Nothing Really Matters

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"Nothing Really Matters"
Single by Madonna
from the album Ray of Light
B-side(s)	"To Have and Not to Hold"
Released	March 2, 1999 (Europe) April 13, 1999 (U.S.) April 21, 1999 (Japan)
Format	CD single: Worldwide Vinyl single: UK & U.S.
Genre	Dance / House
Length	4:26
Label	Maverick Records Warner Bros. Records WEA International
Writer(s)	Madonna Patrick Leonard
Producer(s)	Madonna William Orbit Marius De Vries
Chart positions
#7 (United Kingdom) #93 (U.S. Billboard Hot 100)
Madonna singles chronology
"Little Star" (1999)	"Nothing Really Matter" (1999)	"Beautiful Stranger" (1999)
Ray of Light track listing
"Skin" (5)	"Nothing Really Matters" (6)	"Sky Fits Heaven" (7)

"Nothing Really Matters" is a pop-dance music song written by American singer Madonna and Patrick Leonard for Madonna's seventh album Ray of Light (1998). It was produced by Madonna, William Orbit and Marius De Vries, and received a positive reception from music critics. The song was released as a single in the spring of 1999 (see 1999 in music) and was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number seven.

[edit] Music video

Madonna (dressed as a geisha) holding a bag of water representing how her followers treasure false forms of love in the music video for her single "Nothing Really Matters (1999).

"Nothing Really Matters" featured a music video that was directed by Johan Renck and was filmed in early January 1999 in New York City. In the video Madonna plays a geisha, inspired by Arthur Golden's book Memoirs of a Geisha. Madonna wanted to represent herself as the one of the books characters, Hatsumomo. Madonna is featured in the video wearing a red kimono and a black Cleopatra-wig, surrounded by Japanese men and women who seem to be her followers. The video contains many hidden meanings which become visible if one has read the book. First Madonna's followers all treasure false forms of love, represented by the bags of water that Madonna holds at the beginning of the video, but that is not what really matters. Slowly they get the insight, symbolized with the people rising in the air. Madonna herself is shown walking and dancing through a long corridor.

The kimono Madonna wears in the video were been created by Jean-Paul Gaultier, who would later design Madonna's geisha-inspired costumes on her Drowned World Tour in 2001. Madonna later re-used the look of the video for her performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in February 1999.

[edit] Chart performance

In the United States, the song debuted at number hundred and twenty-five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart, before appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 six weeks later, peaking at number ninety-three, becoming Madonna's lowest peak position on the Hot 100. Many fans in the U.S. blamed Warner Bros. Records' marketing strategy for the song's poor charting. Warner released the music video in early February 1999 and then released a commercial single almost two months later. "Nothing Really Matters" was a hit on the Billboard dance charts though, reaching number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart and number three on the Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart.

One of the problems with the single's release was the abundance of new Madonna tracks arriving at the time. "Be Careful (Mi Corazon)" had just been released on Ricky Martin's self-titled album, and Madonna at the time was putting the finishing touches on "Beautiful Stranger." This led Warner Bros. to abandon all promotion for "Nothing Really Matters" and continued the delay of the commercial single.

[edit] Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Nothing Really Matters".

[edit] Remixes

Include multiple remixes by Peter Rauhofer with alias Club 69.

• Album Version (4:28)
• Edit (4:10) Promo Only
• Video Instrumental (4:28)
• Club 69 Vocal Club Mix (7:53)
• Club 69 Vocal Edit (5:20) Promo Only
• Club 69 Radio Mix (3:44)
• Club 69 Mix-show Mix (5:36)
• Club 69 Future Mix (8:20)
• Club 69 Future Dub (5:49)
• Club 69 Future Edit (4:31) Promo Only
• Club 69 Phunk Mix (8:02)
• Club 69 Phunk Edit (5:29) Promo Only
• Club 69 Speed Mix (10:39)
• Club 69 Speed Dub (10:22) Promo Only
• Vikram Radio Remix (7:44)
• Vikram Remix Talvin Singh (8:30) Promo Only
• Vikram Cybercut Remix (13:43) Promo Only
• Kruder & Dorfmeister Mix (11:10)
• Kruder & Dorfmeister Dub (11:36) Promo Only

[edit] Credits and personnel

[edit] Charts

[edit] References

• Billboard.com. link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - US chart positions.
• MoCaW: Madonna on Charts around the World. link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - Worldwide chart positions and certifications.
• EIL.com. link. Last accessed on Feb. 25, 2006. - Formats and track listings.