"Adia" is a song by Canadian singer
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing (album), Surfacing'' (1997), for which she won two G ...
from her fourth studio album, ''
Surfacing'' (1997). It was co-written by McLachlan and her longtime producer,
Pierre Marchand. McLachlan has said about the song, "...more than anything, it's about my problems in dealing with feeling responsible for everyone else". "Adia" was released as the third North American single from ''Surfacing'' on 2 March 1998; in Europe, it served as McLachlan's debut single, receiving a UK release in September 1998.
"Adia" was McLachlan's first top-five song on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number three, totalling 14 weeks in the top five, and ending 1998 as the country's 20th-most-successful song. The song also performed well in McLachlan's native Canada, peaking at number three for three non-consecutive weeks on the ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines.
One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'' 100 Hit Tracks chart. The song's music video shows McLachlan singing directly to the camera in various public places, including a busy intersection, an office lobby, a supermarket aisle, and in front of a store that sells wedding dresses.
Background
In concert on 13 March 2018, Sarah McLachlan spoke about the background of her song Adia. Explaining that she "crossed a line" by falling in love with "the ex of my best friend". Her friendship (with the Adia from the song's title) suffered a breakdown. The man she fell in love with was at the time "my drummer" she said, with whom she went on to have two children. The song, McLachlan explained, is about "the aftermath" of losing her best friend and her feelings of guilt.
Composition
The song starts with no musical introduction, save two piano notes. The lyrics begin "Adia, I do believe I've failed you. Adia, I know I've let you down." The chorus says that "We are born innocent. Believe me Adia, we are still innocent." At times the music is simple and soft, with little more than a piano accompanying McLachlan.
Release and reception
"Adia" was the third of four songs from ''
Surfacing'' to be released as a single. It was her most successful US single, peaking at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single contains four tracks: the radio mix of "Adia", the ''Surfacing'' mix of "
Angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
", the original studio version of "
I Will Remember You" (as opposed to the live version included on the ''
Mirrorball'' album, also released as a single), and a live version of "
Building a Mystery".
McLachlan was nominated for
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
at the
Grammy Awards of 1999 for "Adia", losing to
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
's "
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...
". A live version of "Adia" appears on ''Mirrorball''.
Track listings
Canadian CD single
# "Adia" – 4:02
# "
Angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
" – 4:30
# "
I Will Remember You" – 4:52
# "Building a Mystery" – 4:50
US CD and cassette single
# "Adia" – 4:02
# "Angel" – 4:30
# "I Will Remember You" – 4:52
UK CD single
# "Adia" – 4:02
# "Angel" – 4:30
# "
Possession" – 4:39
UK cassette single
# "Adia" – 4:02
# "Angel" – 4:30
European CD single
# "Adia" (album version) – 4:03
# "Adia" (remix) – 4:04
Australian CD single
# "Adia" (album version) – 4:03
# "Adia" (remix) – 4:01
# "Angel" – 4:30
# "I Will Remember You" – 4:52
Personnel
Personnel are lifted from the ''Surfacing'' liner notes.
* Sarah McLachlan – writing, vocals, acoustic guitars, piano
*
Pierre Marchand – writing, bass, keyboards
*
Ash Sood – background vocals, drums, percussion
* Brian Minato – bass
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
Cover versions
In 1999,
saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
Richard Elliot
Richard Elliot (born January 16, 1960) is an American saxophonist. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards for '' Summer Horns''.
Biography
Early life
Elliot was born in the Scot ...
covered the song from the release ''Chill Factor.''
References
{{Authority control
1997 songs
1998 singles
Sarah McLachlan songs
Arista Records singles
Bertelsmann Music Group singles
Music videos directed by Francis Lawrence
Nettwerk Records singles
Songs written by Pierre Marchand
Songs written by Sarah McLachlan