Songs are expressions of one’s feelings or thoughts. The way expression of feeling is shown is different for everyone. What is expression for one man or woman may be considered wrong by another. The song "Sadeness" by the music group Enigma questions how one perceives the way others express themselves. It questions the methods of expression of one particular man. It also offers the other side of the coin, asking if this man’s methods were good or evil. By the simple questions asked in an objective sense, one is forced to consider both sides. It uses instruments and voices to set the tone for the character in question, the Marquis de Sade. By making the listener feel liberated and yet in a sort of trance, the listener is forced to take in the words along with the mood. The song "Sadeness" by Enigma shows through tone and lyrics that the Marquis de Sade could have been "diabolical or divine" and beliefs should not be judged by society unless it causes harm to another person.
Michael Cretu always has an inner meaning to all of his songs, but they are often over looked since they are sung in Latin, which only adds to the enigma. "Sadeness" is not unlike any of his other songs, and to those who find the translation it proves to be a very controversial song…much like its subject. In Sadeness, the controversial subject is the eighteenth century French nobleman the Marquis de Sade. Became famous through his sexual escapades that often involved pain and torture. The Marquis is in fact called the father of sadism. He was born Donatien Alphonse Francois Sade on June 2, 1740 in Paris. During his twenties his mental disturbance started showing, the first indication was when he was engaged to two women at once. When Donatien’s father died, he took on the title "Marquis" and was known as the Marquis de Sade thereafter.
De Sade’s obscene interests grew more and more intense. He became involved in sexual scandals and acts of cruelty. His reputation for torturing women before, during and after sexual acts grew and he found himself often in and out of prison between 1768 and 1803. While in and out of prison, de Sade began writing and thus became famous for his controversial novels and essays. Many of his works remained unpublished until the mid-twentieth century. Some of his better known works include 120 Days of Sodom, and Philosophy in the Bedroom.
The Marquis had an interesting philosophy: since criminal sexual acts exist, they are a part of natural human behavior. It can be argued that to de Sade, these acts were actually natural and, to him, the expression of his love or passion. The Marquis had an IQ which proved him to be a genius. He was a very rational and intelligent man, and yet, in his mind, his way of life was his reality. It was said to be a sickness and he could not distinguish between what was right in his mind and what was accepted in society. He automatically allowed his id to control his actions, seeking instant gratification and control. The Marquis went on to father three children, remaining in and out of jail until 1803 for his indecencies and the women he murdered. He finally died in 1814 in an insane asylum.
The popularity among the youth of "Sadeness" could be said to be because of its fast beat. In Europe at the time of its release, it was difficult to turn on the radio or MTV without hearing it. There are chimes used in the beginning, probably via keyboard. The chimes are always used in musical pieces, especially in orchestras, to give off an enchanting and magical feeling. A lute sound plays the main theme throughout the song. It is very mysterious; the lute is often used in medieval songs and movies and indicates magic and mystification. Although it is mysterious, the main theme and the instrument give off a sense of freedom. The overall phrasing of the melody and the notes are held out at times and played in a higher register, indicating freedom, while the actual sound of the melody tied in with the monks give off the magical feeling. There is a sense of freedom given by the use of the higher register. When listening to the melody a mental picture of a bird comes into mind because often, higher and drawn out notes are associated with this. The bird is high in the sky, soaring above the earth. The melody helps humans to understand the unlimited sense of freedom felt by a bird, because the melody itself is also high and soaring. Another metal picture can come to mind through the melody. It is exotic sounding, often having low, long notes increase with volume and come to an end with a short high note. The melody together with the voice of the woman paints a picture of an exotic woman. She is not doing anything necessarily, but she looks like a native on an island. Perhaps she is walking on the beach, but the feeling of independence is present. These images may help the listener to relate to the feelings of the song.
The chanting used in "Sadeness" are Gregorian monks, a man speaking, and the whispers of a woman. The monk’s voices are very holy sounding, as it was intended. When the monks are heard, an immediate picture comes to mind of an old gothic cathedral, empty and silent, except for the chanting. They chant out the first part of the song, and throughout the main themes. The woman singing is said to be Cretu’s wife, Sandra. Her voice is easy to interpret. There is heavy breathing and it sounds very sensuous. The woman repeats the same two lines throughout the song, "Sade dit moi, Sade donne moi" meaning "Sade tell me, Sade give me". She could be representative of de Sade’s victims, very alluring and provocative, wanting something from him. The woman also sounds as though she is just looking for an enjoyable time, something last minute, exciting and "in the moment". This could be very much how de Sade’s victims were before they understood his intentions for them.The song is sung in Latin, and has two parts. The first part of lyrics are prayer-like, sounding very much like an old church hymn when read. The song even ends with "In the name of Christ, Amen". The second part is the questioning of the Marquis de Sade. The questions are not answered, but there is more of a rhetorical feeling. Cretu questions de Sade about his beliefs, what it was he was trying to accomplish through his acts, and whether de Sade views himself as "diabolical or divine". It can be interpreted that Cretu also asks the listeners the same questions about de Sade.
The song is sung in Latin, and has two parts. The first part of lyrics are prayer-like, sounding very much like an old church hymn when read. The song even ends with "In the name of Christ, Amen". The second part is the questioning of the Marquis de Sade. The questions are not answered, but there is more of a rhetorical feeling. Cretu questions de Sade about his beliefs, what it was he was trying to accomplish through his acts, and whether de Sade views himself as "diabolical or divine". It can be interpreted that Cretu also asks the listeners the same questions about de Sade.
In "Sadeness", Cretu asks many questions of the Marquis, the first of which is "What is it that you seek? The rightness of wrong, the virtue of vice." Cretu is asking if de Sade was trying to make something good come out of evil, if de Sade was trying to make his way of life and love acceptable. He also begins to challenge his listeners. He offers both sides, meaning that both are options, there is no one right answer but that which the listener decided for him/herself. Cretu asks then, "…why the Gospel of Evil?" Why did de Sade write these grotesque books? How can he make a beautiful act into an evil perversion? In his books, de Sade explains grotesque acts to use during sexual activity. They explained in great detail what sort of things de Sade enjoyed and how he went about to do them. The next questions were "What is your religion? Where is your faithful? If you are against God, you are against man." Cretu observes that de Sade’s ideas could be wrong since no one else agrees with him. He has no followers or an established practice. If this were natural, humans would study it and want to be apart of it, because they would desire it because it would be a natural instinct. De Sade felt that since pain existed, it was all right to inflict it. Further proof of this would be that no one else agreed with de Sade’s actions and theories.
Cretu looks out to the audience also, asks them if their beliefs are accepted. If one can judge something to be wrong purely on opinion, for how does that individual know their belief is the right one? Cretu says that for a belief to be accepted it must be accepted by others also in order to make it a "sane" belief. Unless many believe in one particular thing, it can be called unnatural by anyone. He asks the audience if their beliefs have "back-up" or "faithful" as he calls it. If it is not accepted by society, by man, it must not be correct, it must be "against God".
Cretu continues to question, "Tell me why blood for pleasure? Pleasure without love?" Cretu simply wishes to know what it is about sadism the Marquis enjoys. He wishes to know why de Sade’s beliefs cannot include other things like man’s definition of love. "Is there no longer any feeling in man’s Faith? Sade, are you diabolical or divine?" Cretu asks if man or society is just "following the crowd". He questions why man does not seem to have the same passion for their beliefs as de Sade has for his. In reading de Sade’s books and essays or studying his life, many come to the conclusion that he is a genius, an imaginative and descriptive individual. Most others simply look at him as a disgusting lunatic. Cretu asks that same question last. What is de Sade to the listener?
The key point of the song can be interpreted as an observation of how judgmental society can be. Society and individuals feel this is wrong and therefore the Marquis is called a sick and evil man, but the truth is that love is whatever one thinks it is. There are no written rules and there should be no judgments. If a man or woman chooses to perform "grotesque" acts on a willing participant, it should be their right and their own business. Because society does not see it this way, the Marquis, who was a genius, was called disgusting and wrong. The only wrong the Marquis made was to hurt or injure an unwilling partner, and only then should he have been reprimanded. Society must realize that love is what one makes of it, and there are no rules for ones beliefs except that no one else should be hurt or killed.
Enigma has expressed through tone and words in its song "Sadeness" that the Marquis de Sade can be interpreted as either "diabolical or divine". The Marquis was a genius who had a mental compulsion to control. He was fascinated with pain and inflicting it upon others. This was his idea of love, in his mind. To him, it was natural and fascinating. Enigma has tried to express that although society may not agree with de Sade’s actions, it must also accept that it was his reality. Cretu asks objective questions to de Sade and more importantly, to the listeners. Through this he is able to express that society must also look at de Sade objectively, and just because his expressions were not accepted, this was the Marquis’s reality. His actions were his expressions of love. Songs are expressions of feelings and thoughts; Michael Cretu succeeds in challenging many that hear his music to look at a situation from another angle.
* This is my own analysis. The opinions in here are not based off of anyone else’s. This is my interpretation of the song. Whether this interpretation is what the writer had in mind when the song was made is unknown to me.
