"Sadeness (Part I)" became an international hit, reaching number one in 24 countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on its dance chart.
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.
0 Comments