"Original Sin" is a song produced, written and arranged by

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

. Steinman originally wrote, composed, and produced the song for the album of the same name by the musical team called

Pandora's Box Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing phys ...

. American singer

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...

covered the song (singing to a stripped-down version of the backup tracks recorded for Pandora's Box), and it was released as a single on June 26, 1994, and included in the soundtrack to the film ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

''. The photograph displayed on the cover of Dayne's single was shot by Alberto Tolot, taken on the set of its music video. This version of the song has slightly altered lyrics referring to the themes of the movie (a line about 'evil lurking in the hearts of men today' based on the intro to "The Shadow" radio program) different from the ones sung by

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

on '' Welcome to the Neighborhood'' and Pandora's Box.

Critical reception

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 ...

'' stated that "Dayne's over-the-top vocal style is a perfect match for

's melodramatic, kitchen-sink production", adding, "Dayne chews through an arrangement of grand piano lines, thunderous guitars, and shrill choir chants with impressive energy. Don't be surprised if this bombastic track propels her back onto the pop charts in a huge way." Troy J. Augusto from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' wrote, "With his usual far-over-the-top production excess, Jim Steinman has created for Dayne an epic single worthy of her powerhouse vocals. Similar to his bombastic work with

, “Original Sin” is layered thick with energetic guitars, orchestral pianos and a heavy-duty vocal choir that'll have 'emdancing in the aisles. It’s back to the top o’ the heap for Ms. Dayne, whose new album is expected later in the year."

Charts

"Original Sin" was released in the U.S. as a cassette and CD single, but did not chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Cover versions

Meat Loaf recorded the song for his album '' Welcome to the Neighborhood''. As previously stated, his version has different lyrics from Dayne's.

References

{{Authority control 1994 singles Taylor Dayne songs Songs written by Jim Steinman Song recordings produced by Jim Steinman Music videos directed by Russell Mulcahy 1989 songs Arista Records singles