Casanova

Casanova was the fourth studio album and the band's commercial breakthrough. It had the longest recording period of any Divine Comedy album to that point, and so a bigger budget, which Setanta could afford because of Edwyn Collins's hit single A Girl Like You. Hannon performed most of the instrumental parts himself, with Darren Allison as co-producer and drummer, though more musicians appeared than before. The closing track, The Dogs & the Horses, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios with a large orchestra that included future live band members Joby Talbot, Stuart Bates and Bryan Mills. Talbot arranged and orchestrated it, and co-arranged Theme from Casanova with Hannon.

A.T. Bossenger of Treble wrote that the central theme is sex, apart from the death of the last song. Scott Walker is an influence: Through a Long & Sleepless Night shares its title with a track on Walker's first solo album. Two songs began as attempts at a Father Ted theme. The first was rejected and became A Woman of the World, and the second was accepted for the show and later reworked as Songs of Love, with harpsichord in place of guitar. Hannon told ABC he was reading from the Jeff Lynne handbook, and that he hoped to take a bit of the Britpop action.

The singles were Something for the Weekend (17 June 1996), Becoming More Like Alfie (12 August 1996, number 27) and The Frog Princess (4 November 1996, number 15). The album was certified Gold in July 1997. Martin Aston of Q gave it four stars and wrote that Hannon had finally got the budget he deserved. The Independent said it could be the year's first certifiable classic and NME that it was pure class. NME later picked it among Britpop albums that deserved a reissue, and it appears in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. A 2020 bonus disc includes a demo of Songs of Love and the Father Ted pieces My Lovely Horse and Father Ted Theme.