"Rescue Me" | ||||
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Single by Madonna | ||||
from the album The Immaculate Collection | ||||
B-side | "Spotlight" | |||
Released | February 26, 1991 | |||
Studio | Axis Recording (New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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Licensed audio | ||||
"Rescue Me" on YouTube | ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
"Rescue Me" is a song by American singer Madonna from her first greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection (1990). Written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone,the song was released as the second single from The Immaculate Collection on February 26,1991,in the United States,and as the third single on April 7 in the United Kingdom. A dance-pop and gospel-house track,the song is accompanied by the sound of thunder and rain,with the lyrics talking of romantic love rescuing the singer.
The song's commercial release was accompanied by different remixes. "Rescue Me" received positive critical response for both the original version and the remixes,as well as Pettibone's production work. Reviewers noted it as an example of Madonna's future musical endeavors to come. "Rescue Me" reached the top-ten of the record charts in Canada,Denmark,Ireland,Netherlands,Norway,the United Kingdom and the United States. In the latter country it became Madonna's 22nd top-ten song on the Billboard Hot 100. Lyrics from the song were used during an interlude on Madonna's 2019–20 Madame X Tour.
By the end of 1990,Madonna was ready to release her first greatest hits collection, The Immaculate Collection . According to J. Randy Taraborrelli,author of Madonna:An Intimate Biography ,the release was "much more than a mere collection of Madonna's biggest-selling and most popular songs". The singer relegated it as a "proud landmark" of her career which had progressed upwards since she broke out in the music scene in 1982. [1] The collection had 15 of Madonna's previously released singles,along with two new songs,"Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". The former was released as the first single from the record,and was controversial due to its explicit music video which had been banned from airing in television. [2]
Prior to its release as a single,"Rescue Me" started receiving airplay on the radio as an album cut. [3] The cover artwork featured a still image of Madonna from the music video of "Justify My Love". [4] In the United States,the track was released as the second single on February 26,1991, [5] and as the third single on April 7 in the United Kingdom,due to "Crazy for You" (1985) released as the second single from the collection. [6] [7] [8]
A video clip consisting of compiled footage from Madonna's 1987 Who's That Girl World Tour was eventually released to accompany the single. [9] Lyrics from the song were used during an interlude on Madonna's 2019–20 Madame X Tour;a row of dancers "convulsed gracefully" to the song at the lip of the stage to irregular breaths,described as one of the concert's "most powerful dance moments" by The New York Times ' Jon Pareles. [10]
Madonna wrote and produced "Rescue Me" with Shep Pettibone,with whom she had worked on "Vogue". [11] It was recorded at Axis Studios in New York City by engineer P. Dennis Mitchell,who was assisted by Curt Frasca and John Partham. Peter Schwartz played keyboards and did the programming on the track with assistance from Joe Moskowitz and Junior Vasquez. Tony Shimkin edited the song at Axis while Ted Jensen mastered it at Sterling Sound Studio. "Rescue Me" was mixed by Pettibone and Goh Hotoda at Sound Works Studio in New York. [12] The mixing was done in QSound which at that time was a new audio filter to create a three-dimensional sound effect. This was employed on all of Madonna's past hits on The Immaculate Collection. [11]
"Rescue Me" is a dance-pop and gospel-house track. [13] [14] [15] Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a house colored pop-dance rave. [14] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is composed in the key of D♭ major with a moderate tempo of 116 beats per minute. It is set in the time signature of common time with Madonna's vocals ranging from B♭3 to E♭5. The song follows a sequence of E♭m–D♭/E♭–A♭sus4/E♭–A♭/E♭ as its chord progression. [16] The song opens with a heartbeat and thunder, followed by a prominent bass line, piano, snaps, and percussion. Reminiscent of the songs by British synth-pop duo Yazoo and other 1980s disco acts, "Rescue Me" has Madonna growling the lines, especially towards the end. The thick arrangement has backing vocals by Dian Sorel, Catherine Russell and Broadway actor Lillias White. The ending of the track has the instrumentation fading away to leave just the backing vocals and then the song ends with the sound of thunder and rain. [13]
