Return to Innocence
Encyclopedia
"Return to Innocence" is a 1994 song created by the musical group Enigma
. The single
was the first from their chart-topping second album, The Cross of Changes
.
It became one of the project's most popular international singles, reaching number one in over 10 countries (including Greece, Norway, Sweden and Ireland), number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks
chart, number four on the US Hot 100, number three on the UK Singles Chart
, the Top 5 in Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa. It reached the Top 10 in Italy and France.
chant is repeated. (It is a popular misconception that the vocals are done by aboriginal Americans
.) The chant was sampled
from the "Jubilant Drinking Song" without the singers' permission. Kuo Ying-nan (born Difang Duana) (郭英男) and Kuo Hsiu-chu (郭秀珠), both Amis, were in a cultural exchange program
in Paris
in 1988 when their performance of the song was recorded by the Maison des Cultures du Monde and later distributed on CD
. The producer of Enigma, Michael Cretu
, later obtained the CD and proceeded to sample it. In addition, the drum beat of the song was sampled from the Led Zeppelin
song "When the Levee Breaks
."
The song was used to promote several types of media in the mid-1990s, including film and TV commercials. In fall 1994, the song was featured in an episode of the TV show My So-Called Life
. In 1995, the song was used as the closing theme in Disney's live-action film Man of the House
, as well as in the opening and closing of an Outer Limits episode. In 1996, the song was further popularized when it was used in a television advertisement to promote the 1996 Summer Olympics
.
Julien Temple
directed the video, which depicts a man's life in reverse, starting with him dying (the scene was probably influenced by the 1930 Alexander Dovzhenko
film Earth
) and ending with his birth. (See also List of Enigma videos#The Cross of Changes).
, and a number of recording companies for unauthorised usage of their song without credit. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money and all further releases of the song were credited (including royalties
) to the Kuos. Cretu has stated that he had been led to believe that the recording was in the public domain, and that he did not intentionally violate the Kuos' copyright.
5-track CD single
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
. The single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
was the first from their chart-topping second album, The Cross of Changes
The Cross of Changes
The Cross of Changes is a 1993 album by the musical project Enigma. It is Enigma's second album, following MCMXC a.D., released three years earlier....
.
It became one of the project's most popular international singles, reaching number one in over 10 countries (including Greece, Norway, Sweden and Ireland), number two on the US Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart, number four on the US Hot 100, number three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, the Top 5 in Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland and South Africa. It reached the Top 10 in Italy and France.
History
The song's main vocals are provided by Angel X (Andreas Harde), while an aboriginal TaiwaneseTaiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
chant is repeated. (It is a popular misconception that the vocals are done by aboriginal Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.) The chant was sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
from the "Jubilant Drinking Song" without the singers' permission. Kuo Ying-nan (born Difang Duana) (郭英男) and Kuo Hsiu-chu (郭秀珠), both Amis, were in a cultural exchange program
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1988 when their performance of the song was recorded by the Maison des Cultures du Monde and later distributed on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. The producer of Enigma, Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
, later obtained the CD and proceeded to sample it. In addition, the drum beat of the song was sampled from the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
song "When the Levee Breaks
When the Levee Breaks
"When the Levee Breaks" is a blues song written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The song is in reaction to the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927....
."
The song was used to promote several types of media in the mid-1990s, including film and TV commercials. In fall 1994, the song was featured in an episode of the TV show My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
. In 1995, the song was used as the closing theme in Disney's live-action film Man of the House
Man of the House (1995 film)
Man of the House is a 1995 comedy film starring Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett and Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Marking Thomas' motion picture debut, this Disney comedy is about a boy who must come to terms with his potential stepfather , a well-meaning lawyer who is unknowingly the subject of a manhunt...
, as well as in the opening and closing of an Outer Limits episode. In 1996, the song was further popularized when it was used in a television advertisement to promote the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
Julien Temple
Julien Temple
Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
directed the video, which depicts a man's life in reverse, starting with him dying (the scene was probably influenced by the 1930 Alexander Dovzhenko
Alexander Dovzhenko
Aleksandr Petrovich Dovzhenko , was a Soviet screenwriter, film producer and director of Ukrainian descent. He is often cited as one of the most important early Soviet filmmakers, alongside Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin.- Biography :...
film Earth
Earth (1930 film)
Earth is a 1930 Soviet film by Ukrainian director Alexander Dovzhenko, concerning an insurrection by a community of farmers, following a hostile takeover by Kulak landowners...
) and ending with his birth. (See also List of Enigma videos#The Cross of Changes).
Legal dispute
In March 1998, Kuo Ying-nan and Kuo Hsiu-chu sued Cretu, Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, and a number of recording companies for unauthorised usage of their song without credit. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money and all further releases of the song were credited (including royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
) to the Kuos. Cretu has stated that he had been led to believe that the recording was in the public domain, and that he did not intentionally violate the Kuos' copyright.
Single track listing
4-track CD single- "Radio Edit" – 4:03
- "Long & Alive Version" (remixed by Curly M.C. and Jens Gad) – 7:07
- "380 Midnight Mix" (remixed by Jens Gad) – 5:55
- "Short Radio Edit" – 3:01
5-track CD single
- "Radio Edit" – 4:03
- "Long & Alive Version" (remixed by Curly M.C. and Jens Gad) – 7:07
- "380 Midnight Mix" (remixed by Jens Gad) – 5:55
- "Short Radio Edit" – 3:01
- "Sadeness (Part I)Sadeness (Part I)"Sadeness " is a 1990 single created by the musical project Enigma. The song was the first of four singles from the project's first album MCMXC a.D. and upon release became an international smash hit, reaching number one in 24 countries and the top ten in four others including the United States...
(Radio Edit)" – 4:17
Charts
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |