"Adiemus" is a world music song written by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins and performed by Miriam Stockley with Mary Carewe. It was recorded by the Adiemus project and officially released on the 1995 Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary album.
| "Adiemus" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Adiemus | |
| from the album Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary | |
| Released | 7 November 1995[1] |
| Recorded | 1994 |
| Genre | Worldbeat |
| Length | 3:48 |
| Label | Caroline Distribution |
| Songwriter(s) | Karl Jenkins |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Audio sample | |
"Adiemus"
| |
"Adiemus" was written in 1994 by Karl Jenkins and premiered in a 1994 Delta Air Lines television advertisement.[2] The song was also used in some Delta in-flight videos. Jenkins chose singer Miriam Stockley as a lead vocalist due to her wide range and Purley resident Mary Carewe for additional vocals. The London Philharmonic Orchestra also performed.[3]
The main idea was to create a modern song using classical forms, such as rondo and ternary. The lyrics themselves have no meaning. The vocals are simply used as another instrument to make music and not to convey any message.[4] The song, written in D minor, is a mix of African-tribal and Celtic-style melodies.[citation needed]
The song was also used as a soundtrack within the Italian TV programme Ciao Darwin and as the opening titles music on the Biblical series Testament: The Bible in Animation.
The song is also often misattributed to Enya, primarily due to a television advertisement for Pure Moods featuring both Karl Jenkins' "Adiemus" and Enya's "Orinoco Flow".[4]
In 2022, Timmy Trumpet & Lotus Djane recreates the new techno in the label Sinphony.[5]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] | 7 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts) | 6 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 18 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[8] | 4 |
| United Kingdom (UK Singles Charts)[9] | 48 |