On this day: Feb.18: Pop Magazine Cover (2002), Wetten Dass TV show (1995)

POP magazine cover photo (2002)

February 18, 2002

POP magazine cover photo - Photographed by Mert & Marcus,

Madonna appears on the cover of POP magazine in the UK.

German Wetten Dass TV show

February 18, 1995

Madonna performs "Take A Bow" and "Secret" on the German Wetten Dass TV show.

Take A Bow

Secret

Interview

 

Take A Bow
Single by Madonna
From the album Bedtime Stories

B-side: "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Mix)
Released: December 6, 1994
Format: CD, CD maxi single
Recorded: 1994
Genre: Pop, R&B
Length: 5:21
Label: Maverick · Sire · Warner Bros.
Writer(s): Madonna · Babyface
Producer(s): Madonna · Babyface
Certification: Gold (RIAA)

"Take a Bow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories. Released as the second single from Bedtime Stories in December 6, 1994, the song appears on her compilation albums Something to Remember (1995), GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). It was written and produced by Madonna and R&B singer-songwriter Babyface and became her longest-running number-one hit in the United States. It was her first single to reach number-one in the United States after "This Used to Be My Playground" (1992), and it was her last number-one song in the United States in the 1990s.

The music video for "Take a Bow" was directed by Michael Haussman in Ronda and the bullring of Antequera, Spain. The plot sees Madonna as a bullfighter's neglected lover, played by real-life Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz, yearning for his presence. The video won Best Female Video honors at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna performed "Take a Bow" live with Babyface at the 1995 American Music Awards and at the 1995 San Remo Festival in Italy.
Composition
"Take a Bow" was written and produced by Madonna and Babyface. According to Musicnotes.com, the song has a moderate calypso feel and 80 beats per minute. Madonna vocal range on the track is Eb3 to C5. The song contains oriental pentatonics and strings, giving the impression of Chinese or Japanese nights and their opera. Madonna sings the song in the sleepy languid mood that characterises the songs from Bedtime Stories. The chorus expresses the theme of saying goodbye to a lover who had taken her for granted. The title plays upon the verse in the song "all the world is a stage and everyone has their part," a reference to the line by William Shakespeare in his play As You Like It, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women mere players".
Critical response
Billboard gave the single a very positive review, calling the song a "plush pop ballad" that's "as close to perfect as top 40 fare gets." Adding that it has a lead vocal that is "both sweet and quietly soulful". In 2013 Billboard allocated "Take a Bow" the number four spot on its list of "Madonna's Biggest Billboard Hits", declaring it Madonna's second-most successful single of the 1990s decade after Vogue.
Chart performance
"Take a Bow" was a huge success for Madonna on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It topped the chart for seven weeks and is her longest-running number-one single on this chart. It was her 11th single to top the Billboard Hot 100 and her 23rd top five entry-both records for a female artist. She also replaced Carole King as the female who had written the most number one songs. "Take a Bow" became Madonna's fifth number-one single on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, following "Live to Tell", "La Isla Bonita", "Cherish", and "I'll Remember". The song is also notable as Madonna's last single (to date) to make the top 40 of the U.S. R&B chart. The single received the remix treatment from prominent DJ and record producer Steve Hurley. On February 27, 1995, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipping 500,000 copies. According to Billboard Magazine, it was one of the best selling singles of 1995, selling 500,000 copies in that year alone.

Although the single was a huge hit in the United States, it performed moderately in the United Kingdom and peaked at at number 16. "Take a Bow" ended Madonna's record string of 35 consecutive top-ten single on the UK Singles Chart from "Like a Virgin" (1984) to "Secret" (1994). According to The Official Charts Company, the single has sold 102,739 copies in the United Kingdom, as of August 2008. In Canada the song topped the charts, becoming her 12th number-one single in that country.
Music video
The music video (directed by Michael Haussman) was a lavish period-style piece filmed from November 3–8, 1994 in Ronda and in the bullring of Antequera, Spain. The plot depicts Madonna as a neglected lover of a bullfighter, played by real-life Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz. Madonna's character yearns for the bullfighter's presence, with erotic anguish. The video can be viewed as a statement on classism, supposing the bullfighter feels threatened and angered by the aristocrat's station, resulting in his physically abusing and then coldly abandoning her. It has also been argued that in the video Madonna "subverts the gender structure and masculine subjectivity implicit in traditional bullfighting." This is achieved through the "feminization of the matador and the emphasis on Madonna's character" and also through Madonna's "dominant gaze" as she watches the matador perform." In an interview with MTV's Kurt Loder on the set of the music video, Madonna said that when she was initially writing Take a Bow the inspiration for the song was an actor, but she wanted the male character in the video to be to be a matador instead because she wanted the video to be about an "obsessive, tragic love story that doesn't work out in the end" and a matador would be more visually effective in expressing the emotion of the song. Madonna also requested that Haussman give the video a Spanish theme because, at the time, she was lobbying for the role of Eva Perón in the film version of Evita. She subsequently sent a copy of the video to director Alan Parker as a way of "auditioning" for the role. Madonna eventually won the role of Perón.
Madonna's 1995 single "You'll See" is considered a follow up to "Take a Bow", as Madonna and Emilio Muñoz reprise their roles in the music video. (Wiki)
Track listings
US promo CD
1."Take a Bow" (edit) – 4:31
2."Take a Bow" (album version) – 5:20
US single
1."Take a Bow" (Album version) - 5:20
2."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Mix) – 4:57
US/Australia maxi-CD
1."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Mix) – 4:57
2."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Instrumental) – 4:56
3."Take a Bow" (album version) – 5:20
4."Take a Bow" (album instrumental) – 5:20
5."Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:11
UK/Australia/Europe CD
1."Take a Bow" (edit) – 4:25
2."Take a Bow" (album version) – 5:20
3."Take a Bow" (album instrumental) – 5:20
Japan remixes
1."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Mix) – 4:57
2."Take a Bow" (album edit) – 4:31
3."Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:11
4."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Instrumental) – 4:56
5."Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Instrumental) – 4:11
6."Take a Bow" (album instrumental) – 5:20
7."Bedtime Story" (album edit) – 4:08
8."Bedtime Story" (Junior Wet Dream Mix) – 8:33
Single
1."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Remix) – 4:58
2."Take a Bow" (Indasoul Instrumental) – 4:58
3."Take a Bow" (album version) – 5:20
4."Take a Bow" (instrumental) – 5:20
5."Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:12
6."Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Instrumental Mix) – 4:20

