"Insomnia" is a song by British musical group

Faithless Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...

. Released as the band's second single, it became one of their most successful. It was originally released in 1995 and reached number 27 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, topping the

UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record ...

in the process. When re-released in October 1996, the song achieved a new peak of number three in the United Kingdom and topped the charts of Finland, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the American and Canadian dance charts. It also featured on Faithless's 1996 debut album, '' Reverence''. "Insomnia" was voted by ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

'' readers as the fifth greatest dance record of all time in 2013.What is the Greatest Dance Track of All Time?
''

'' (15 February 2013). It was certified double platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) in 2019.

Lyrics and composition

The song features

Maxi Jazz Maxwell Fraser (14 June 1957 – 23 December 2022), better known by his stage name Maxi Jazz, was a British musician, rapper, singer, songwriter and DJ. He was the lead vocalist of British electronic band Faithless from 1995 to 2011 and 2015 ...

rapping from the point of view of an

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

c while he struggles to sleep ("I toss and I turn without cease, like a curse, open my eyes and rise like yeast/At least a couple of weeks since I last slept, kept takin'

sleepers ''Sleepers'' is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin H ...

, but now I keep myself pepped"). The subject is resonant with fans of dance music, as

stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those that increase activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that are pleasurable and inv ...

use is common in club/rave culture, and insomnia is a common side effect - in a 2020 interview, Maxi Jazz acknowledged how it struck a chord with clubbers: "Suddenly the song was being played to crowds who had arguably taken 50 quid’s worth of high-powered drugs and weren’t thinking of getting much sleep for days... If I had a quid for every time someone’s come up going, 'I can’t get no sleep', I’d be living on the space station". The insomniac is also rather destitute ("Make my way to the refrigerator/One dry potato inside, no lie, not even bread, jam, when the light above my head went bam..."). According to Maxi, he spent 20 minutes writing the lyrics after being given the song's title by

Rollo Armstrong Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong (born 8 May 1966), known professionally as Rollo, is an English music producer. He is one half of the remix/production duo Rollo & Sister Bliss and is a founding member of the electronic music group Fait ...

, before finishing them in the studio the following evening and laying the vocal down in about 25 minutes. Although he was not an insomniac, Maxi drew on personal experience for the lyrics: he had recently suffered a painful

dental abscess A dental abscess is a localized collection of pus associated with a tooth. The most common type of dental abscess is a periapical abscess, and the second most common is a periodontal abscess. In a periapical abscess, usually the origin is a bac ...

which had kept him awake at night. Lines about the light going out and picking up a pen in darkness were based on the prepayment electricity meter in his home, which would cut out when credit ran out, forcing him to write by candlelight. According to

Sister Bliss Ayalah Deborah Bentovim (born 30 December 1970), better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the pr ...

, the track's music was written in bandmate Rollo's recording studio, located in a garden shed: she came up with the song's title as she was unable to sleep, describing the experience of working in the studio during the day and DJing at night as being "like having permanent jetlag". She has stated that the song's reggae-inflected bassline was influenced by

Lionrock Lionrock was a British big beat group, comprising record producer Justin Robertson, MC Buzz B, and producer, engineer, programmer and synthesist Roger Lyons. Lyons replaced recording engineer Mark Stagg in 1995. Their biggest chart success cam ...

, whilst placing the main keyboard riff towards the end of the song "was an idea we got from Underworld’s way of building tension: just waiting, waiting, waiting then – bang!". Sister Bliss wrote the riff after Rollo asked her to "do big strings", borrowing the idea of shifting from a

major chord In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitch ...

to a

minor chord In music theory, a minor chord is a chord that has a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a minor triad. For example, the minor triad built on C, called a C minor triad, has pit ...

from

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

's "

I Feel Love "I Feel Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, ''I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to have ...

Release

The album version is nearly nine minutes long and contains some lyrics not able to be broadcast on the radio edit due to their explicit content. Maxi Jazz changed the opening line from "I only smoke weed when I need to" to "Deep in the bosom of the gentle night" due to pressure from

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. It also contains some bells chiming at the start of the song (sampled from a

BBC Sound Archive The BBC Sound Archive is a collection of audio recordings maintained by the BBC and founded in 1936. Its recordings date back to the late 19th century and include many rare items, including contemporary speeches by public and political figures, fol ...

disc) not generally known by the club-going public as many people know the Monster Mix or the Monster Mix Radio Edit. The beginning of the album version of the song also features a sample from

Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...

's "Novelty Waves" (1994). The Monster Mix was the mix featured on Faithless' greatest hits album '' Forever Faithless'', with the original edit being the work of Radio Victory's Bill Padley. This edit was picked up by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

and became a small UK Top 40 hit, with the Cheeky label's recording being licensed through Champion Records at the time. After the song gained popularity in continental Europe,

Pete Tong Peter Michael Tong, (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as ''Essential Mix'' and ''Essential Selection'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio stre ...

campaigned for a re-release: Cheeky/Champion chose to hold back the re-issue so it arrived in shops on the same day as the

Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Vict ...

