2. “Possession” – Sarah McLachlan
(From the album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy)
1993
Sarah McLachlan released her third album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy in 1993 and it was an immediate success in her native Canada where she was already a star. The lead single and biggest hit was the song “Possession”, a song from the point-of-view of a man obsessed with a woman and inspired by disturbing letters McLachlan had received from several different obsessed fans who were stalking her and believed they were in a relationship with her. The most concerning of these was a man named Uwe Vandrei who sued McLachlan, claiming that she had used the wording of his letters in the lyrics to “Possession” and that he should get co-writing credits. The upcoming trial became a focal point for the Canadian media and an issue for the Canadian justice system since Vandrei openly admitted that part of the reason he had sued was to get close to McLachlan. Indeed, there was genuine concern for McLachlan’s safety. However, the issue never had to be addressed in court as Vandrei committed suicide before the trial began. “Possession” was a legitimate Canadian hit, peaking at #26, while also earning McLachlan real airplay in the US as well, where the song peaked at #4 on the US alt charts and went to #73 on the pop charts, the first time McLachlan had scored an American Top 100 hit. While Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was an immediate Canadian hit the album slowly gained momentum over the course of the next two years in the USA and in some other countries, becoming a slow burning moderate hit that had successful singles with “Possession”, “Hold On”, and “Good Enough”. The song “Ice Cream” also earned some attention as it was used in the Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson film Bed of Roses. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy proved to be a hit and set the stage for McLachlan to become a superstar.
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