Omen III (song)

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"Omen III"
MA - Omen Three single.jpg
Single by Magic Affair
from the album Omen (The Story Continues...)
B-side"Remix"
ReleasedJanuary 14, 1994
Recorded1993
GenreEurodance
Length3:56
LabelEMI Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Mike Staab
  • Rainer Kempf
  • A.K. S.W.I.F.T.
  • B. Waldstädt
Producer(s)Mike Staab
Magic Affair singles chronology
"Omen III"
(1994) 		"Give Me All Your Love"
(1994)
Music video
"Omen III" on YouTube

"Omen III" is a song recorded by German Eurodance band Magic Affair, which consists of vocalist Franca Morgano and rapper A.K. Swift. It was released in January 1994, as the lead single from the debut album, Omen (The Story Continues...) (1994). The song is their most successful song, peaking at number-one in Germany, and number two in Austria and Finland. It has sold 750,000 copies in Germany alone and Gold status on the single were achieved within just eight weeks of release. In the official UK Singles charts it reached number 17 and sold under 180,000 copies, missing the silver certification just barely. Magic Affair won the 1994 Echo award in Germany, for the best German dance single with "Omen III".

Background[]

Magic Affair have only performed the third in the 'Omen' series, which all were produced and created by Frankfurt DJ Michael Staab (aka Mike Staab). The previous two Omen singles released back in '89 by Sony were sung by German dance floor house act Mysterious Art, which was founded in 1988. The first single, titled "Das Omen (Teil 1)" went to number-one and sold over half-a-million units in the GSA territories alone. It remained for nine weeks straight as number-one on the West German singles chart. The second, "Carma (Omen 2)" was released later that year and climbed to number nine, while the debut album, Omen - The Story was slow to take off, selling just 70.000 units and failing to make it into the charts.

Critical reception[]

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that Magic Affair "exerts tremendous energy in its effort to be rousing and ominous at the same time, with jarring and amusing results. Track rolls into the States on the power of massive European club and sales success, and is ripe for similar acceptance here. The swirling layers of glossy synths are positively hypnotic, driven home by a pounding hi-NRG beat."[1] Music writer James Masterton stated in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Euro-disco strikes again, shooting Omen III in from nowhere. You can see instantly why it is such a hit, girlie vocals and a high-speed rap combining in a commercial formula that may well last another year before it finally runs out of steam."[2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted, "Now he [Mike Staab] figures the time is right for a new lineup and Part III. At 138 bpm, it's maybe even harder hitting than its predecessors."[3] Alan Jones from Music Week rated it four out of five, adding, "Frantic Teutonic dance, a la Snap, Culture Beat et al, and likely to achieve the same kind of crossover success, because it has an irresistible hook."[4] James Hamilton from the magazine's RM Dance Update deemed it a "sinister effects and 'Valkyries' started Culture Beat-like frantic shrill 0-137.6-0bpm German smash".[5]

Chart performance[]

"Omen III" was very successful on the charts across Europe, remaining the band's biggest hit to date. It peaked at number-one in Germany, and number two in Austria and Finland. Additionally, the single peaked within the Top 10 also in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden (number three) and Switzerland (number three), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it climbed to a very respectable number five position. In the United Kingdom, it reached the Top 20, peaking at number 17 in its first week on the UK Singles Chart, on May 29.[6] But on the UK Dance Singles Chart, it was more successful, reaching number 12. Outside Europe, "Omen III" was a huge hit in Israel, where it peaked at number five. It earned a gold record in Austria, with a sale of 15,000 singles, and a platinum record in Germany, after 500,000 units were sold. Magic Affair was also awarded the German 1994 Echo award for the best German dance single with "Omen III".

Music video[]

A music video was produced to promote the single. It features the band performing inside a haunted house. Singer Franca Morgano appears as a witch, while rapper A.K. Swift raps among vampire-like females. The video was later published on YouTube in July 2014. It has amassed over 12,8 million views as of September 2021.[7]

Track listings[]

Charts and certifications[]

References[]

  1. ^ Flick, Larry (July 16, 1994). "New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  2. ^ Masterton, James (May 29, 1994). "Week Ending June 4th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. February 12, 1994. p. 6. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Jones, Alan (April 23, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 20. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Hamilton, James (April 23, 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 29 May 1994 - 04 June 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Magic Affair - Omen III". YouTube. July 24, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Omen III", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 10, 2008)
  9. ^ Belgian peak Archived 9 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Danish peak
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. April 30, 1994. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  12. ^ Finnish peak
  13. ^ "Culture Beat singles, German Singles Chart" (in German). musicline. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  14. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved August 6, 2008)
  15. ^ "Magic Affair – Omen III" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 29 May 1994 - 02 July 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "Omen III", UK Singles Chart Official Charts Company (Retrieved August 6, 2008)
  18. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 4, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  19. ^ "JAHRESHITPARADE 1994" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "jaaroverzichten 1994" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  21. ^ "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 24, 1994. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  23. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  24. ^ "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1994" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  25. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  26. ^ "SCHWEIZER JAHRESHITPARADE 1994". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  27. ^ Austrian certifications, database ifpi.at (Retrieved August 31, 2008)
  28. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Omen III')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
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