"This Used to Be My Playground" | ||||
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Single by Madonna | ||||
B-side | "This Used to Be My Playground" (long version) | |||
Released | June 16, 1992 | |||
Recorded | March–May 1992 | |||
Studio | Oceanway Recording (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 5:08 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"This Used To Be My Playground" on YouTube |
"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 .
Written and produced by Madonna and Pettibone, "This Used to Be My Playground" was the first time that Pettibone worked with live string arrangements. Madonna recorded the song on a Shure SM57 microphone, with instrumentation from piano, organ, strings and a basic drum sounds. During the final recording, the duo had to redo the whole orchestra section to tailor it for the song. The song starts with a keyboard introduction and strings, with Madonna singing in expressive but subdued vocals. Its verse and chorus merge into each other for having a continuity in the song, yet the track ends abruptly. Lyrically it discusses visiting one's childhood places and not letting go of the past.
The song received positive reviews from critics, who noted it as an essential addition in Madonna's repertoire. The song earned the singer a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song. It was a commercial success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; the track was Madonna's tenth chart-topping single, breaking her tie with Whitney Houston to become the female artist with the most number one singles at that time. Later that November 1992, Houston would again tie Madonna with her tenth number-one, "I Will Always Love You". It also reached the top of the charts in Canada, Finland, Italy and Sweden, while reaching the top-ten of the charts in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Madonna had never performed the song live despite its commercial success until February 2, 2024, on The Celebration Tour in Chicago, where she sang a snippet of it with the crowd.
In 1992, Madonna starred in the Penny Marshall directed film A League of Their Own , which portrayed a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). [1] Columbia Records representatives presented music supervisor Jay Landers with the film's script. Together with Michael Dilbeck, head of music for Columbia Pictures, they decided to compose a soundtrack for the film. According to Landers, Marshall being well connected to the music community also helped them choose the artists they wanted to work with. The director wanted the music and songs to be performed by contemporary artists, but catering to the period of 1943–44, which was the film's timeline. Carole King had already written the opening song for A League of Their Own, and Madonna being associated with it, Columbia wanted her to record another song. Lars recalled that there was some "early hesitation" if Madonna's character should be kept the same or separated from that in the film and the song, and in the end they decided to go with the latter concept. [2]
After the shooting was over, Madonna was busy in the recording sessions for her fifth studio album, Erotica with producer Shep Pettibone. Throughout January–March 1992, Madonna and Pettibone worked on demos for the album and finally decided on 15 of them. [3] When Lars called Madonna and asked her to record a song for the film, the singer and Pettibone had just completed working on the ballad "Rain". Madonna admitted that she did not have any material for the film and Lars explained that Marshall wanted only a ballad. Pettibone composed a track the same night and Madonna had some ideas she wanted to incorporate. [2] She came up with the melody of "This Used to Be My Playground" by humming over computer-generated chords and rewrote a string arrangement while an orchestra waited in the studio. [4] During an interview with The Guardian , Madonna described the process as "assignment writing" since it was completely separate from her Erotica sessions. [5] It took them two days to write and produce the song, and the final version was submitted to Marshall's team. Lars recalled that they "immediately loved it... We all thought it would be a very successful record and we knew right away it would be perfect." [2]
Due to contractual reasons, the track could not be included on the official A League of Their Own soundtrack; instead, it was included on the compilation Barcelona Gold , which was released to promote the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. [6] [7] "This Used to Be My Playground" was officially released as a standalone single to promote the film, on June 16, 1992, by Warner Bros. Records. [8] The song was later included on Madonna's 1995 ballad compilation album Something to Remember . [9]
Recording the track was a new experience for Pettibone since it was the first time that he worked with live musicians and arrangements. Pettibone took the demo of the song, and added live drums, piano and strings to it. They did not have any strings written originally for the song, and chose composer Jeremy Lubbock for the music arrangement; Lubbock had previously worked with Madonna on her soundtrack album I'm Breathless (1990). [2] Madonna recorded the song on a Shure SM57 microphone, with the melody being played over and over again, accompanied by the piano, organ, strings and a basic rim-looping sound on a portable Macintosh computer. Pettibone spent the rest of the recording session working on the verses and final structure of "This Used to Be My Playground" was completed. The day after the song was finished, Madonna traveled to Oregon to work on her next film, Body of Evidence , giving Pettibone the time to finish off the songs for Erotica. [3]
The duo met again in May 1992 at Oceanway Studios in Los Angeles to complete the orchestration of the song. Lubbock's arrangement was chosen for adding the final touches and the recording started. However, Madonna and Pettibone did not like the orchestra parts and wanted to redo the whole composition. The producer recalled, "Madonna and I had to change the whole arrangement, right there in the studio, with a full orchestra sitting there getting paid for taking up space—around $15,000 for three hours, $3000 for every half-hour over that. And of course, Lubbock was talking to two people who didn't know a C from a B natural. The pressure was on". [3] So they stood near Pettibone's Mac and sang the notes, with Lubbock correcting them. The total recording was finished off in 2 hours and 58 minutes, thereby saving to pay the orchestra the extra fees. The last recording of the song was on Memorial Day where Madonna re-did the lead vocals and improved them. Together they did some final edits of the track and finished it. [3]
"This Used to Be My Playground" features a keyboard introduction, followed by the strings and the song starts. [10] Musically, the song is set in the time signature of common time with a slow tempo of 77 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of G minor with Madonna vocals ranging from the chords of G3 to B♭4. The song follows a basic sequence of Gm–F/G–E♭maj7–Dm7–Gsus–G as its chord progression. [11] The chords have an unexpected flow in terms of the beginning and the ending, moving from E♭ down to Gm and momentarily to F major, then going back to the previous sequence again. The song has a lush, romantic quality, with the melody going through different ranges and peaks, and the verse and the chorus flow into each other, making it sound seamless. Madonna sings in subdued but expressive vocals, aided by the strings and background singers during the third verse. Towards the end the singer's voice is double tracked and produces little amount of roughness. [10] Lyrically the song talks about Madonna revisiting the places from her childhood ("This used to be my playground / This used to be my childhood dream"), and evokes the songwriting on her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). The singer is in a dilemma between choosing the past and letting go, concluding that the latter is difficult ("Say goodbye to yesterday (the dream) / Those are words I'll never say (I'll never say))". The track ends abruptly with a sustained chord by the orchestra and Madonna uttering the line "Wishing you were here with me", which was addressed to her mother. [10]
After its release, "This Used to Be My Playground" received positive reviews from music critics. J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography , called the track a "melancholic performance". [12] Michelle Morgan, author of the book Madonna, described it as a "beautiful ballad". [13] Similarly, Humberto Quiroga Lavié called it one of Madonna's best ballads in his essay Secretos y Misterios de Hombres y Mujeres. [14] Author Rikky Rooksby wrote in his book The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, that the song was appropriate for the film and its nostalgic moment towards the end, showing the characters grown up and reuniting at a museum opened for themselves and the titular league. He called it "one of Madonna's very best recordings and most expressive single". [10] While reviewing Something to Remember, author Chris Wade wrote in his book The Music of Madonna, that the song conjured up a "strangely sad, nostalgic feel, reminding ourselves of memories from yesteryear". He commended Madonna's vocals calling it as the song's "premier sound" and adding that the way "she sings and captures the melancholic melody is heartbreaking [...] it's one of her finest ever ballads." [15] Encyclopedia Madonnica writer and journalist Matthew Rettenmund noted in the book that the song's rise to the top of the charts was aided by its "honest delivery and aching sense of loneliness, regret and nostalgia for friendship lost." [16]
Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "She offers a subtle and melancholy vocal amid a string-filled production, ably handled by collaborator Shep Pettibone". He added it as "a mature and thoroughly satisfying effort". [17] Cashbox called it a "reflective ballad". [18] Gavin Report commented, "This change of pace for Madonna is a seamless knuckler of a slow song rich in melody and thoughtfully pitched." [19] Matthew Jacobs from The Huffington Post , placed it at number 32 on his list "The Definitive Ranking of Madonna Singles". He wrote: "What's surprising is that this heartfelt ballad's release was sandwiched between 'Justify My Love' and 'Erotica', which corroborates the many checkered crowns that Madonna can wear". [20] Similarly, AllMusic's Jose F. Promis called it "a quiet predecessor to her most notorious album Erotica". Promis also believed that the single version of the song was worth of collecting since it was not released in CD version in the United States. [21] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine , called it one of the singer's "soundtrack gems". [22] Writing for the Deseret News , Chris Hicks called the song "a lovely change-of-pace number" for Madonna. [23] Richard LeBeau from Medium called it "a gut-wrenching ballad that explores themes related to nostalgia, grief, and heartbreak [...] the best ballad of her career and one of the best ballads of the 90s". [24]
Louis Virtel, from TheBacklot.com, placed "This Used to Be My Playground" at number 52 of his list "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs". He wrote; "The theme to Madonna’s best movie is nostalgic and sweet, and it gave her a major hit that utilized the lachrymose qualities in her voice." [25] Mary Ann A. Bautist, from the Philippine Daily Inquirer , called it one of the singer's "alternative tunes [...] that can be as romantic and touching as any ballad". [26] Liz Smith, from The Toledo Blade , called it an "exquisite ballad". [27] On his review of the compilation Barcelona Gold , The Daily Gazette 's Bill Rice wrote: "Madonna's plaintive single 'This Used to Be My Playground', is one medal winner". [28] Music Week stated that "this is Madonna at her most grown up on a thoughtful, downtempo and tender track". [29] A negative review came from Stylus Magazine 's Alfred Soto, who dismissed the song as a "slushy rewrite of Like a Prayer's 'Promise to Try'". [30] Also negative was Stereogum 's Tom Breihan, who pointed out that it lacked "the dreamy sweep of older Madonna ballads like 'Crazy For You' and 'Live to Tell'. Instead, it sounds cheap and chintzy". Breihan also deemed it "exactly the wrong song for a singer like Madonna", that should've been sung by a "grand ’90s balladeer" like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion. [31] "This Used to Be My Playground" was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song, but lost to "A Whole New World" from Aladdin . [32] [33] It won two accolades at the ASCAP Awards, in the categories of Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures and Most Performed Pop Song. [34] [35]
In the United States, "This Used to Be My Playground" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 35, for the week of July 4, 1992. [36] The debut was aided by just airplay points which enabled it to enter the Hot 100 Airplay chart at number 14. The song received immediate heavy rotation in US radio stations like Hot 97 in New York and Wild 107 in San Francisco. [37] One week later, the song jumped to number 17 on the Hot 100, having had the largest sales and airplay gain of any record on the chart. [38] On August 8, 1992, the song reached the top of the chart for one week, becoming Madonna's tenth number one single, breaking her tie with Whitney Houston as the female artist with the most number one singles at that time. [39] [40] The song replaced "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot although it was number three on the Hot Singles Sales and Hot 100 Airplay charts. According to Michael Ellis from Billboard, the song edged out "Baby Got Back" by a small margin of chart points. [40] The song spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart and ranked at number 21 on the Hot 100 year end chart for 1992. [39] [41]
"This Used to Be My Playground" also reached peak positions of number two on the Hot 100 Airplay and number four on the Adult Contemporary charts. [42] On September 10, 1992, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. [43] Billboard ranked it at number 22 on their list of "Madonna's 40 Biggest Hits" on the Hot 100. [44] In Canada, the song debuted at number 60 on the RPM Top Singles chart on July 4, 1992. [45] After seven weeks it reached the top of the chart and was present for a total of 19 weeks. [46] [47] It also reached number two on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. [48]
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart, and reached a peak of number three the week of August 25, 1992, and was present on the top 100 for a total of 9 weeks. [49] It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on September 1, 1992, for shipments of 200,000 copies. [50] The single has sold over 275,000 copies as of October 2010. [51] In Italy, the song spent 4 consecutive weeks at the top of the Musica e dischi charts. [52] The song also achieved great success across Europe, hitting number one in various countries including Finland and Sweden and charting within the top ten in other countries. [53] [54] It resulted in the song achieving a peak of number two on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. [55] In Australia the song reached a peak of number nine on the ARIA Charts and received a gold certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 35,000 copies. [56] [57]
The accompanying music video, directed by Alek Keshishian, was filmed in June 1992 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California, and Malibu Beach. It premiered on MTV on June 30, 1992, a day before the release of A League of Their Own. [16] The video shows a man viewing a photo album, as Madonna sings in different settings from within the various pictures. Scenes from A League of Their Own also appear on the album during and after the song's instrumental break. As the video ends, the man having reached the end of the album, then scrolls backwards through the previous pages. As a whole, the video wherein a man viewing a photo album tells of bringing back childhood memories, but even tells that never hold on to the past. The video was commercially released in 2004 as a bonus feature on the 2-disc special edition DVD of A League of Their Own. [58]
According to Rettenmund, unlike most music videos related to film soundtracks, "This Used to Be My Playground" did not give emphasis on having shots from the film in the video itself. Instead Keshishian and Madonna chose introspection as the theme, with simple images to portray them. Rettenmund notes, "At the end, the man who has been looking back at his scrapbook of Madonna lays his head down, sealing the video with the perfect bit of sadness to resonate with Madonna's ennui." [16]
The clip was compared to singer Boy George's music video for his 1987 single, "To Be Reborn", released less than five years before "This Used to Be My Playground". In George's video, he also appears on pages of a photo album, performing the song. George himself stated in his autobiography that he was "furious" after watching Madonna's clip and renamed it "This Used to Be My Video". [59] [60]
Madonna performed "This Used to Be My Playground" live for the first time on February 2, 2024, during the Chicago concert as a part of The Celebration Tour. She sang an acapella excerpt, following the speech about the memories of filming A League of Their Own in Chicago. [61]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Something to Remember and the single release of "This Used to Be My Playground". [62] [63]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [57] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Japan (Oricon Charts) | — | 24,240 [101] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [50] | Silver | 275,000 [51] |
United States (RIAA) [43] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Erotica is the fifth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on October 20, 1992, by Maverick and Sire Records. The album was released simultaneously with Madonna's first book publication Sex, a coffee table book containing explicit photographs of the singer, and marked her first release under Maverick, her own multimedia entertainment company. For the album, the singer enlisted Shep Pettibone and André Betts, with whom she had collaborated on 1990's "Vogue" and The Immaculate Collection.
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.
"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.
"Crazy for You" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for the film Vision Quest (1985), written by John Bettis and Jon Lind, and produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez. Released on March 2, 1985 through Geffen Records, it is a pop ballad with torch influences, and lyrics that talk about sexual attraction and desire. Jon Peters and Peter Guber produced Vision Quest, while Joel Sill, Warner Bros. Pictures music vice president, and music director Phil Ramone were in charge of putting together its soundtrack. Sill got in touch with Bettis and Lind, and asked them to write a new song for the film. The duo came up with "Crazy for You" after reading the script, and decided to use it in a scene in which the main characters – Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino – dance together for the first time.
"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.
Something to Remember is a compilation album by American singer Madonna, released by Maverick Records on November 3, 1995. The album was conceived after a highly controversial period in Madonna's career, during which many critics speculated that her career was in decline. The compilation of ballads presented a softer image for the singer and span over a decade, including a reworked version of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" as well as three new songs: "You'll See", "One More Chance" and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You". The singles "I'll Remember" and "This Used to Be My Playground", were also included, marking the first time these songs were featured on a Madonna album.
"Live to Tell" is a song by American singer Madonna included on her third studio album True Blue (1986), and in the 1986 film At Close Range. A pop ballad with torch influences, its lyrics talk about deceit, mistrust and childhood scars. Originally conceived as an instrumental by producer Patrick Leonard for the score of Paramount's film Fire with Fire (1986), it was rejected by the studio, who deemed it unfit for the movie. Leonard then presented the track to Madonna, who decided to use it for At Close Range, which stars her then-husband Sean Penn. She wrote the lyrics, came up with a bridge and a few melodies of her own, and co-produced the track alongside Leonard.
