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"The Saint"
"The Saint"
Single by Orbital
from the album The Saint: Music from the Motion Picture and In Sides (most reissues)
B-side	"The Sinner"
Released	7 April 1997
Length	4:32
Label	FFRR
Songwriter(s)	Edwin Astley
Producer(s)	P&P Hartnoll
Orbital singles chronology

"The Saint" is a theme tune for the British spy TV show of the same name composed first as a whistled melody by author Leslie Charteris himself, before being expanded by Edwin Astley 1962, and later Brian Dee, Irving Martin, and Orbital in television and film versions.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Orbital version

English electronic music duo Orbital covered "The Saint" and released it as a single in April 1997. It is taken from the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The track is an updated version of Edwin Astley's theme music from the 1960s TV series The Saint and plays over a scene towards the end of the film. The single's B-side, "The Sinner",^[8] is an original composition developing elements of Orbital's arrangement from the A-side.

"The Saint" was one of Orbital's biggest hit singles. It reached number three in Iceland and on the UK Singles Chart, their highest-placing song on that chart along with "Satan Live". In Ireland it peaked at number seven, and in Finland it reached number eight. The single also sold well in North America, making it to number 15 on the Canadian Singles Chart and number four on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. Despite its success, it is not included on any of Orbital's retrospective albums, though it did appear on some reissues of their 1996 album In Sides. It was included in Orbital's live set during Lollapalooza 1997 and that year's Phoenix Festival but has not been played live since.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[9]	15
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[10]	21
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[11]	8
Germany (GfK)^[12]	87
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[13]	3
Ireland (IRMA)^[14]	7
Scotland (OCC)^[15]	4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[16]	34
UK Singles (OCC)^[17]	3
UK Dance (OCC)^[18]	3
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)^[19]	4

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[20]	82
UK Singles (OCC)^[21]	123

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	25 March 1997	Contemporary hit radio	FFRR	^[22]
United Kingdom	7 April 1997	12-inch vinyl CD cassette	FFRR	^[23]
Japan	25 May 1997	Mini-CD	FFRR London	^[24]

Other versions

The Les Reed Brass – 1962
Laurel Aitken – 1963
The Eliminators – 1966
Roland Shaw And His Orchestra – 1966

References

^ Anna Gough-Yates, Bill Osgerby, Anna Gough Yates Action TV: Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks 2013 1136358722 Page 198 - "Composed by Edwin Astley, the theme to The Saint (like that to The Avengers) uses swinging big band sounds and rhythms to set the tone for the series and its debonair hero. Played after the opening teaser of each episode, the theme ..."
^ Kristopher Spencer Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979: A Critical Survey 0786452285 2008 - Page 58 - -"Edwin Astley, who went on to score Secret Agent and The Saint, contributed music, along with Leroy Holmes, Sidney Shaw and Harry Booth."
^ Vincent Terrace Crime Fighting Heroes of Television: Over 10,000 Facts 2002 Page 144 "Edwin Astley composed the theme, "The Saint."
^ Wesley Alan Britton Spy Television 0275981630 2004 Page 113 "The Saint became even more involved with espionage when Ian Ogilvy took over the part in the 1970s. Demonstrating his unique versatility, Leslie Charteris himself composed the signature whistled title melody for The Saint, the same tune later expanded by Edwin Astley, Brain Dee, 1rving Martin, and Orbital in television and film versions of the"
^ Lukas Kendall Film Score Monthly Volume 7 - 2002 Page 30 - "Secret Agent EDWIN ASTLEY Score on Collectables CD, paired with The Saint."
^ James Chapman Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s 2002-1860647545 Page 116 - "Like all long-running, successful television series, The Saint has its own specific set of narrative codes and ... and a kaleidoscope of figures fighting in silhouette, guns and target motifs, accompanied by Edwin Astley's television theme tune. "
^ Francesco Adinolfi Mondo Exotica: Sounds, Visions, Obsessions of the Cocktail 2008 0822389088 "Edwin Astley also composed the soundtrack to The Saint, a series that aired in the United Kingdom in black and white from 1962 to 1965, and in color from 1966 to 1969. The music was suave and sophisticated like the lead character Simon ..."
^ The Saint (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). Orbital. FFRR Records. 1997. FCD 296, 850 829-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Orbital Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 17. 26 April 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^ "Orbital: The Saint" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Orbital – The Saint" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (22.5. '97 – 28.5. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 23 May 1997. p. 16. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Theme from The Saint". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Orbital – The Saint". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Orbital Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
^ "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40–1997" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1189. 21 March 1997. p. 37.
^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 April 1997. p. 31. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
^ "セインツ | オービタル" [Saints | Orbital] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 28 September 2023.