role of a Succubus, which according to medieval legends would be a demon that takes the form of a woman to seduce men, especially monks. The song was originally banned in Mexico and Argentina, and later in the Vatican. The male voice is not credited on the album. Michael Cretu only said that the voice is from “a good friend of mine”.

Procedamus in pace In nomine Christi, Amen

Cum angelis et pueris Fideles inveniamur

Attollite portas, principes, vestras Et elevamini, portae aeternales Et introibit rex gloriae Qius est iste Rex glorie?

Sade, dis-moi Sade, donne-moi

Procedamus in pace In nomine Christi, Amen

Sade, dis-moi Qu’est-ce que tu vas chercher? Le bien par le mal La vertu par le vice Sade, dis-moi, pourquoi l’évangile a du mal? Quelle est ta religion, où sont tes fidèles? Si tu es contre Dieu, tu es contre l’Homme

Sade, es-tu diabolique ou divin?

Sade, dis-moi Hosanna

Sade, donne-moi Hosanna

Sade, dis-moi Hosanna

Sade, donne-moi Hosanna In nomine Christi, Amen