Lyrically, "Rescue Me" makes allusions to love rescuing the singer. Author Santiago Fouz-Hernández noted in the book Madonna's Drowned Worlds that the lines portray the second theme prevalent in Madonna's work alongside sex, that of romantic love. The singer depicts love as savior in the lyrics when she belts "I believe in the power of love / I believe that you can rescue me". [17] It references the 1967 songs, "Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S.)" by Edwin Starr and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin. [13] According to Katharine Birbalsingh from The Daily Telegraph , the confessional lyrics found Madonna reaching out directly to the listener, "pleading for the love and attention" needed through the lines like "You see that I'm ferocious, you see that I am weak / You see that I am silly, and pretentious and a freak" before it turned to an affirmation of her grit. [18]
Outside of the US, the song was released with Madonna's 1987 single "Spotlight" as its B-side. It was accompanied by eight different remixes by Pettibone. [13] An extended mix was created called the "Titanic Vocal mix", alongside a stripped down "Houseboat Vocal mix" which used a new beat and instrumentation, [4] [14] the sound of piano and a sample from Madonna's 1986 single, "True Blue". The Lifeboat and the S.O.S. mixes incorporate louder and busy beats with the former being similar in composition to "Vogue". [4] [14] All of them keep the original vocals intact in the remix, with a dubbed version also being released. [4]
Larry Flick from Billboard described Madonna's vocals as her "most potent to date" and Pettibone's production "stellar", while also complimenting that the song's remixes, saying Pettibone "has outdone himself this time, creating several new versions that should suit a variety of formats... In any mix, 'Rescue Me' proves to be far meatier and long-lasting than the previous 'Justify My Love'." [14] Taraborrelli described the track as a "standard, pulsating dance fare" noting it to be opposite of "Justify My Love". [19] Rikky Rooksby found the "growling" vocals by Madonna to be "ill-advised" but was positive about the ending of the track with the sound of the rain and thunder. [13] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly called the song as a "flimsy 'Vogue' rewrite" in his review for The Immaculate Collection, feeling that it did not break "new ground" for the singer. [20] Alan Jones from Music Week stated that Madonna "moves uptempo with a rhythmically apposite dancefloor contender which will shine at retail too." He added, "Her consistency is awesome." [21] James Hamilton from Record Mirror described it as "a gospel chorus punctuated at turns rasping and mumbling plaintive unhurried trotter". [22] In an album guide for Rolling Stone , the track was described as "worthy" and "sensual". [23] Andrew Harrison from Select relegated it as "more usual upfront Madonna dance workout with histrionic strings" but found it—along with "Justify My Love"—to showcase the singer's vulnerability, sexual predication and submission, all of which gave "Madonna's records an edge". [24]
Jose F. Promis from AllMusic reviewed the remixes by Pettibone and gave a positive review believing them to have held up "surprisingly well" many years since their release and are "good examples of what house/pop dance music was like in the early '90s". [4] A reviewer from Sputnikmusic rated the song four out of five, finding it similar to "Justify My Love" but "just not as good. It's a shame that this ends the album rather than [the former], but that's the way it goes, I suppose". [25] Robbie Daw from Idolator listed "Rescue Me" as one of the best Madonna songs that radio had forgotten noting that the track, along with "Justify My Love" "kicked off [her] early '90s period where she gabbed through tracks rather than singing on them". [26] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine , while reviewing Celebration, described "Rescue Me" as "simmering" and the "upside" of The Immaculate Collection. [27] James Rose from Daily Review noted that with the song Madonna began "a phase of her career that oscillates between cynical self-exploitation and courageous self-expression. Raunchy videos, explicitly themed lyrics and boudoir beats became de rigueur for the lady now arguably bearing the biggest name in popular music." [28] LA Weekly 's Michael Cooper ranked the track at number 14 in his list of Madonna's Top 20 Singles. He opined that the song heralded the singer's future musical endeavors with fifth studio album Erotica (1992), and was "innovative for its time" bridging the gap between Madonna of the 1980s and 1990s. [29] Chuck Arnold from Entertainment Weekly listed "Rescue Me" as Madonna's 45th best single, writing that "if 'Vogue' had a gospel choir taking it to church, it might sound something like ['Rescue Me']". [30] While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, Jude Rogers from The Guardian placed the track at number 44, calling it an example of the "over propulsive early-90s electronica". [31] In March 2023, Billboard ranked the song as Madonna's 99th greatest ever, with Joe Lynch writing: "Tension-laden synths, a bubbling bass line and a warm house beat swirl like a baptismal rainstorm". [32]
