(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena

"(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena"
Single by Sandra
from the album The Long Play
B-side	"Party Games"
Released	March 1985
Format	7" single, 12" single, CD maxi (1993 release) 12" single (1999 release)
Genre	Synthpop
Length	4:00 (single version) 5:55 (album version) 3:58 (1993 Radio Edit) 3:58 (1999 Radio Edit)
Label	Virgin
Writer(s)	Michael Cretu, Hubert Kemmler, Markus Löhr, Richard Palmer-James
Producer	Michael Cretu
Certification	Silver France, 1986
Sandra singles chronology
"Japan Ist Weit" (1984) "(I'll never Be) Maria Magdalena" (1985) "In the Heat of the Night" (1985)
Maria Magdalena '93 Sandra singles chronology "Steady Me" (1992) "Maria Magdalena '93" (1993) "Nights in White Satin" (1995) Sandra singles chronology "In the Heat of the Night '99" (1999) "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena '99" (1999) "Forever" (2000)

"(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", often known simply by the title "Maria Magdalena", is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was first released in March 1985 as the lead single from her debut album, The Long Play, and it was her first single to be released internationally. The song reached #1 on the official German Charts for four weeks between 13 September 1985 and 4 October 1985. A huge hit in Europe, it also peaked at number one (#1) in the Netherlands, Israel, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland; #3 in Italy; #5 in France; #2 in South Africa and #87 in the U.K. It was also a popular radio hit song in Brazil, Portugal, Spain and Greece.

The song was re-released in 1993 in a remixed version, and re-released again only in France as another remix in 1999, as a promotional single.

Formats and track listings

7" single

1. "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" — 4:00
2. "Party Games" (instrumental) — 3:21

12" maxi

1. "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" (extended mix) — 7:12
2. "Party Games" (instrumental) — 3:21

CD maxi - 1993

1. "Maria Magdalena '93" (radio edit) — 3:58
2. "Maria Magdalena '93" (club mix) — 6:01
3. "Maria Magdalena '93" (original version) — 3:58

12" maxi - 1999

1. "Maria Magdalena '99" (original version) — 3:58
2. "Maria Magdalena '99" (remix version) — 3:59

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1985)	Peak position
Greek Singles Chart [IFPI]	1
Austrian Singles Chart[1]	1
Dutch Top 40[2]	1
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	1
French SNEP Singles Chart[1]	5
German Singles Chart[1]	1
Italian Singles Chart	3
Norwegian Singles Chart[1]	1
Swedish Singles Chart[1]	1
Swiss Singles Chart[1]	1
UK Singles Chart[3]	91
Chart (1986)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[4]	87
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Finnish Singles Chart 1	8

¹ 1993 version

End of year charts

End of year chart (1985)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart[5]	10
Dutch Top 40[6]	19
Swiss Singles Chart[7]	10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
France (SNEP)[8]	Gold	500,000*
Germany (BVMI)[9]	Gold	250,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart successions

Preceded by "19" by Paul Hardcastle	Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single 31/1985 - 34/1985 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" by Eurythmics
Preceded by "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran	Swedish Singles Chart number-one single August 23, 1985 - October 4, 1985 (8 weeks)	Succeeded by "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco
Preceded by "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner	German Singles Chart number-one single September 13, 1985 – October 4, 1985 (4 weeks)	Succeeded by "Cheri Cheri Lady" by Modern Talking
	Swiss Singles Chart number-one single (first run) September 15, 1985 – October 13, 1985 (5 weeks)
Preceded by "You're a Woman" by Bad Boys Blue	Austrian Singles Chart number-one single October 10, 1985 (1 week)
Preceded by "Dancing In The Street" by David Bowie and Mick Jagger	Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single October 26, 1985 – November 9, 1985 (3 weeks)
Preceded by "Cheri Cheri Lady" by Modern Talking	Swiss Singles Chart number-one single (second run) October 27, 1985 (1 week)
Preceded by "Only Love" by Nana Mouskouri	Dutch Top 40 number-one single November 16, 1985 - November 23, 1985 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "Take on Me" by A-ha

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "(I'll Nerver Be) Maria Magdalena", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 15, 2008)
2. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 46, 1985". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=6614. Retrieved 2008-03-01. 
3. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved March 3, 2008)
4. ^ UK Singles Chart (1986 release) Chartstats.com (Retrieved August 27, 2008)
5. ^ "1985 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. http://www.austriancharts.at/1985_single.asp. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
6. ^ "Single top 100 over 1985" (in Dutch) (pdf). Top40. http://www.top40.nl/pdf/Top%20100/top%20100%20-%201985.pdf. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
7. ^ "1985 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. http://www.swisscharts.com/year.asp?key=1985. Retrieved 21 September 2010. 
8. ^ "French single certifications – Sandra – Maria Magdalena" (in French). InfoDisc. http://www.infodisc.fr/Single_Certif.php.  Select SANDRA and click OK
9. ^ "German single certifications – Sandra – (I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=%28I%27ll+Never+Be%29+Maria+Magdalena&strInterpret=Sandra&strTtArt=single&strAwards=checked. 

External links

• Maria Magdalena's lyrics at lyrics-songs.com