"Identify" is a song written by

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, singer, and only constant member of alter ...

and

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight, The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur, CSS and The Pretty Reckless. Early caree ...

and performed by Australian singer

Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian and British singer and actress. Born and raised in New South Wales, Imbruglia became widely known in the early 1990s playing Beth Brennan in the soap opera ''Neighbours''. A ...

for the soundtrack to the film ''

Stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

''. In North America, the track was serviced to radio as the featured single from the soundtrack on 23 and 24 August 1999. "Identify" also appears on the Taiwanese edition of Imbruglia's debut studio album '' Left of the Middle'', and later, was placed as a bonus track on the Japanese version of her greatest hits compilation, '' Glorious: The Singles 97–07'', and later on the international digital version. Billy Corgan originally wrote the song from a female protagonist perspective, with

Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...

lead singer

Shirley Manson Shirley Ann Manson FRSA (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician who is the lead singer of the rock band Garbage. Known for her distinctive deep voice, forthright style, and rebellious attitude, her accolades include ...

in mind for the song, but her management turned the song down without her ever hearing it. "The idea of doing the title song came from trying to do something a little different. Back in the day, people tried to write a song that was directly connected to a movie's score," Corgan told Billboard, "So the music for "Identify" came from one of the love scenes in the movie".

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' reviewer Chuck Taylor described "Identify" as a "moody, dreamlike gem", adding "there's a hint of Portishead here, an inkling of a

James Bond theme The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme music of the List of James Bond films, James Bond films and has been used in every Bond film, starting with ''Dr. No (film), Dr. No'' in 1962. Composed in E minor by Monty Norman, the piece has ...

, and a morsel showing Imbruglia's own growth. This is good stuff and far too credible for radio to dismiss... this could be the sleeper hit of the season." In terms of the ''Stigmata'' soundtrack, Stephen Erlewine of AllMusic gave the song the following review: "It's unfortunate that the entire album wasn't entirely instrumental, since it would have been a more satisfying listen. That's not to say that the first half of the album is terrible – there's quite a few good songs there, actually, highlighted by

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

's "

All is Full of Love "All Is Full of Love" is a song by Icelandic musician Björk from her third studio album, ''Homogenic'' (1997). The lyrics were inspired by love in spring and Ragnarök of Norse mythology. Björk's original version is a trip hop ballad with Soul ...

Afro Celt Sound System Afro Celt Sound System are a European and African group who fuse electronic music with traditional Gaelic and West African music. Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson, and feature a wide range of guest ...

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

's "Release," and the Corgan-Garson written and Natalie Imbruglia performance "Identify."

Music video

The music video for "Identify" was directed by

Samuel Bayer Samuel David Bayer (born February 17, 1962) is an American visual artist, cinematographer, and commercial, music video and film director. Bayer was born in Syracuse, New York. He graduated from New York City's School of Visual Arts in 1987 with ...

, known for his clips for

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...

and

and sees Imbruglia performing the song in a dark, broody style cavern, surrounded by ghosts and tombs. The "Identify" music video is featured as a bonus extra on the ''Stigmata'' DVD release.

Track listing

CD single # "Identify" (Edit) – 4:08 # "Identify" (LP version) – 4:45 # "Identify" (Call-out Hook) – 0:23

References

{{Authority control Natalie Imbruglia songs 1999 singles Songs written by Billy Corgan Music videos directed by Samuel Bayer 1999 songs Virgin Records singles Pop ballads 1990s ballads