' "

Say You'll Be There "Say You'll Be There" is a song recorded by the English girl group Spice Girls for their debut studio album ''Spice (album), Spice'' (1996). The Spice Girls co-wrote the song with Eliot Kennedy after the group left Heart Management in 1995. La ...

", so it would be placed in racks alongside it. The song went on to top the U.S.

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. The Moody Mix featured on some of the singles was also on the '' Reverence / Irreverence'' release.

Critical reception

Justin Chadwick from Albumism described the song as a "frenetic yet melodic ode to late night restlessness and sleep-deprived reveries", adding it as "phenomenal".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

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 ...

'' wrote, "This single serves as a fine peek into the project, giving listeners a taste of urgent dance rhythms, a complex and infectious pop melody, and vocals that are notches above the typical vamps heard on club-originated records." ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' said that Faithless' "Insomnia" "spoke to a number of ravers out there who lived for the night/weekend and, sadly, the drugs that kept them partying to the break of dawn (and beyond). Insomnia was and is real for the raver massive, and Faithless brought those vibes to song perfectly." Gerry Kiernan commented on the song in the 2010 book ''1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die'', "Unleashed in an era of uplifting "handbag" house", "Insomnia" crept with nocturnal stealth through

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

culture into suburban bedrooms. As its title suggested, this climatic, hands-in-the-air dance anthem was not one to put on before bedtime." Tim Jeffery from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

s ''RM'' Dance Update rated it four out of five, writing, "Following very much in the style of its predecessor with all the

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

production hallmarks including the piercing organ and synth riffs and a bouncy bassline. As with the debut, there's also the half speed secion in the middle to incorporate the rap and vocals which aren't as instant as '

Salva Mea "Salva Mea" (faux Latin for "save me") is a song by British electronic band Faithless, written by members Rollo, Sister Bliss, and Maxi Jazz. The female vocals on all versions are performed by Rollo's sister Dido. "Salva Mea" was released in ...

' but grow on you. With the formula now established, this one may fare better commercially." Ben Turner from ''

Muzik ''Muzik'' was a British dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003. ''Muzik'' was created by two former ''Melody Maker'' journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of ''Muzik'' from its launch until he ...

'' noted that "it has soul, grace, emotion and a distinctly dark, melancholic side. Happy house has never been challenged in this way."

Chart performance

"Insomnia" was very successful on the charts on several continents, becoming one of the group's biggest hits to date. In Europe, it reached number-one in Finland, Norway and Switzerland. Additionally, it managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Austria, Belgium (number 2), Denmark, France, Germany (number 2), Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as on the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, where it hit number 3. In the UK, "Insomnia" also peaked at number 3 in its second run on the

, on 20 October 1996. But on the

, it was a even bigger hit, peaking at number-one. Outside Europe, the single reached the top spot on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Dance Chart in Canada and the ''

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

in the United States. On the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, it went to number 62. In Oceania, it reached number 16 in Australia and number 39 in New Zealand. The song earned a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

in Australia, Belgium, France and Switzerland, a

platinum record Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in Germany and Norway, and a 2× platinum record in the UK, with a sale of 1,200,000 units.

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was made to accompany the song. It was directed by British director

Lindy Heymann Lindy Heymann is a British director and assistant director, known for '' Showboy'' (2002), ''The Laughing King'' (2016) and ''Kicks'' (2009). Career She received a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Directorial Debut for her featur ...

and partially set on the

Aylesbury Estate The Aylesbury Estate is a large housing estate located in Walworth, South East London. The Aylesbury Estate contains 2,704 dwellings, spread over a number of different blocks and buildings, and was built between 1963 and 1977. There are approx ...

in south

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The video was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in July 2015, and as of June 2022, it has got more than 100 million views.

Impact and legacy

DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...

'' ranked it number 14 in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes" in 1998.

MTV Dance Club MTV, formerly MTV Dance, is a European pay television music channel from Paramount Networks EMEAA that was separated from the UK channel on 27 May 2014. It broadcasts electronica, dance and r'n'b music programming. The channel is widely ava ...

placed "Insomnia" at number 22 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems Of All Time" in November 2011. It was voted by ''

'' readers as the fifth "Greatest Dance Record of All Time" in 2013.

Track listing

1995 UK release and 1996 UK CD 1 # "Insomnia" (Monster Radio Edit) – 3:34 # "Insomnia" (Original Radio Edit) – 3:36 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:38 # "Insomnia" (Moody Mix) – 10:40 # "Insomnia" (Tuff Mix) – 7:18 1995 European release # "Insomnia" (CEC Edit) – 4:37 # "Insomnia" (Monster Radio Edit) – 3:33 # "Insomnia" (Original Mix) – 10:55 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:38 # "Insomnia" (Moody Mix) – 10:42 # "Insomnia" (Tuff Mix) – 7:19 1996 Scandinavian release # "Insomnia" (Monster Radio Edit) – 3:36 # "Insomnia" (Original Radio Edit) – 3:38 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:41 # "Insomnia" (Moody Mix) – 10:45 # "Insomnia" (Tuff Mix) – 7:18 1996 Italian release # "Insomnia" (Monster Radio Edit) – 3:34 # "Insomnia" (Original Radio Edit) – 3:36 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:38 # "Insomnia" (Moody Mix) – 10:40 # "Insomnia" (Tuff Mix) – 7:18 1996 UK CD 2 # "Insomnia" (CEC Radio Mix) – 3:53 # "Insomnia" (96 Remix) – 7:16 # "Insomnia" (

