"Sanvean: I am your shadow" is a song co-written in September 1993 by

Lisa Gerrard Lisa Germaine Gerrard (; born 12 April 1961) is an Australian musician, singer and composer who rose to prominence as part of the music group Dead Can Dance with music partner Brendan Perry. She is known for her unique singing style technique ( ...

and composer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Claxton during rehearsals in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for the 1993

Dead Can Dance Dead Can Dance are an Australian music duo first established in Melbourne. Currently composed of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, the group formed in 1981. They relocated to London the following year. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane des ...

international tour. Lisa Gerrard stated she wrote this song missing her family who had remained in Australia. Its first public performance was in

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

, Ireland and first recorded on their 1994 live album ''

Toward the Within ''Toward the Within'' (1994) is the first official live album of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard's group Dead Can Dance. It contains 15 songs, of which only four appeared on their previous albums, and two of which were later re-recorded and inc ...

'', and later on Gerrard's 1995 solo album ''

The Mirror Pool ''The Mirror Pool'' is Lisa Gerrard's first solo album, released by 4AD in 1995 (one year before the release of ''Spiritchaser'', the last work Dead Can Dance issued before disbanding in 1998). Overview Among this album's musicians was Pieter ...

'' and '' The Best of Lisa Gerrard'' in 2007. Like most of her work it is sung in a

euphonic Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...

and emotional pseudo-language.

Other versions

It has become an iconic song through its frequent appearance on soundtracks and other uses: * In 1995, it appeared in a

Hermès Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since ...

24 Faubourg advertisement. * In 1999,

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...

incorporated "Sanvean" into his release " Perfecto Presents: Another World". * UK

Health Education Authority Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

used the song between 1998 and 2003 in an MMR immunisation campaign. * The 2003 episode " 7A WF 83429" of ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...

'' * The Cadets, a top five drum corps in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

, performed their own arrangement brass, percussion and solo vocal throughout the 2006 drum corps season. The use of amplification and the un-traditional solo singer caused some controversy among drum corps fanatics. "Sanvean" is included in their 2006 recording ''Through the Looking Glass Part II''. * In 2006, a free right-of-use of the song was given to the Dutch

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

'Natuur en Milieu' (Nature and environment), for their campaign 'Geef natuur de ruimte' ("make way for nature"). * In 2007, the third episode "Paradise Lost" of ''

Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain ''Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain'' is a 2007 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers the period of British history from the end of the Second World War onwards. The series was highly praised, and resulted i ...

'', used an almost complete live version, which was broadcast on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. * In 2008,

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...

included a cover of "Sanvean" in her album ''

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

''. * The 2012 episode "Last Straw" of

CSI: Miami ''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...

, used the song during the scene of an attempted suicide. * In 2017

Aly & Fila Aly & Fila are an Egyptian trance music duo made up of Aly El Sayed Amr Fathalah (Aly) and Fadi Wassef Naguib (Fila). They host an Internet radio show called Future Sound of Egypt, and are the founders of the label of the same name. The duo has ...

album "Beyond the Lights" the song was sampled in the track "Shadow" It is a favourite choice throughout the world for weddings, funerals and other solemn occasions. For many years it has also been performed internationally by Duo Spiritalis based in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

References

External links

video of original live performance on 17 Nov 1993 in The Mayfair Theatre, Santa Monica. Lisa Gerrard vocals, Andrew Claxton solo keyboard1995 video directed by Nigel Grierson2006 video of live outdoor performance by The Cadets, starts at 01:212006 video of Dutch NGO Natuur and Milieuwebsite of Lisa Gerrardwebpage of Duo Spiritaliswebpage of DJ Taucher's Child of the Universe clips
{{Lisa Gerrard Lisa Gerrard songs 1993 songs