"The Sphinx" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by Ariola Records as the single from her third album Never Trust a Pretty Face.
| "The Sphinx" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Amanda Lear | ||||
| from the album Never Trust a Pretty Face | ||||
| B-side | "Hollywood Flashback" | |||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Label | Ariola | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Amanda Lear | |||
| Producer(s) | Anthony Monn | |||
| Amanda Lear singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Song information
editThe song was composed and produced by Anthony Monn, and marked a change in Lear's repertoire as her first downtempo disco ballad. The melancholic Lear-penned lyrics, in which the singer compares herself to the mythical Sphinx, tell about "the desire to remain a mystery".[1] The singer has reflected that "The Sphinx" is the best song she wrote.[2][3]
"The Sphinx" was released as the advance single from the singer's third studio album Never Trust a Pretty Face in late 1978. The single B-side was "Hollywood Flashback", the closing track on her previous album, Sweet Revenge. The song was a moderate chart success, reaching the top 20 across Europe, and remains one of Lear's biggest hits of the disco era.
Lear re-recorded the song for the 1998 album Back in Your Arms, and included the new version on her greatest hits compilation Forever Glam! in 2005.
Track listing
edit- 7" Single[4]
- A. "The Sphinx" – 4:25
- B. "Hollywood Flashback" – 4:31
- 12" Single[5]
- A. "The Sphinx" – 5:13
- B. "Hollywood Flashback" – 4:31
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1978–79) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium[6] | 18 |
| France[7] | 48 |
| Germany[8] | 19 |
Cover versions
edit- Spanish singer Pedro Marín covered the song on his 2006 Amanda Lear tribute album Diamonds.[9]
- In 2015, Chilean-American musician Promis released a cover of the song on his collaboration album Sunset Blvd with producer Ian Matthews.[10] The song was released as the single in spring 2016.[11]
References
edit- ^ Marco Pantella (2014-10-22). "Amanda Lear - An Interview with - The GROUND Magazine". www.thegroundmag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-20. Retrieved 2016-03-16.
- ^ "Compte-rendu du chat avec Amanda Lear et les lecteurs de Gay.com" (in French). gay.com. 2001-06-18. Archived from the original on 2002-01-29. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ "The Original Queen Of Reinvention". ponystep.com. 2013-02-09. Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
- ^ "THE SPHINX 1978 Germany". amandalear_singoli.tripod.com. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "Amanda Lear - The Sphinx (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ "ultratop.be - Amanda Lear" (in Dutch). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste" (in French). www.infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ "Pedro Marín* - Diamonds (CD, Album) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Sunset Blvd: Promis & Matthews: MP3 Downloads". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- ^ "Promis & Matthews - The Sphinx - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2018-01-14.