In the United States, Michael Ellis from Billboard noted that "Rescue Me" had entered the Hot 100 Airplay chart prior to its commercial release, and had already climbed to number seven. It was already being played in almost all major radio stations in the country. [3] After release, the track debuted at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week of March 2, 1991. It was the highest debut for a song within the previous 21 years, since the Beatles' "Let It Be" debuted at number six in March 1970. [14] After three weeks, the song reached number nine on the Hot 100, becoming Madonna's 22nd top-ten single. [33] [34] The track reached number six on the Dance Club Songs chart, aided by the remixes played in clubs. [35] On May 24, 1991, "Rescue Me" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 500,000 copies. [36] In Canada, the song debuted on the RPM Top Singles chart at number 96 and reached a peak of number seven after nine weeks. [37] [38] It also reached top-five on the RPM Dance/Urban chart. [39] The song was present for a total of 16 weeks on the Singles chart and ranked at number 55 on the 1991 year-end tabulation. [40] [41]
In Australia, "Rescue Me" debuted at number 31 on the ARIA Charts, and after four weeks reached a peak of number 15. [42] In New Zealand the song managed to reach number 18 and was present for six weeks on the chart. [43] In the United Kingdom, the track had debuted at number 84 on the UK Singles Chart and then dropped off. It re-entered at number four in April 1991 and reached its peak position of number three a week later, being present for a total of nine weeks in the chart. [44] According to Music & Media , the track reached the top of the UK sales chart. [45] As of August 2008, it has sold 134,767 copies in the country according to the Official Charts Company. [46] Across Europe, "Rescue Me" reached the top 20 of the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, [47] [48] [49] and top 40 in France, Germany and Sweden. [49] Its commercial performance in the European countries helped it attain a peak of number three on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, placing at number 90 on the year-end ranking. [45] [50]
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Credits are adapted from The Immaculate Collection liner notes. [12]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 14,510 [78] |
United Kingdom | — | 134,764 [46] |
United States (RIAA) [36] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Justify My Love" is a song released as a single by American singer Madonna. It does not appear on any of her studio albums, but is included on her first greatest hits album, The Immaculate Collection (1990). The song was written by Lenny Kravitz and Ingrid Chavez, with additional lyrics by Madonna; Kravitz also handled the production alongside André Betts. It was released as the lead single from The Immaculate Collection on November 6, 1990, by Sire and Warner Bros. Records. Initially, Chavez was not credited on the song; this led to a lawsuit against Kravitz which resulted in an out-of-court settlement. Influenced by hip hop, dance, trip hop, and experimental pop, it features spoken word vocals by Madonna touching on sexual fantasies and implying the position of a woman as the one sexually in control.
You Can Dance is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 17, 1987, by Sire Records. The album contains remixes of tracks from her first three studio albums—Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986)—and a new track, "Spotlight". In the 1980s, remixing was still a new concept. The mixes on You Can Dance exhibited a number of typical mixing techniques. Instrumental passages were lengthened to increase the time for dancing and vocal phrases were repeated and subjected to multiple echoes. The album cover denoted Madonna's continuous fascination with Hispanic culture.
The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 13, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two brand new tracks, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me". All the previously released material were reworked through the QSound audio technology, becoming the first ever album to use it. Meanwhile, the new material saw Madonna working with Lenny Kravitz and Shep Pettibone. The album's title is a pun on the Immaculate Conception, a Marian dogma of the Catholic Church.
"Dress You Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984). It was released as the album's final single on July 24, 1985, by Sire Records. Composed by Andrea LaRusso with lyrics by Peggy Stanziale, and produced by Nile Rodgers, who also played guitar on the track, it was the final song to be added to the album. Rodgers had asked the writers to compose something similar to the work of his band Chic but, due to LaRusso and Stanziale being busy with other projects, the composition took time. When the lyrics were submitted, the producer initially rejected them, as he felt there was no time to compose a melody; Madonna, however, liked the lyrics and convinced him to include the song on Like a Virgin. Musically, "Dress You Up" is a dance-pop song whose lyrics are an extended metaphor for fashion and lust, comparing dressing up with passion.
