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The Cross of Changes

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The Cross of Changes
Studio album by
Enigma
Released6 December 1993
StudioA.R.T. (Ibiza, Spain)
Genre
Length44:12
LabelVirgin
ProducerMichael Cretu
Enigma chronology
MCMXC a.D.
(1990) 		The Cross of Changes
(1993) 		Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
(1996)
Singles from The Cross of Changes
  1. "Return to Innocence"
    Released: 13 December 1993
  2. "The Eyes of Truth"
    Released: 11 April 1994
  3. "Age of Loneliness"
    Released: 8 August 1994
  4. "Out from the Deep"
    Released: 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
Billboard(favorable)[2]
BravoStarStarStarStarStar[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Los Angeles TimesStarHalf star[5]
Music WeekStarStarStarStar[6]

The Cross of Changes is the second studio album by the German musical project Enigma, headed by Romanian-German musician and producer Michael Cretu, released on 6 December 1993 by Virgin Records internationally and by Charisma Records in the United States.

Following the worldwide commercial success of the first Enigma album, MCMXC a.D. (1990), Cretu began to write and record music for a new album at A.R.T. Studios, his home studio in Ibiza, Spain. Cretu sampled songs from several artists, including Vangelis, U2, Genesis and Black Sabbath.[citation needed]

The Cross of Changes was a commercial success. Upon its release, it debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Enigma's second consecutive number-one album in the United Kingdom, and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in the United States, where it sold over two million copies. In 1994, four singles were released from the album: "Return to Innocence", "The Eyes of Truth", "Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)" (originally written for the film Sliver), and "Out from the Deep". A special limited edition of the album was released on 21 November 1994 on a 24-carat gold-plated disc, containing three additional remixes.

Critical reception

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Larry Flick from Billboard magazine praised The Cross of Changes as "a stunning, mind-expanding collection of chill-out/ambient dance jams. Producer Michael Cretu, who started the act's multiformat fire at club level with 'Sadeness', has clearly topped himself with complex, vividly cinematic compositions like the sprawling first single, 'Return to Innocence', and 'I Love You, I'll Kill You'. Weighting in without a jam above 98 beats per minute, this is sustenance for the adventurous, intelligent programmer."[2]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Curly M.C..

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Second Chapter" 2:16
2."The Eyes of Truth" 7:13
3."Return to Innocence"
4:17
4."I Love You ... I'll Kill You"
  • David Fairstein
  • Curly M.C.
8:51
5."Silent Warrior" 6:10
6."The Dream of the Dolphin"Fairstein2:47
7."Age of Loneliness (Carly's Song)" 5:22
8."Out from the Deep" 4:53
9."The Cross of Changes" 2:23
Total length:44:12
1994 special limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Return to Innocence" (Long & Alive Version)7:07
11."Age of Loneliness" (Enigmatic Club Mix)6:23
12."The Eyes of Truth" (The Götterdämmerung Mix)7:18

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Cross of Changes.[7]

  • Andreas Harde (credited as Angel) – additional voice
  • Sandra Cretu – additional voice
  • Michael Cretu (credited as Curly M.C.) – additional voice, instruments, programming, production, engineering
  • Louisa Stanley – additional voice
  • Jens Gad – guitars
  • Peter Cornelius – guitars

Derivative works

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  1. "Return to innocence" has been sampled by Aura Dione in her track "Where Does Love Go?"[8][9]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for The Cross of Changes
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[37] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[38] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[39] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[40] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[41] Gold 50,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[42] Platinum 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[43] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[44] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[45] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[47] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[48] Platinum 1,000,000*
Worldwide — 8,000,000[49]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ The Cross of Changes at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b Flick, Larry (29 January 1994). "Dance Trax: Stars Align For Cosmic Baby; Coming Home To Tara" (PDF). Billboard. p. 28. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  3. ^ Riemann, Hannsjörg (January 1994). "Platten News: Alben & CDs". Bravo (in German). p. 56. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  4. ^ "The Cross of Changes Review". Entertainment Weekly. 18 February 1994. Archived from the original on March 31, 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  5. ^ Hochman, Steve (6 March 1994). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (12 February 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  7. ^ The Cross of Changes (liner notes). Enigma. Virgin Records. 1993. CDVIR 20.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Aura Dione – Where Does Love Go". Discogs. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  9. ^ "Aura Dione - Where Does Love Go". schmusa.de (in German). 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2427". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 9. 26 February 1994. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  15. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 9. 26 February 1994. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  16. ^ a b c "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 10. 5 March 1994. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1994. 8. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Charts.nz – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 14. 2 April 1994. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Enigma Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  26. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  27. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1994". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  28. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994". RPM. Vol. 60, no. 21. 12 December 1994. p. 19. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  30. ^ "1994 in Review Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  32. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Albums 1994" (PDF). Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 11. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  35. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  36. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  37. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Enigma – Cross Of Changes" (in German). IFPI Austria. 8 January 1996.
  38. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Chances". Music Canada.
  39. ^ "French album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ENIGMA and click OK. 
  40. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Enigma; 'The Cross of Changes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  41. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Cross of Changes in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1994 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  42. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  43. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 937. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  44. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 14 September 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
  45. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Cross of Changes')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  46. ^ "British album certifications – Enigma – The Cross of Changes". British Phonographic Industry. 12 September 2003. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  47. ^ "American album certifications – Enigma – Cross of Changes". Recording Industry Association of America. 24 May 1996.
  48. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  49. ^ "Enigma – Discography, biography, music, MP3s, members, pictures & videos". SoundUnwound. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
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