Adiemus (song)
| "Adiemus" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Adiemus | |
| from the album Songs of Sanctuary | |
| Released |
premiered: 1994 Delta Air Lines commercial directed by Hugh Hudson official: 10 October 1995 |
| Recorded | 1994 |
| Genre | new age, celtic, african |
| Length | 4:01 |
| Label | Caroline Distribution |
| Writer(s) | Karl Jenkins |
| Producer(s) | Karl Jenkins, Mike Ratledge |
Adiemus is a new age song written by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins and performed by Adiemus. It was officially released on Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary in 1995.
The song was used in a 1994 Delta Air Lines commercial directed by Hugh Hudson. Female vocals were recorded by Miriam Stockley and Mary Carewe with their vocal harmony tracks being multiplayed in the studio.
Recording
Adiemus was written in 1994 by Karl Jenkins, and it premiered in Delta Air Lines television commercial. An important contribution to the song was made by the British composer Mike Ratledge, who was, like Karl Jenkins, a former member of Soft Machine. Jenkins chose South African singer Miriam Stockley as a lead vocalist due to her wide range of intonation and Purley resident Mary Carewe for additional vocals. The London Philharmonic Orchestra also performed.[1]
The main idea was to create a modern song using classical forms, such as rondo and ternary. The voice is used as another instrument to make music and not to convey any message through lyrics. The song is a mix of African-tribal and Celtic-style melodies. The song was written in D minor.
Personnel
- Karl Jenkins – writer, conductor, producer
- Miriam Stockley – lead vocal
- Mike Ratledge – arranger (programmed percussion), producer
- Mick Taylor – flute
- London Philharmonic Orchestra - guest artists
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] | 7 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts) | 6 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 16 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[3] | 4 |
| United Kingdom (UK Singles Charts)[4] | 48 |