"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" is a song written by Miles Gregory and originally recorded by Rose Royce. It was produced by former Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield for Whitfield Records. Lead vocals were sung by Gwen Dickey and the song was released as the second single from their third studio album Strikes Again. The song was developed as a result of producer Whitfield's interest to work with Paul Buckmaster, the British arranger and composer. Together they asked songwriter Miles Gregory to write a song for them. Gregory's undergoing medical care for his deteriorating physical health became the inspiration behind the song. "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" incorporated the use of the Pollard Syndrum TwinDrum, and was one of the first songs to effectively use the sound reverbs of the instrument. The song was mainly recorded at music contractor Gene Bianco's house, where Dickey was present during the recording.
"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.
"Take a Bow" is a song by American singer Madonna from her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994). It was released as the album's second single on December 6, 1994, by Maverick Records. It is a midtempo pop ballad written and produced by Madonna and Babyface. Following the sexually explicit persona portrayed by Madonna on her previous album, Erotica, she wanted to tone down her image for Bedtime Stories. Experimenting with a new musical direction and a more radio-friendly sound, Madonna decided to collaborate with Babyface, whose work with other musicians had impressed her. "Take a Bow" was developed after she listened to the basic beat and chords of a piece of music composed by him.
"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.
"Erotica" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fifth studio album of the same name (1992). It was written and produced by both Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin. In Australia and most European countries, the song was released as the album's lead single on September 29, 1992; in the United States, it was set to be released the following day, but after being leaked and played on several radio stations, the release date was held back until October 13. The song continued Madonna's exploration of spoken word vocals, which she had introduced in "Justify My Love" (1990). A pop hip-hop and dance song with Middle Eastern influences, its lyrics talk about sadomasochism, with the singer using the alter ego Dita and inviting her lover to be submissive while she makes love to him.
"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).
"Bad Girl" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna from her fifth studio album, Erotica (1992). It was written and produced by both Madonna and Shep Pettibone, with additional writing from Anthony Shimkin, and released by Maverick, Sire and Warner. In Australia and most European countries, the song was released as the album's third single on February 2, 1993; in the United States, a release was issued on March 11. "Bad Girl" is a pop and R&B ballad with lyrics that describe a woman trying to escape her reality through self-destructive behaviors, such as drinking and chain smoking.
"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, its lyrics liken water and rainfall to the power of love.
"You'll See" is a song by American singer Madonna from her ballads compilation, Something to Remember (1995). She wrote and produced the song with Canadian musician David Foster. "You'll See" was released on October 23, 1995, by Maverick Records as the lead single from the album. An acoustic pop ballad, "You'll See" features instrumentation from percussion, tremolo guitar and piano, while lyrically it speaks of independence after the end of a love affair.
"I'll Remember" is a song by American singer Madonna for the 1994 film With Honors. It was released by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records on March 8, 1994, as the lead single from the film's soundtrack album. It was a radical change in image and style for Madonna, who had received huge backlash due to the release of her book Sex, the studio album Erotica and the film Body of Evidence. Warner Bros. decided to release the song for the film after noting most of her previous soundtrack singles had achieved commercial success. It utilizes a synthesized keyboard arrangement to bring about a continuously reverberating heartbeat sound. Madonna's voice is supported by backing vocals.
American singer Madonna has released 94 singles and 23 promotional singles and charted with 23 other songs. Among those releases, a total of 44 singles have topped the official chart in at least one of the world's top 10 music markets, from "Like a Virgin" (1984) to "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012). She has sold more than 100 million singles, predominantly in physical formats, with single certifications spanning 40 years from "Holiday" (1983) to "Popular" (2023). According to Billboard, Madonna is the most successful solo artist in the United States singles chart history, second overall behind the Beatles. In the United Kingdom, Madonna is the most successful female artist, with a total of 64 top-ten songs and 13 chart-toppers. At the 40th anniversary of the GfK Media Control Charts, Madonna was ranked as the most successful singles artist in German chart history. Editors of The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) wrote that Madonna is a "deserving candidate for the title of greatest singles artist since the 1960s heyday of the single"; the staff of Slant stated in 2020 that "by every objective measure, she's the most successful singles artist of all time".
"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.
"Irresistible" is a song by British dance-pop singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, released in November 1992 as the second single from her second album, Into the Skyline (1992). The song was co-written and co-produced by Dennis, but failed to make the success of the previous singles. In the US, the single had three different promo CD singles, each with their own remixes each with a more acoustic song.