The Sphinx (song)

"The Sphinx" is a song by French singer Amanda Lear released in 1978 by Ariola Records as the single from her third album Never Trust a Pretty Face.

Song information
The song was composed and produced by Anthony Monn, and marked a change in Lear's repertoire as her first downtempo disco ballad. The melancholic Lear-penned lyrics, in which the singer compares herself to the mythical Sphinx, tell about "the desire to remain a mystery". The singer has reflected that "The Sphinx" is the best song she wrote.

"The Sphinx" was released as the advance single from the singer's third studio album Never Trust a Pretty Face in late 1978. The single B-side was "Hollywood Flashback", the closing track on her previous album, Sweet Revenge. The song was a moderate chart success, reaching the top 20 across Europe, and remains one of Lear's biggest hits of the disco era.

Lear re-recorded the song for the 1998 album Back in Your Arms, and included the new version on her greatest hits compilation Forever Glam! in 2005.

Track listing

 * 7" Single
 * A. "The Sphinx" – 4:25
 * B. "Hollywood Flashback" – 4:31


 * 12" Single
 * A. "The Sphinx" – 5:13
 * B. "Hollywood Flashback" – 4:31

Cover versions

 * Spanish singer Pedro Marín covered the song on his 2006 Amanda Lear tribute album Diamonds.
 * In 2015, Chilean-American musician Promis released a cover of the song on his collaboration album Sunset Blvd with producer Ian Matthews. The song was released as the single in spring 2016.