Released 2 November 2001 Genre Dance-pop
trance
house Label Universal | Format Maxi single Length 3:12 Writer(s) Nadia Ali
Markus Moser | |
"Rapture" (sometimes referenced as "Rapture (Taste So Sweet)") is a song by American recording duo iiO. It was chosen as the lead single from their debut studio album, Poetica (2005). The song was written by both the members; Nadia Ali and Markus Moser, while production was handled just by Moser. The song was released on 29 October 2001 by Universal Records. Musically, the song is a dance-oriented song, which was very popular around the early 2000s. The song also incorporates musical genres of dance-pop, electronica, disco, house, and trance music.
Contents
- Background and composition
- Critical reception
- Chart performance
- Music video
- Track listing
- Nadia Ali re release
- Cover versions
- References
With the song winning positive reviews from music critics, citing it as catchy and one of the best songs of the year, the song was a commercial success. The song charted inside the top ten in countries including Romania, United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Ireland. It managed to chart inside the top fifty on the US Billboard Hot 100. A music video was also shot, showing the group in a futuristic city with visual lighting.
In 2010, the song was re-released by former iiO frontwoman Nadia Ali as a single from her remix compilation, Queen of Clubs Trilogy: the Best of Nadia Ali Remixed. The song was her most successful solo release peaking at number three in Romania, while charting in several European countries.
Background and composition
At the time, 17-year-old Nadia Ali was working in the New York offices of Versace, when a co-worker introduced her to producer Markus Moser, who was looking for a female singer to collaborate on some of his productions for a girl group. The two teamed up and started a group that was originally named "Vaiio", named after the Sony VAIO laptop Ali used to write lyrics on. They later dropped the "va", on the advice of their label, to avoid causing problems in the future with Sony. Working with Moser, she wrote the lyrics and the vocals for the songs.
Musically, the song has been described as a dance-oriented song. According to Discogs, the main genre of the song is classed as electronic music, while the sub influences have been described as progressive house and trance music. According to John Bush at Allmusic, "[Rapture] is pure pop, in a dance sense: a post-trance version of vocoder-ized disco, complete with modulating Moroder bassline, an evocative female vocal, and an unmissable hook repeated endlessly."
Critical reception
The song received favorable reviews from music critics. John Bush from AllMusic awarded the song two stars out of five, however. Steward Mason from the same publication highlighted the song as an album standout, saying "The gathered single sides, "Kiss You," "[Rapture]," "Smooth," and "At the End," are here in new and more pop-oriented mixes that show off not only Moser's knack for melody, but also the duo's key asset: singer [Nadia Ali]'s alluring purr of a voice."
StickyBoots from About.com said "'Rapture'... surely you've heard this track countless times, whether in the club, on the radio, or on your favorite mix compilation, and surely you have some specific memory that it conjures up."
Chart performance
Commercially, the song was a huge success worldwide. In Europe, the song peaked inside the top 100 in all countries. The song peaked inside the top forty in countries including The Netherlands, Belgium (both Wallonia and Flanders), Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The song peaked inside the top fifty in the United States, peaking at forty-four on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song then peaked at two in the United Kingdom and the Hot Dance Club Songs.
The song was successful in both Australia and New Zealand. The song entered inside the top twenty on the Australian Singles Chart, while entering inside the top forty on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The song eventually peaked inside the top ten in both countries, at three and eight respectively.
Music video
The video to "Rapture" was directed by Andy Hylton and features the duo, one of the few electronica videos that does so, since usually models are hired to appear in the video, and the artists do a cameo. The video develops in a technological city where Nadia Ali is seen in a room full of machines that scan her, digitize her, and project a hologram of her high above the city, while Markus Moser is seen in a car driving through the city.
The 2008 release of Rapture Reconstruction features a limited re-edited video as a multimedia bonus. It does not change the "storyline" of the clip, but includes many different angles and scenes to the original version.
Track listing
Nadia Ali re-release
Nadia Ali re-released the song as a single from her remix compilation Queen of Clubs Trilogy. Released as the only single from the compilation, it was remixed by Avicii, Gareth Emery and Tristan Garner. Ali said she chose the three to remix the track because they were considered tastemakers in electronic dance music. She said she also chose to re-release the track because she wanted to introduce it to a new generation of music listeners who were not familiar with the original iiO version.
Music video
The music video for "Rapture" was shot in December 2010 in Sacramento, California and directed by Brando Neverland. The video premiered on 24 January 2011 on YouTube and was set to the Avicii Remix. The concept of the video portrays Ali's elevation as the "Queen of Clubs".