"Spotlight" is a song by American singer Madonna from her first remix album You Can Dance (1987). It was released as a single in Japan on April 25, 1988 by Sire Records and Warner-Pioneer Japan. Initially rejected during her True Blue album recording sessions, the song was written by Madonna, Stephen Bray and Curtis Hudson who had presented the original to the singer. The song was remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez.
"Causing a Commotion" is a song by American singer Madonna from the soundtrack album to the 1987 film Who's That Girl. It was released as the album's second single on August 25, 1987, by Sire Records. Its Silver Screen Single Mix later appeared on the EP The Holiday Collection (1991). Written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, the song was inspired by her relationship with then-husband Sean Penn, and his abusive and violent nature. Containing a dance-oriented, up-tempo groove, the song begins with the chorus and is accompanied by a four-note descending bassline and staccato chords in the verses.
"Angel" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on April 10, 1985, by Sire Records as the album's third single. Written by Madonna and Steve Bray, it was one of the first songs developed for the project and, according to Madonna, was inspired by a girl who is saved by an angel, and she falls in love with him. "Angel" was released as a 12-inch single with "Into the Groove" in some countries and charted likewise. A music video was not filmed for "Angel", and instead, a promotional clip comprising segments of her previous videos was released in the United Kingdom.
"Into the Groove" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna, and featured on the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was the dance floor; the singer wrote it while watching a Latin American man to whom she was attracted. Its instrumentation features synthesizers and drum machines, with Madonna's voice being double tracked on the chorus. Sexual innuendos and undertones are present throughout the lyrics, which are written as an invitation to dance with the singer. Originally written for her friend Mark Kamins, Madonna later decided to use it on the film, as one of the scenes needed a dance song. It was later added to the 1985 international re-issue of her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984), and in her compilations You Can Dance (1987), The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
"You Must Love Me" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, for the 1996 film adaptation of the musical, Evita, based on the life of Argentinian leader Eva Perón. The song was released on October 21, 1996, by Warner Bros. as the lead single from the film's soundtrack. After years of not working together due to their individual projects, Lloyd Webber and Rice collaborated on creating a new track for the film, with the hopes of obtaining an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. According to Lloyd Webber, the song's purpose was to showcase Perón's emotional state at the time as well as her relationship with her husband Juan Perón.
"Secret" is a song by American singer Madonna from her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994). It was released by Maverick Records on September 26, 1994, as the lead single from the album. The singer originally recorded the song as a demo with producer Shep Pettibone. However, Dallas Austin replaced Pettibone's role as the producer and reworked its composition, earning him a writing credit alongside Madonna. It was a departure from Madonna's previous musical style, since up to that point in her career, her music had mostly consisted of big-sounding dance tracks and melodic ballads. "Secret" combined the pop and R&B genres with instrumentation from an acoustic guitar, drums and strings, while lyrically talking about a lover having a secret.
"Vogue" is a song by American singer Madonna from her soundtrack album I'm Breathless (1990). Written and produced by herself and Shep Pettibone, it was inspired by voguing, a dance which was part of the underground gay scene in New York City. The song was released as the lead single from the album on March 20, 1990, by Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records. "Vogue" is a house song with influences of disco, which contains escapist lyrics describing the dance floor as "a place where no boundaries exist". Its middle eight features Madonna name-dropping several actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. "Vogue" was later included on three of Madonna's compilation albums: The Immaculate Collection (1990), Celebration (2009), and Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (2022).
"Bye Bye Baby" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna, for her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). It was released on November 15, 1993, as the sixth and final single from the album only outside the US. "Bye Bye Baby" was written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone, and Anthony Shimkin and was produced by Madonna and Pettibone. The song is inspired by Madonna's emotions of that time and her S&M thoughts. Musically, it is a hip hop song, sampling a hook from LL Cool J's track "Jingling Baby", released in 1990. Madonna's vocals were filtered to make them appear as sound coming out from an answering machine. "Bye Bye Baby" features instrumentation from keyboard and lyrically finds Madonna asking questions to a lover she is about to abandon.
