The song, “Insomnia”, was originally recorded by Faithless in 1995
“Insomnia” was the second single to be released by British dance act Faithless in November 1995. You may be surprised to learn that it was not a hit the first time around! The track peaked at No.27 in the UK, although in underground clubs, it was proving a major success across Europe and further afield. So much so that the track was re-issued in October 1996 and this time it did gain commercial attention. “Insomnia” would become, arguably, the greatest dance/club anthem of all time. Peerless and timeless, the track would top Dance charts across the world, including the US. The song is double-Platinum certified in the UK for sales in excess of 1.2 million copies.
After a number of hits in the late 1990’s, Faithless returned to what has become their signature tune first in 2005, when an Armand van Helden remix reached No.17 in the UK, and again in 2015, when Swedish DJ Avicii ‘rebooted’ the song as “Insomnia 2.0”. This version would again top the US Dance chart and was a huge hit in Germany, losing none of the specticle of the original but nevertheless putting his own stamp on this sacred cow of the dancefloor for a whole new generation of party-goers and Faithless fans.
But which version is the best? The 1995 original or “Insomnia 2.0”?
In memory of Maxi Jazz (1957-2022), “without fear”
Talk About Pop Music 