Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
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| Bedtime Stories | ||
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| Studio album by Madonna | ||
| Released | October 25, 1994 | |
| Recorded | 1994 | |
| Genre | Pop/R&B | |
| Length | 51:50 | |
| Label | Maverick Records Sire Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International |
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| Producer(s) | Madonna, Nellee Hooper, Dallas Austin, Dave "Jam" Hall, Babyface | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Madonna chronology | ||
| Erotica (1992) |
Bedtime Stories (1994) |
Something to Remember (1995) |
Bedtime Stories is the seventh studio album (and the tenth release) by singer Madonna, released in 1994 (see 1994 in music). The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.
Contents |
[edit] Choice of producers
The album is unique as it has marked one of the few occasions where Madonna has collaborated with well-known, established producers (the other exceptions being Nile Rodgers and David Foster). Her reason for working with unknown producers for the majority of her career has been more about creative control than anything else. Stylistically, the album harkens back to Madonna's roots as an R&B singer and her choice of producers reflects this—Dallas Austin, who was well known at the time for his work with TLC; Babyface, who had worked with many of Madonna's own contemporaries, including Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton; Dave Hall, who had also produced Carey; and Nellee Hooper, who had produced Soul II Soul. Björk co-wrote the title song Bedtime Story.
[edit] Confrontational work
The purpose of the album was to highlight a softer side to Madonna's character, in contrast to the more outrageous, sexual persona from her previous album, Erotica. In many ways, Madonna sought to repair some of the damage she had done to her public image through this album.
While certainly the album is stylistically more mainstream than its predecessor and less controversial in terms of its lyrical content, it includes perhaps some of Madonna's most confrontational work. Indeed, the song "Human Nature" appears to be a scathing commentary directed towards the media for its treatment of her during the Erotica, Sex book controversy with lyrics like "Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn't know I couldn't talk about sex".
[edit] Commercial Reception
Despite the large success of lead off single, "Secret," at radio, Bedtime Stories got off to a mild start. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200, with a paltry 145,000 units shifted its first week. Soon after, the album began to lose steam and descend down the charts. It wasn't until the release of the second single, "Take A Bow," that the album picked up pace and made a noticeable rebound. The album was eventually certified triple platinum in the United States, shifting over seven million copies worldwide to date, and nominated for a Grammy.
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Survival" (Austin, Madonna) | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Secret" (Austin, Madonna) | 5:04 |
| 3. | "I'd Rather Be Your Lover" (Hall, Isley Brothers, Jasper, Madonna) | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Don't Stop" (Austin, Madonna, Wolfe) | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Inside of Me" (Hall, Hooper, Madonna) | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Human Nature" (Deering, Hall, Madonna, McKenzie, McKenzie) | 4:53 |
| 7. | "Forbidden Love" (Babyface, Madonna) | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Love Tried to Welcome Me" (Hall, Madonna) | 5:21 |
| 9. | "Sanctuary" (Austin, Cutler, Hancock, Madonna, Preven) | 5:03 |
| 10. | "Bedtime Story" (Björk, DeVries, Hooper) | 4:52 |
| 11. | "Take a Bow" (Babyface, Madonna) | 5:21 |
[edit] Singles
| # | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Secret" | September 1994 |
| 2. | "Take a Bow" | December 1994 |
| 3. | "Bedtime Story" | April 1995 |
| 4. | "Human Nature" | June 1995 |
[edit] Credits
- Madonna - vocals
- Dallas Austin - drums, keyboard
- Babyface - synthesizer, background vocals
- Donna Delory - background vocals
- Nikki Harris - background vocals
- Suzie Kattayama - conductor
- Jessie Leavey - conductor
- Tommy Martin - guitar
- Me'Shell NdegéOcello - bass
- Colin Wolfe - bass
[edit] Production
- Producers: Madonna, Dallas Austin, Babyface, Marius DeVries, Dave Hall, Nellee Hooper
- Engineers: Michael Fossenkemper, Brad Gilderman, Darin Prindle, Alvin Speights, Mark "Spike" Stent
- Mixing: Jon Gass, Daniel Abraham
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1994) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia albums chart | 1 |
| Austria albums chart | 7 |
| Brazil albums chart | 1 |
| Canada albums chart | 7 |
| France albums chart | 2 |
| Germany albums chart | 4 |
| Ireland (Éire) albums chart | 7 |
| Japanese albums chart | 9 |
| Mexico albums chart | 5 |
| Norway albums chart | 12 |
| Portugal albums chart | 6 |
| Spain albums chart | 3 |
| Switzerland albums chart | 7 |
| UK albums chart | 2 |
| USA Billboard 200 | 3 |
[edit] Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 2x Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Brazil | Platinum |
| Canada | 2x Platinum |
| France | 2x Gold |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Ireland | Gold |
| Italy | 2x Platinum |
| Japan | Platinum |
| Mexico | Gold |
| Poland | Platinum |
| Singapore | 3x Platinum |
| South Africa | Platinum |
| Spain | Platinum |
| Switzerland | Gold |
| UK | 2x Platinum |
| USA | 3x Platinum |
[edit] Miscellanea
- "Secret", "Human Nature", "Bedtime Story", and "Take A Bow" were all released as singles, with each peaking at number three, number forty-six, number forty-two and number one, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. "Take A Bow", penned with singer Babyface, remained at number one for seven weeks, squeaking past "Like A Virgin" and its six-week reign.
- Several songs from this album found their way onto the cutting room floor for one reason or another, including "Your Honesty", which recently surfaced on the 2003 EP Remixed & Revisited. "Freedom" was used for a rainforest benefit album entitled "Carnival!" and "Let Down Your Guard (rough mix edit) appeared on the UK cd single for "Secret". See the list of unreleased Madonna songs for details.
- "Inside of Me" samples Aaliyah's first single, "Back and Forth". This choice seemed unusual at the time in that "Back and Forth" had been released earlier in the same year; but in light of Aaliyah's tragic death in 2001, its use in a song about loss now seems rather poignant.
- The album contains samples from some rather prominent songs and artists. In addition to "Back and Forth", "Inside of Me" also samples "Outstanding", which was originally performed by The Gap Band. "Sanctuary" contains a sample of "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock from his iconic Head Hunters album. "Human Nature" samples "What You Need" by hip-hop group Main Source.
- "Forbidden Love" is an entirely different composition from another song with the same title on Madonna's 2005 album Confessions on a Dancefloor. It has the same title (albeit in a different language) as an album and song of the same year (1994) by another artist that died tragically the following year, Selena's Amor Prohibido.
- Upon initial release, the CD cover's picture of Madonna was right-side up. This was a mistake and was corrected on subsequent pressings, all of which feature the picture of Madonna upside-down.
[edit] References
- "Bedtime Stories". Mad-Eyes. link - last accessed on October 24, 2005.
- "PierPinto's Charts Updates". Madonna Tribe. link - last accessed on December 24, 2005.
[edit] External link
Studio albums: Madonna (1983) · Like a Virgin (1984) · True Blue (1986) · Like a Prayer (1989)
I'm Breathless (1990) · Erotica (1992) · Bedtime Stories (1994) · Ray of Light (1998) · Music (2000)
American Life (2003) · Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Discography · Tours · Videography · Filmography · Achievements and Awards · Bibliography · Unreleased songs · Controversies