DJ Quicksilver Orhan Terzi (born 28 June 1964), better known by his stage name DJ Quicksilver, is a German-Turkish DJ and music producer. His stage name derives from his days taking part in DJ contests, where a mercury column would gauge audience reaction. Ear ...

Mix) – 7:58 # "Insomnia" (De Donatis Mix) – 7:38 1996 European release # "Insomnia" (CEC Radio Mix) – 3:53 # "Insomnia" (Original Radio Edit) – 3:37 # "Insomnia" (96 Remix) – 7:16 # "Insomnia" (DJ Quicksilver Mix) – 7:58 # "Insomnia" (De Donatis Mix) – 7:38 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:35 1997 US release 1 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix Radio Edit) – 3:33 # "Insomnia" ( Armand's European Vacation Mix) – 7:56 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 8:34 # "Insomnia" (Armand's Mission to Mars Mix) – 8:49 # "Insomnia" (De Donatis Mix) – 7:35 # "Insomnia" (CEC Radio Mix) – 3:51 1997 US release 2 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix Radio Edit) – 3:33 # "Insomnia" (Album Version) – 8:43 # "Insomnia" (De Donatis Mix) – 7:23 # "Reverence" (Tamsin's Drum & Bass Mix) – 5:20 # " Don't Leave" (Floating Bass Mix) – 5:53 ::^*The 1997 US releases used the 1995 UK release cover

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

2005 mix

"Insomnia" was re-mixed and re-released in 2005 after the re-entry of the 1996 single into the UK Singles Chart at number 48. This was partly because of Faithless releasing their greatest hits album. The re-mix was not used on the greatest hits with the Monster Mix being the version which featured on the album. The re-mixed version reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

CD1

# "Insomnia" ( Blissy vs. Armand Van Helden 2005 Re-Work) – 03:22 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix Radio Edit) – 03:36

CD2

# "Insomnia" ( Blissy vs. Armand Van Helden 2005 Re-Work) – 03:22 # "Insomnia" ( Sasha B.A Remix) – 09:52 # "Insomnia" (Armand's European Vacation Mix) – 08:03 # "Insomnia" (Monster Mix) – 08:35

Version 2.0 by Avicii

In 2015, Swedish DJ and record producer

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

released a remix titled "Insomnia 2.0 (Avicii Remix)". The track was released on 24 July 2015 and reached the German charts. It was also featured on the '' Faithless 2.0'' release in Avicii extended remix and Avicii radio exit remix formats (as well as the 1995 Monster Mix). "Insomnia 2.0" also went to number one on the US Dance chart.

Mike Candys and Jack Holiday version

In 2009, Swiss DJs

Mike Candys Michael David Kull (; born 20 August 1981), better known as Mike Candys (), is a Swiss record producer and DJ. He is managed by Mevlan D. Musical career In 2008, Candys became widely known in Switzerland with the song "La Serenissima". In 2009 h ...

and

Jack Holiday Christian Korcan, better known by his stage name Jack Holiday, is a Swiss DJ, record producer and songwriter, and considered a renowned figure in Swiss house music, well known for his collaborations with Swiss DJs Mike Candys and Christopher S. T ...

recorded a remix of the song. It was released in September 2009 as their debut single and charted throughout Europe.

Track listing

CD maxi – Europe (2009) # "Insomnia" (Radio Edit) – 3:31 # "Insomnia" (Chris Crime Infinity Remix) – 4:41 # "Insomnia" (Christopher S. Remix) – 4:39

Chart performance

Maceo Plex version

In 2021, Cuban-American DJ

Maceo Plex Eric Estornel, better known by his stage names Maceo Plex (), Maetrik and Mariel Ito, is a Cuban-American DJ, techno music producer and DJ Awards winner, raised in Dallas and Miami. Biography He is best known for his diverse production style, wh ...

released a remix of the song.

References

{{Authority control 1995 singles 1995 songs 1996 singles 1997 singles 2005 singles Arista Records singles Cheeky Records singles Faithless songs House music songs Music videos directed by Lindy Heymann Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Switzerland Sleep disorders in fiction Songs written by Maxi Jazz Songs written by Rollo Armstrong Songs written by Sister Bliss Insomnia

Lyrics and composition

Release

Critical reception

Chart performance

Music video

Impact and legacy

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

2005 mix

CD1

CD2

Version 2.0 by Avicii

Mike Candys and Jack Holiday version

Track listing

Chart performance

Maceo Plex version

See also

References