"Nightmare" is an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

composition written, produced, and performed by Italian dance musician

Brainbug Alberto Bertapelle, better known by his stage name Brainbug, was an Italian symphonic electronic trance music producer and guitarist from Ceggia, Italy. He died during a concert in November 2016 at 57 years old. Early life Alberto Bertapelle i ...

, released as his debut single. The track was first issued as a single on 25 November 1996 and was re-released in the United Kingdom on 21 April 1997. Following this re-release, the song became a chart hit, reaching number 11 in the United Kingdom, number 14 in Australia, and number 15 in Ireland. In November 1997, the song was re-issued as a double A-side with Brainbug's next single, "Benedictus", this time reaching number 24 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 ...

and number 25 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. Critically, "Nightmare" was highly praised. In Australia, it was ranked at number 85 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1997.

Critical reception

Richard D of music website 909 Originals wrote that "Nightmare" was one of the most "sinister"

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

tracks to become a chart hit while British columnist

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

wrote that the instrumental "owes more to

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is an English rock band, formed in 1980 in Leeds. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasin ...

than anything else", calling it a "chilling combination of strings and techo beats."

Track listings

"Nightmare"

* Italian 12-inch single :A1. "Nightmare" (Mistericky version) – 6:27 :A2. "Nightmare" (original mix) – 6:19 :AA1. "Nightmare" (Isaac version) – 6:20 :AA2. "Nightmare" (Oriental mix) – 6:15 * UK 12-inch single (1996) :A. "Nightmare" (Sinister Strings mix) – 6:45 :AA. "Nightmare" (A Synergetic mix) – 9:35 * UK and Australian CD single # "Nightmare" (Sinister Strings radio edit) – 3:27 # "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 6:47 # "Nightmare" (

Tall Paul "Tall Paul" is a song recorded by Annette Funicello and written by the Sherman Brothers, along with Bob Roberts. Background It marked the first time that a female singer reached a top ten slot with a rock and roll single. It also spotlighted An ...

remix) – 9:27 # "Nightmare" (Burger Queens remix) – 7:48 # "Nightmare" (Phat Manhattan mix) – 10:11 * UK 12-inch single (1997) :A1. "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 6:47 :A2. "Nightmare" (Phat Manhattan mix) – 10:11 :AA1. "Nightmare" (Tall Paul remix) – 9:27 :AA2. "Nightmare" (Burger Queens remix) – 7:48 * UK cassette single # "Nightmare" (Sinister Strings radio edit) – 3:27 # "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 6:47 # "Nightmare" (Tall Paul remix) – 9:27 * US maxi-CD single # "Nightmare" (Sinister Strings radio edit) – 3:27 # "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 6:47 # "Nightmare" (Tall Paul remix) – 9:27 # "Nightmare" (Burger Queens remix) – 7:48 # "Nightmare" (Phat Manhattan mix) – 10:11 # "Nightmare" (

Club 69 Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his re ...

meets DJ Wild from Paris mix) – 6:51 # "Nightmare" (Club 69 Future mix) – 6:59 * US 12-inch single 1 :A1. "Nightmare" (Phat Manhattan mix) – 7:08 :AA1. "Nightmare" (Sinister Strings mix) – 6:46 :AA2. "Nightmare" (A Synergetic mix) – 9:32 * US 12-inch single 2 :A1. "Nightmare" (Club 69 meets DJ Wild) – 6:51 :A2. "Nightmare" (Club 69 Future mix) – 6:59 :B1. "Nightmare" (Tall Paul mix) :B2. "Nightmare" (Bonus Beats mix)

"Benedictus" / "Nightmare"

* Italian and UK 12-inch single :A1. "Benedictus" (Exitiale mix) – 7:18 (6:18 in UK) :A2. "Benedictus" (Epicus Modi mix) – 7:40 (6:26 in UK) :AA1. "Nightmare" (Dexterous remix) – 6:33 (5:37 in UK) :AA2. "Nightmare" (Club 69 meets DJ Wild from Paris mix) – 7:05 (6:28 in UK) * UK CD single # "Benedictus" (Exitiale edit) – 3:33 # "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 6:47 # "Benedictus" (Epicus Modi mix) – 6:26 # "Nightmare" (Club 69 meets DJ Wild from Paris mix) – 6:28 * UK cassette single # "Benedictus" (Exitiale edit) – 3:33 # "Nightmare" (original Sinister Strings mix) – 3:25 # "Nightmare" (Dexterous remix) – 5:39

Charts

Weekly charts

"Nightmare" "Benedictus" / "Nightmare"

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Reflist 1996 debut singles 1996 instrumentals 1996 songs Italian dance songs Positiva Records singles