Silence (Delerium song)

Song

The original album version and subsequent radio edit of the song had a much slower tempo than the more well-known remixes and was essentially structured like a pop song, with the characteristic synthetic instrumentation of the more melodic side of ambient music – though including darker overtones, such as the prominently featured Gregorian chant (Gloria in Excelsis Deo). This last element often invites comparison to popular ambient/new age/world music projects of the 1990s like Enigma and Deep Forest who routinely sample chants from various ethnicities worldwide, though in contrast such vocals featured on Karma were all original recordings.

Although the original song did receive Canadian radio airplay in 1997, it was not released as a single until 1999, two years after the release of Karma, though it was only the Airscape Remix which received airplay at this time, rather than the more downtempo original version. The single prominently included remixes by DJ Tiësto, and Fade, which significantly boosted the song's proliferation through club play (particularly by influential DJs such as Paul Oakenfold) as evidenced by the single's positions on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. It was on the soundtrack for the movie Brokedown Palace featuring Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale.

As a consequence, the song was largely promoted as an uptempo vocal trance song, which then influenced the marketing of the next several Delerium singles as well. Unlike most of its successors, however, "Silence" also broke into the adult top 40 radio format due to the song's club success, and through radio airplay the original version received mainstream awareness relatively greater than the remixes among club patrons.

Music video

The accompanying music video, directed by the directors collective Twobigeyes, was released in 2000 and was set to the Airscape remix. It has repeatedly been listed within the top 100 Ibiza anthems ever on online messageboards and, more recently, on MTV. The video was filmed on location in the United Kingdom ― mainly at Newgale Beach, Marloes Sands and "The Blue Lagoon" in Abereiddy, all in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Versions of the video featuring the Tiësto and Above & Beyond remixes followed the initial release.

A music video for "Aria", a track from the following studio album "Poem" that was first released as B-Side on a "Silence" single, was released in early 2000, featuring the Mediæval Bæbes. The single and video use the video edit of the song.

Re-releases

2004 saw a new release of the single as "Silence 2004", though no song actually bears that title – the new single went to number one on the US dance chart and contained only remixes, both old and new. Of these, the new Above & Beyond remix is the most central, as the version included on the compilation The Best Of released in advance of the single. The other new remix was by Filterheadz; this version subsequently, in 2006, became popularly mislabelled as the nonexistent "Trentemøller 2006 Remix". A 2017 version of the song entitled "Rhys Fulber Project Cars Mix" featured in the launch trailer for Project CARS 2.

Legacy

Hypnotised: A Journey Through Trance Music 1990–2005, a trance encyclopedia by Arjan Rietveld published in 2021, selected "Silence" as one of thirty individual trance releases discussed in detail. Additionally, Rietveld compiled several companion retrospective albums: the 2025 instalment, Hypnotised: A Journey Through American Trance Music 1992–2002, includes the Sanctuary Mix, and was accompanied by online notes identifying "Silence" as "arguably the entire global scene's single most recognizable moment".

Track listings

UK CD single 1999

1. "Silence (Sanctuary Mix Edit by Fade)" – 4:18
2. "Silence (Album Version Edit)" – 4:06
3. "Silence (Sanctuary Mix by Fade)" – 11:12

US CD single 2000

1. "Silence (Edit)" – 4:08
2. "Silence (DJ Tiësto In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:33
3. "Silence (Airscape Remix)" – 8:37
4. "Silence (Sanctuary Mix by Fade)" – 11:12
5. "Aria" – 3.59

UK CD single 1 2000

1. "Silence (Airscape Remix Edit)" – 3:48
2. "Silence (DJ Tiësto In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:36
3. "Silence (Album Version Edit)" – 4:06

UK CD single 2 2000

1. "Silence (Airscape Remix) – 8:38
2. "Silence (Original Fade Sanctuary Mix)" – 11:12

Benelux maxi single 2000

1. "Silence (Airscape Remix Edit)" – 3:46
2. "Silence (DJ Tiësto In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:29
3. "Silence (Airscape Remix) – 8:37
4. "Silence (Original Fade Sanctuary Mix)" – 11:12
5. "Silence (Album Version Edit)" – 4:06

Benelux CD single 2000

1. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix – Patrick Kicken Re-Edit)" – 5:11
2. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix Edit)" – 4:24

German CD single 2000

1. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix Edit)" – 3:58
2. "Silence (Airscape Remix Edit)" – 3:47
3. "Silence (Album Version Edit)" – 4:04
4. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:31
5. "Silence (Airscape Remix) – 8:36
6. "Silence (Original Fade Sanctuary Mix)" – 11:07

US maxi single 2004

1. "Silence (Above & Beyond's 21st Century Edit)" – 3:42
2. "Silence (Filterheadz Remix)" – 7:27
3. "Silence (Above & Beyond's 21st Century Remix)" – 8:51
4. "Silence (Fade's Sanctuary Mix Edit)" – 3:50
5. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:33
6. "Silence (Michael Woods Mix)" – 8:08

