Possession

McLachlan wrote "Possession" from the point of view of an obsessed fan who wrote letters to her over a period of a few years. Following the album's release, the fan, Uwe Vandrei, sued McLachlan for songwriting credit, claiming she used parts of his letters in the lyrics. Vandrei asked for $250,000 and a televised meeting with McLachlan where they would discuss the song. He committed suicide on September 28, 1994 before the case went to trial. As reported in the Ottawa X Press, Vandrei was a computer engineer from Vanier, Ontario who kept to himself - so much so that he was only reported missing after neighbors noticed his mail piling up. He was clearly obsessed with McLachlan, keeping journals dedicated to the singer and telling anyone who would listen about his overwhelming admiration for her. For about two years, he sent letters to McLachlan, but never contacted her in person or sent any other items. The letters, however, were pretty intense. When he filed his lawsuit against McLachlan, he sent copies of his letters to the radio station CKCU, providing a look into his troubles. Here are some excerpts from his letters: Oh Sarah, Will I ever hold you on that shore? Or only live it in a dream? Will I ever tell you of my fears? Will you ever collect my tear? Let me repeat the lessons that you may not have learned well. Time and distance are IRRELEVANT! I am absorbed by, bound to you and I can wait a year, a decade, a lifetime. I will still be there, cherishing, contemplating, waiting.

Many have misunderstood this song to be about a romantic relationship. McLachlan commented on a Reddit AMA: "You wouldn't believe how many people use that song for their wedding. And I just smile quietly to myself. Like 'oh, that's nice.'"

"Possession" was Sarah McLachlan's first song to gain traction in America. Released as the first single from her third album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, it charted at #73, her first entry. Raised in Halifax, Canada, she fronted a new-wave band when she was 17, earning the attention of the Vancouver-based Nettwerk Records, which signed her a few years later. Her first album, Touch in 1988, earned her a small following that she built on with Solace (1991) and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993), but it was her fourth album, Surfacing, that leveled her up to the mainstream. The year it was released, 1997, McLachlan launched Lilith Fair, a groundbreaking tour with all female acts.