"Identify" is a song written by

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...

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 and The Smashing Pumpkins. Early career Garson went to Lafayette High School in Broo ...

and performed by Australian singer

Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing car ...

for the soundtrack to the film ''

Stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Stigm ...

''. 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 ''Left of the Middle'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, released on 24 November 1997 by RCA Records. It is primarily an alternative pop album. Spurred by the success of lead single " Torn", the album reached numb ...

'', 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, rubbish, 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 gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...

lead singer

Shirley Manson Shirley Ann Manson (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish musician and actress. She is best known as the lead singer of the American alternative rock band Garbage. Manson gained media attention for her forthright style, rebellious attitude, and di ...

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 advertise ...

'' 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 James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions#James Bond series, Eon Productions Bond film since ''Dr. No (film), Dr. No'', released in 1962. Composed by Monty Norman ...

, 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 three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

'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 is a British musical 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 artists. ...

& Sinead O'Connor'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 arts, 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 ...

, known for his clips for

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

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