(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena

"(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena"
Single by Sandra
from the album The Long Play
B-side	"Party Games"
Released	March 1985; 26 April 1993
Format	7" single, 12" single, CD maxi (1993 release) 12" single (1999 release)
Genre	Synthpop, europop
Length	4:00 (single version) 5:55 (album version) 3:58 (1993 Radio Edit) 3:58 (1999 Radio Edit)
Label	Virgin
Writer(s)	Michael Cretu, Hubert Kemmler, Markus Löhr, Richard Palmer-James
Producer(s)	Michael Cretu
Certification	Silver France, 1986
Sandra singles chronology
"Japan Ist Weit" (1984) "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" (1985) "In the Heat of the Night" (1985)
Maria Magdalena '93 Sandra singles chronology "Steady Me" (1992) "Maria Magdalena '93" (1993) "Nights in White Satin" (1995) Sandra singles chronology "In the Heat of the Night '99" (1999) "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena '99" (1999) "Forever" (2001)

"(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", often known simply by the title "Maria Magdalena", is a Disco / Synthpop song by German singer Sandra. It was first released in March 1985 as the lead single from her debut album, The Long Play, and it was her first single to be released internationally. The song reached No. 1 on the official German Charts for four consecutive weeks between 13 September 1985 and 4 October 1985. A huge hit in Europe, it also peaked at No. 1 in the Netherlands, Israel, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland; No. 3 in Italy; No. 5 in France; No. 2 in South Africa and No. 87 in the U.K. It was also a popular radio hit song in Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Yugoslavia.

The song was re-released in 1993 in a remixed version, and re-released again only in France as another remix in 1999, as a promotional single. The song was later sampled in her song "Kings & Queens" from her 2012 album Stay in Touch.

Formats and track listings

7" single

1. "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" – 4:00
2. "Party Games" (instrumental) – 3:21

12" maxi

1. "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" (extended mix) – 7:12
2. "Party Games" (instrumental) – 3:21

CD maxi – 1993

1. "Maria Magdalena '93" (radio edit) – 3:58
2. "Maria Magdalena '93" (club mix) – 6:01
3. "Maria Magdalena" (original version) – 3:58

12" maxi – 1999

1. "Maria Magdalena '99" (original version) – 3:58
2. "Maria Magdalena '99" (remix version) – 3:59

Reception

• allmusic ^[1] (1993 Single Release)

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1985)	Peak position
Greek Singles Chart [IFPI]	1
Austrian Singles Chart[2]	1
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[2]	3
Dutch Top 40[3]	1
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
French SNEP Singles Chart[2]	5
German Singles Chart[2]	1
Portuguese Singles Chart	1
Italian Singles Chart	3
Norwegian Singles Chart[2]	1
Spanish Singles Chart	2
Swedish Singles Chart[2]	1
Swiss Singles Chart[2]	1
Israel Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart[4]	91
Chart (1986)	Peak position
South African singles chart[5]	2
UK Singles Chart[6]	87
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Finnish Singles Chart ^1	8

¹ 1993 version

End of year charts

End of year chart (1985)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart[7]	10
Dutch Top 40[8]	19
German Singles Chart[9]	5
Swiss Singles Chart[10]	10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
France (SNEP)[11]	Gold	500,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[12]	Gold	250,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

References

1. "Maria Magdalena". Retrieved 14 September 2012.
2. "(I'll Nerver Be) Maria Magdalena", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 15 February 2008)
3. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 46, 1985". Retrieved 1 March 2008.
4. UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved 3 March 2008)
5. "SA Charts 1969 - 1989". South Africa's Rock Lists. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
6. UK Singles Chart (1986 release) Chartstats.com (Retrieved 27 August 2008)
7. "1985 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
8. "Single top 100 over 1985" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
9. "1985 German Singles Chart" (in German). GfK Entertainment GmbH. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
10. "1985 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
11. "French single certifications – Sandra – Maria Magdalena" (in French). InfoDisc. Select SANDRA and click OK
12. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sandra; '(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

External links

• Maria Magdalena's lyrics at lyrics-songs.com
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics