The Madman's Return

The Madman's Return
Studio album by Snap!
Released	24 March 1992
Recorded	1991–1992
Genre	Eurodance
Length	41:00 (original eight-track disc)
Label	Anzilotti & Munzing Arista
Producer	Snap!
Snap! chronology
World Power (1990) The Madman's Return (1992) Welcome to Tomorrow (1994)
Singles from The Madman's Return
"Colour of Love" Released: 9 December 1991 "Rhythm Is a Dancer" Released: 30 March 1992 "Exterminate!" Released: 7 December 1992 "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" Released: 4 July 1993

The Madman's Return is the second studio album by German Eurodance group Snap! It contains the international hit "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which reached No. 1 in France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom and peaked at No. 5 in the US and Canada. The album was certified platinum in Switzerland ^[1] and gold in Germany, ^[2] Austria ^[3] and the United Kingdom ^[4] but only reached No. 121 on the US Billboard 200. ^[5]

The earliest LP pressings did not contain "Rhythm Is a Dancer". The album produced four singles; "Colour of Love", "Rhythm Is a Dancer", "Exterminate!" and "Do You See The Light (Looking For)".

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Calgary Herald	B+ [7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
Music Week	[9]

AllMusic highlighted songs like "Rhythm Is a Dancer", "Don't Be Shy", "Believe in It", "Colour of Love", and "Who Stole It?" as "standout" tracks of the album, adding that the latter has a sound that recalls one of the group's earlier hits, "The Power". Billboard complimented new singer Thea Austin, who "does an admirable job" especially on "See the Light", and remarked that "Who Stole It?" "could break big." ^[10] Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly also highlighted "Who Stole It?", with its "fuzzy, stop-start hook". He also felt that the band "proves its talent for complex, hard-hitting dance beats" on the "eerie, futuristic" "Ex-Terminator", and "a witty warning to female gold diggers" on "Money". Berger named "See the Light" the album's "finest moment", describing it as "lilting" and "as lush as Soul II Soul's best work, and even the sequences of mush-mouthed rapping can’t dull its gloss." ^[11] A reviewer from Melody Maker named "Colour of Love" the "highlight" of the album. ^[12]

Track listing

First edition

• All music by Benito Benites & John "Virgo" Garrett III. All lyrics as noted. (Information taken from the original nine-track disc.)

1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35 (Durron Butler)
2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32 (Butler, Penny Ford, Thea Austin)
3. "Believe in It" – 5:08 (Benites, Garrett III, Austin, Butler)
4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10 (Butler)
5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38 (Butler, Benites, Garrett III)
6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32 (Austin, Benites, Garrett III)
7. "Money" – 5:12 (Butler)
8. "See the Light" – 5:45 (Butler, Ford, Austin)
9. "Exterminate!" – 5:24 (Benites, Garrett III)
10. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
11. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
12. "Sample City" – 1:08

• On the original nine-track album, tracks 1 & 3–7 are published by Hanseatic/Songs of Logic. Tracks 2 & 8 are published by Hanseatic/Songs of Logic/Zomba Music. Track 9 is published by Hanseatic.

Second edition

1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35
2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32
3. "Believe in It" – 5:08
4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10
5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38
6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32
7. "Money" – 5:12
8. "See the Light" – 5:45
9. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" edit) – 3:45
10. "Ex-Terminator" – 5:24
11. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
12. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
13. "Sample City V2.01" – 1:10

Third edition (marked as such on the front cover)

1. "Madman's Return" – 4:35
2. "Colour of Love" – 5:32
3. "Believe in It" – 5:08
4. "Who Stole It?" – 5:10
5. "Don't Be Shy" – 4:38
6. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" – 5:32
7. "Money" – 5:12
8. "See the Light" – 5:45
9. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (7" edit) – 3:45
10. "Exterminate" (Endzeit 7") – 4:20
11. "Ex-Terminator" – 5:24
12. "Keep It Up" – 4:05
13. "Homeboyz" – 6:37
14. "Sample City V2.01" – 1:10

Personnel

• Benito Benites, John "Virgo" Garrett III – keyboards, drum programming
• Durron Butler (aka Turbo B), Thea Austin, Niki Haris (on “Exterminate”) – vocals
• Andy Plöcher, Daniel Iribarren – guitars, bass
• Bobby Sattler – woodwinds

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Madman's Return Chart (1992–1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [13] 70 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [14] 3 Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [15] 16 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [16] 9 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [18] 38 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [19] 12 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [20] 21 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21] 7 UK Albums (OCC) [22] 8 US Billboard 200 [23] 121

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for The Madman's Return Chart (1992) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [24] 8 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) [25] 81 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [26] 30 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [27] 13 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] 32

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria) [29]	Gold	25,000*
Germany (BVMI) [30]	Gold	500,000 [31]
Netherlands (NVPI) [32]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [33]	Platinum	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [34]	Gold	100,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Hitparade.ch: Snap!". Schweizer Hitparade . Retrieved 4 February 2012.
2. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap!)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 27 July 2010.
3. "Gold & Platin". IFPI Austria. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
4. "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
5. "US Albums Positions to Snap!". Billboard Magazine . Retrieved 27 July 2010.
6. AllMusic review
7. Muretich, James (19 April 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
8. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Omnibus Press. p. 578.
9. Jones, Alan (23 January 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week . p. 25. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
10. "Album Reviews". Billboard . 4 April 1992. p. 46.
11. Berer, Arion (15 May 1992). "The Madman's Return". Entertainment Weekly .
12. Push (25 January 1992). "Albums". Melody Maker . p. 28. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 258.
14. "Austriancharts.at – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1891". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Snap! – The Madman's Return" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
18. "Charts.nz – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Snap! – The Madman's Return". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
23. "Billboard 200 Chart: Week of December 5, 1992". Billboard . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
24. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1992". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
25. "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
26. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
27. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
28. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1992". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
29. "Austrian album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
30. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Snap; 'The Madman')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
31. Wolfgang Spahr (13 May 2000). Grammy's Two Way Street. Billboard . Retrieved 27 March 2022.
32. "Dutch album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved 27 March 2022.Enter The Madman's Return in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1992 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
33. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Madman's Return')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
34. "British album certifications – Snap – The Madman's Return". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 March 2022.