"To the Sky" (originally titled "Adventure Awaits") is a song composed by Wilfried Montgomery and written by Ashley Maverick and Edward Reizer. Originally written in 1989, it was one of several eurodance and disco-based instrumentals written for the Incredible World of Riddles franchise, first appearing in the franchise's 1990 television special The Test of Time and later appearing in the television series.
A vocal version of the track was later released in September 1992, recorded by Sonja Dufour, which debuted at number one on the Karuboia charts and charted moderately throughout Europe. This version was later included in the 1994 album The Incredible World of Riddles: The Album in 1994, and was also rereleased in February 1995 to promote the film Kacie Forever, which saw it reach number one again. Since then, "To the Sky" has became largely associated with both the Incredible World of Riddles franchise and Kuboia popular culture and events. A new version was later released for the 2004 film Tenet and the Lost Star with new vocals by Ericka Streets and Stella C, which saw similar success to the original version recorded by Dufour.
Background[]
"To the Sky" was composed by Montgomery in the winter of 1989, and was one of several electronic and disco-inspired compositions the producer made that would later be featured in the Incredible World of Riddles. Montgomery revealed in a 2021 documentary that Maverick wanted him to compose a soundtrack that took cues from both classic Disney films and 1970s disco and synth music whilst also keeping the sound modern. Montgomery, who had little experience composing contemporary music at the time, found this a challenge and admitted he "thought he couldn't do it" until Maverick let him listen to her collection of disco albums.
For "To the Sky", Montgomery composed an instrumental he thought could be used for an opening or closing sequence or "in scenes where the action really starts to kick in". He originally called the track, which originally ran for nine minutes, "Adventure Awaits". The composition was first heard in the special The Test of Time, and was also used in several episodes of the television series.
Maverick however, wanted to record a vocal version of "Adventure Awaits" to capitalise on the franchise's growing popularity. She originally considered singing the vocals herself but, in her own words, it "wasn't going right", so she decided to look for someone else to perform the vocals. Maverick originally asked Melissa Emery, the voice for Tenet in the franchise, to perform the song, though she turned the option down. Maverick continued searching for a singer but was unsuccessful; she eventually asked Sonja Dufour, who she met at an Kuboian Independence march in 1987, to perform the vocals after Maverick heard her performing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton at a karaoke night. Although some sources claimed Maverick "tricked" Dufour into recording the vocals, Dufour later revealed in 2004 that she willingly agreed to sing on the song. Emery has since expressed regret over turning down Maverick's original offer.
Music and lyrics[]
"To the Sky" is influenced by eurodance, dance-pop and disco music, with its composition featuring orchestral riffs, an arpeggiator, synthesiser, piano and electric guitar. The lyrics are in the perspective of Kacie, the protagonist of The Incredible World of Riddles, visiting Riddle World to spend time with her friends away from Earth, with the song's title deriving from the fact Riddle World lies elsewhere in the Solar System. The song is in the key of B flat major, and has a tempo of 128 beats per minute.
Legacy[]
"To the Sky" has became one of the most popular songs associated with the Incredible World of Riddles. Mavrick noted in 2014 that the song is still popular at gatherings, such as Moon Sunday dances. A retrospective review in a Pop Magazine issue from 2002 noted the song as ahead of its time citing "it could pass for something released today". A BBC news reporter highlighted the song's "escapism" theme, which many listeners can relate to.
Music video[]
Two music videos for "To the Sky" exist; one of the original release and the other for the 1995 re-issue.
The original video features clips from several episodes of the first series of the Incredible World of Riddles television series spliced together. It was not publicly released, with Maverick claiming that it was only made so television channels had a video to play for the song. The video for the 1995 re-issue was filmed in Germany on 4th September 1994, and features Dufour wearing a 1970s-inspired disco dress and singing and dancing in a dark, empty discotheque. At several points, the video switches to clips from the film Kacie Forever.
Both videos have been uploaded in remastered form onto the official Incredible World of Riddles YouTube channel, with both having reached over 100 million views. An earlier upload of the 1995 video from 2007 on a different YouTube channel has also since gained over 300 million views.
Track listing[]
Kuboian cassette single (1992)[]
- "To the Sky" (radio mix)
- "To the Sky" (instrumental)
Kuboian CD single (1995)[]
- "To the Sky"
- "Together" (dance mix)
- "To the Sky" (music video)
Chart performance[]
Kuboia[]
"To the Sky" debuted on the Karuboia charts at number twenty-two on the week beginning 13th September 1992 and continued to linger around the top twenty for the next several weeks until the song's inclusion in a series two episode of the The Incredible World of Riddles television series, which sparked more interest in the single, increasing both sales and airplay. The song peaked at number one for the first time on the week beginning 8th November and continued to chart for another fourteen weeks.
"To the Sky" would later re-enter the charts following its re-issue and inclusion in the film Kacie Forever, re-entering at number eight on 5th March 1995 before returning to its number one peak on 9th April. Although the Karuboia chart usually denies chart re-entries after twelve months, "To the Sky" was allowed to re-chart due to being rereleased and its popularity being renewed by an external event.
"To the Sky" was the best-selling single in Kuboia in 1992, as well as the second best-selling in 1995. It is also the second best-selling single in the country of all-time (behind "Here We Go" by Ericka Streets).
Internationally[]
"To the Sky" was a moderate hit throughout Europe, reaching number one in Jetania and the top five in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The song was also a minor hit in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
| Chart (1992-95) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 31 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 8 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 2 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 9 |
| Canada Dance/Urban (RPM) | 11 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | 5 |
| France (SNEP) | 12 |
| Germany (GfK) | 3 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 29 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 10 |
| Japan (Oricon) | 55 |
| Jetania (OJC) | 1 |
| Kuboia (Karuboia) | 1 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 2 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 2 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 34 |
| Spain (AFYVE) | 5 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 20 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 21 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard) | 4 |
| US Dance Club Songs (Billboard) | 6 |
| Chart (2021-24) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CIS Airplay (Tophit) | 195 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) | 81 |
| Global 200 Excl. US (Billboard) | 146 |
| Jetania (OJC) | 40 |
| Kuboia (Karuboia) | 27 |
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100) | 75 |
| Portugal (AFP) | 96 |
| UK Singles Download (OCC) | 72 |