UK CD single 2004

1. "Silence (Above & Beyond's 21st Century Edit)" – 3:39
2. "Silence (Filterheadz Remix)" – 7:33
3. "Silence (Airscape Remix Edit)" – 3:39
4. "Silence (Fade's Sanctuary Mix Edit)" – 3:51
5. "Silence (Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:32
6. "Silence (Michael Woods Mix)" – 8:05

European CD maxi 2008

1. "Silence (Niels van Gogh vs. Thomas Gold Radio Edit)" – 3:29
2. "Silence (Niels van Gogh vs. Thomas Gold Remix)" – 7:34
3. "Silence (Lissat & Voltaxx Remix)" – 8:17
4. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:29
5. "Silence (Sanctuary Mix)" – 11:12
6. "Silence (Acoustic Version)" – 5:06

US The Essential Silence Digital Download 2010

1. "Silence (Album Version)" – 6:35
2. "Silence (Fade's Sanctuary Remix Edit)" – 4:22
3. "Silence (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Remix)" – 11:36
4. "Silence (Airscape Remix) – 8:38
5. "Silence (Michael Woods Mix)" – 7:13
6. "Silence (Above & Beyond's 21st Century Remix)" – 8:51
7. "Silence (Filterheadz Remix)" – 7:32
8. "Silence (Lissat & Voltaxx Remix)" – 8:18
9. "Silence (Niels van Gogh Vs. Thomas Gold Remix)" – 7:33

Digital release 2011

1. "Silence (David Esse & Antoine Clamaran Remix)" – 8:45
2. "Silence (David Esse & Antoine Clamaran Remix Edit)" – 4:15

Digital release 2012

1. "Silence (W&W vs. Jonas Stenberg Remix)" – 5:28

Digital release 2016

1. Silence (Alyx Ander vs. Delerium – Original Mix) – 5:31
2. Silence (Alyx Ander vs. Delerium – Radio Edit) – 3:39

Digital release 2017

1. Silence (Rhys Fulber Project Cars Remix) – 6:27
2. Silence (Rhys Fulber Project Cars Dub) – 6:17

Digital release 2019

1. Silence (Youngr's 20 Years of Silence Remix) - 4:28
2. Silence (Dark Matter Remix) - 8:38

'**Digital release 2021 **

1. Silence (Jens O. remix) Jay Frog - 2:56

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version

2000 remixes

"Silence 2004"

"Silence 2008"

John Summit remix

Year-end charts

Original version

2000 remixes

"Silence 2004"

"Silence 2008"

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

References

1. Rivaldo, Joey. "Delerium – Silence 2004". about.com.
2. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210429153651/https://mixmag.net/read/what-is-the-greatest-dance-track-of-all-time-features?p=words%2Fnews%2Fwhat-is-the-greatest-dance-track-of-all-time What is the Greatest Dance Track of All Time?] ''[[Mixmag]]'' (February 15, 2013).
3. Hofmann, Pieter. (May 26, 1997). "In a Sacred State of Mind: Delerium's Bill Leeb". Drop-D Magazine.
4. Bauer, Henrik. (August 14, 2005). "Bill Leeb > Noise Unit 2005 Interview". Mindphaser.com.
5. "Project CARS 2 – Launch Trailer (4K)".
6. Rietveld, Arjan. (2025). "Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan – Silence, 1999". Perfect Wave.
7. (May 16, 2025). "Hypnotised: A Journey Through American Trance Music [1992 - 2002]".
8. (March 7, 2017). "Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan) (DJ Tiësto's In Search of Sunrise Edit)".
9. "Music in this video - YouTube Help".
10. (2017-02-25). "Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan) (DJ Tiësto's In Search Of Sunrise Remix)".
11. "Alyx Ander, Delerium New Releases: Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan) [Alyx Ander vs. Delerium] on Beatport".
12. "Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan) [Rhys Fulber Project Cars Mix] from Nettwerk Records".
13. "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 6 January 200". [[GfK Chart-Track]].
14. "Delerium Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)".
15. (October 21, 2000). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
16. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". [[Australian Recording Industry Association.
17. "Top 100 of 2000". [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]].
18. (December 21, 2001). "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2001".
19. "Jaaroverzichten 2000". [[Ultratop]].
20. "Rapports annuels 2000". [[Ultratop]].
21. (January 20, 2001). "Best Sellers of 2000: Singles Top 100".
22. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". [[Jam!]].
23. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2001". [[Dutch Top 40]].
24. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2001". [[MegaCharts]].
25. (December 24, 2005). "2005 The Year in Music & Touring: Hot Dance Club Play Singles".
26. "Jaaroverzichten 2009". [[Ultratop]].
27. "Rapports Annuels 2009". [[Ultratop]].
28. (May 1, 1999). "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 May, 1999: Singles".
29. (June 5, 1999). "New Releases – For Week Starting 7 June, 1999: Singles".
30. (July 26, 1999). "Gavin AC/Hot AC: Impact Dates".
31. (September 30, 2000). "In-Store Next Week (from 2/10/00)".