"Cherish" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and was released by Sire Records as the album's third single on August 1, 1989. "Cherish" was built around the themes of love and relationships, with William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet being one of the major inspirations. The track also included a line from "Cherish" by the 1960s band the Association. Musically constructed as a doo-wop-style pop song, it is regarded as a light-hearted track by critics and includes instruments such as a drum machine, percussions, keyboards and a saxophone. Lyrically, it speaks of Madonna's devotion to her lover, and her promise to be always by his side. "Cherish" was included on Madonna's greatest hits compilations The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009).
"Deeper and Deeper" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). It was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin. In Australia and most European countries, the song was released as the album's second single on November 17, 1992; in the United States, a release was issued on December 8. It was included on Madonna's second greatest hits compilation, GHV2 (2001). A dance-pop and deep house song, it has disco and Philadelphia soul influences; the bridge features instrumentation from flamenco guitars and castanets and features background vocals from the singer's collaborators Donna De Lory and Niki Haris. Lyrically, the song talks about sexual desire, though it has been argued that it is actually about a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality. It includes a reference to Madonna's single "Vogue" (1990).
"Rain" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). Written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, in Australia and most European countries, "Rain" was released as single on July 17, 1993. In the United Kingdom and the United States, it was issued on July 19 and August 5, respectively. It was then included on Madonna's 1995 compilation, Something to Remember. A pop ballad with elements of R&B, trip-hop, and New-age music, "Rain" has lyrics that liken water and rainfall to the power of love.
"I Wanna Be With You" is a song by American singer Mandy Moore. It was released on April 3, 2000, as the lead single from Moore's reissue of the same name (2000) and as a single from the soundtrack to the 2000 film Center Stage. The song received positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number 24 in the United States Billboard Hot 100, becoming Moore's first and only top 30 single in the US. The song also peaked at number 13 in Australia and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The music video for the song, directed by Nigel Dick, shows Moore singing the song to her love interest in a dance studio.
"Gambler" is a song by American singer Madonna from the soundtrack album to the 1985 film Vision Quest. The song was written solely by Madonna, while the production was handled by John "Jellybean" Benitez at her request. It was released as the second single from the film's soundtrack album on October 3, 1985, by Geffen Records. "Gambler" was never released as a single in the United States, at the request of Madonna's own Sire Records. The music video of the song is an excerpt from the film.
"This Used to Be My Playground" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna. It is the theme for the film A League of Their Own, which starred Madonna, and portrayed a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Madonna was asked to record a song for the film's soundtrack. At that time she was busy recording her fifth studio album, Erotica, with producer Shep Pettibone. They worked on some ideas and came up with "This Used to Be My Playground" in two days. Once presented to director Penny Marshall's team, the song was released as a standalone single on June 16, 1992, by Warner Bros. Records. However, it was not available on the film's soundtrack due to contractual obligations and was later added to the Olympics-inspired Barcelona Gold compilation album, released that summer. The song was included on Madonna's 1995 ballads compilation Something to Remember.
"Keep It Together" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was released as the fifth and final single from the album in the United States, Canada and Japan on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records. Written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind "Keep It Together" was Madonna's relationship with her family—whom she dearly missed during her divorce from Sean Penn. The song was dedicated to the American band Sly and the Family Stone. The lyrics deal with the realization of how important Madonna's family has been to her life. A pop, funk and deep funk song consisting of an upbeat rhythm and groove, "Keep It Together" features instrumentation from percussion, banjo and a conga.
"Each Time You Break My Heart" is a song recorded by British singer Nick Kamen, for his eponymous debut studio album (1987). It was released by Sire Records on 2 November 1986 as his debut single in 7-inch and 12-inch maxi formats. Kamen had gained popularity by starring in a 1985 Levi's television commercial, later deciding to delve into the music business and signed a record deal with Sire. "Each Time You Break My Heart" was the lead single from his album, written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray. It was originally set to be included on Madonna's third studio album, True Blue (1986), but failed to make the final tracklist. Madonna also provided background vocals on the track.
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