(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena


" Maria Magdalena", also known simply as "Maria Magdalena", is a song recorded by German singer Sandra for her debut studio album The Long Play. The song, written by Hubert Kemmler, Markus Löhr, Michael Cretu and Richard Palmer-James, was released as the lead single from The Long Play on March 1985, by Virgin Records, and was a major chart hit in Europe, reaching number one in multiple countries. It remains Sandra's signature song.

Background and release

The song was composed by Hubert Kemmler, Markus Löhr and Michael Cretu. Cretu also arranged and produced the song. The lyrics were written by Richard Palmer-James and allude to the biblical figure Mary Magdalene, which was Kemmler's idea. He also provided backing vocals on this recording and numerous Sandra's songs in the future.
The song was first released on March 1985 as the lead single from Sandra's debut album The Long Play. It was her third single as a solo artist, but the first solo single to be released internationally. The song first became a big hit in Greece, where it topped the singles chart, and subsequently reached number one on the official German singles chart for four consecutive weeks between September 13 and October 4, 1985. The single then peaked at number one in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Finland. It also reached number 1 on the airplay chart in Germany as well as the top 5 in Austria and the Netherlands. In the pan-European charts, it was a top 10 and a top 20 hit on the airplay and sales charts, respectively. The song was also a popular radio hit song in Brazil, the Middle East, Northern Africa and Eastern Europe.
The song was re-released in a remixed version as a standalone single in 1993, but was not commercially successful. Music website AllMusic retrospectively rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars. In 1999, another remix of the song was released only in France as a promotional single in support of her compilation album My Favourites. The track was remixed again for her remix album Reflections, and the original version was later sampled in the song "Kings & Queens" on her tenth album Stay in Touch.

Music videos

A simple performance music video was filmed in 1985, which presents Sandra accompanied by a bassist/backing vocalist, a percussionist and a keyboardist. It was directed by Mike Leckebusch. The music video was released on Sandra's VHS video compilations Ten on One and 18 Greatest Hits, released in 1987 and 1992, respectively, as well as the 2003 DVD The Complete History.
The industrial style video for the 1993 version was directed by Marcus Adams, and was also released on The Complete History DVD.

Track listing and formats

  1. "Maria Magdalena" – 3:58
  2. "Maria Magdalena" – 6:01
  3. "Maria Magdalena" – 3:58

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Denmark 15
Finland 8

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Europe 70
South Africa 13

Certifications and sales

Cover versions