Secret

Single by Madonna
From the album Bedtime Stories

B-side: "Let Down Your Guard" (UK)
Released: September 27, 1994
Format: CD, Cassette, 7"
Recorded: April ? June 1994 (New York City)(Atlanta, GA)
Genre: R&B, pop
Length: 5:03 (album version), 4:28 (radio edit)
Label: Maverick ・ Sire ・ Warner Bros.
Writer(s): Madonna ・ Dallas Austin ・ Shep Pettibone
Producer(s): Madonna ・ Dallas Austin
Certification: Gold (RIAA), Silver (SNEP)

"Secret" is a song by Madonna, released as the lead single from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. It was later included on her greatest hits compilations GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009). It was originally written and produced by Madonna with Shep Pettibone, who she had collaborated with on the 1992 album Erotica. On release, the song was credited to Madonna and Dallas Austin. Pettibone was not acknowledged as co-writer until the release of a 2001 remix compilation album GHV2 Remixed: The Best of 1991-2001.

"Secret" was released in September 1994 and became a top ten hit around the world. In the United States it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In the United Kingdom it reached a peak of number five, becoming her record-breaking 35th consecutive top-ten single on the UK Singles Chart. Slant Magazine listed "Secret" as the 42nd "Best Singles of the '90s".

A black and white music video, directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel, was released for the song. The music video features Madonna as a singer in a night club. An official remix video was edited by Dan-O-Rama and is known as "Secret (Dan-O-Rama Remix)" - it includes the remix "Junior's Luscious Club Edit" by Junior Vasquez. The song was performed on tour for the first time during her 2001 Drowned World Tour. It was later performed at the Houston stop of her Sticky and Sweet Tour in November 2008 as a fan request.
Background
In 1992, Madonna released her controversial Sex book and her fifth studio album Erotica, both featuring a highly sexual image of Madonna. She also starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. The three were critically panned by critics and fans alike., calling her a sexual renegade and claiming that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. In early 1994, she released the single "I'll Remember", which was used as the theme from the movie With Honors, in hope to soften her public image. The song was well received by critics and was Madonna's first positive step into reconnecting with the general public. However in March 1994, not long after releasing "I'll Remember", her appearance on David Letterman was highly controversial due to her constant use of profanity and references to sex that needed to be censored on television. During that year, Madonna started recording her sixth studio album. At first, it started as a collaboration with Shep Pettibone and was to be stylistically similar to Erotica, but due to Madonna's wish and need to soften her public image at the time, she decided to move towards an R&B sound collaborating with well-known R&B producers and took a more appropriate image for the general public. In September 1994, "Secret" was announced and released as the lead single from Bedtime Stories. The song was written by Madonna, Dallas Austin and Shep Pettibone. It was later included in the compilation albums GHV2 and Celebration in its Deluxe edition. Unusual for the mid-1990s, Madonna talked about the new single on the Internet, with a 30-second sample of "Secret" and the cover image of the then-unreleased Bedtime Stories. She also left a message with the following words:

Hello, all you Cyberheads! Welcome to the 90's version of intimacy. You can hear me... You can even see me... But you can't touch me... do you recognize my voice?... It's Madonna. Often imitated, but never duplicated. Or, should I say, often irritated?

If you feel like it, you can download the sound file of my new single "Secret", from my new album, "Bedtime Stories", which comes out next month. I just shot the video in New York, and will be premiering an exclusive sample of it online. So check back soon. In the meantime, why don't you post me a message and let me know what you think of my new song. And by the way, don't believe any of those online imposters pretending to be me... ain't nothing like the real thing.
Peace out.

The last part of her message referred to a brief trend of AOL chatroom users impersonating her; this was confirmed by MTV News.
Composition
"Secret" was written by Madonna, Dallas Austin and Shep Pettibone. Musically, the song features R&B and pop genres and is in the key of E-flat minor. According to Musicnotes.com, the song has 96 beats per minute and Madonna's vocal range is Gb3 to Gb4.
Music video
The black and white music video was directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel and was filmed on September 9, 10, 11, 1994 at the Lenox Lounge an on location on Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York. The video starts with Madonna singing in a club. As the song progresses, she walks down a street and ultimately reaches her home to her boyfriend or husband and a child. Scenes of Madonna are interspersed with scenes of transvestites getting ready, and religious iconography such as rebirth and damnation.

An official remix video was edited by Dan-O-Rama and is known as "Secret (Dan-O-Rama Remix)" - it includes the remix "Junior's Luscious Club Edit" by Junior Vasquez.
(Wiki)
Director: Melodie McDaniel
Producer: Tim Harbert
Director of Photography: Pascal Lebegue
Production Company: Palomar Pictures Inc.
Track listings and versions
Major formats released for "Secret", some of the remixes also appear on the UK and European versions of the single "Bedtime Story" (1995).
UK 7" Picture Disc (WO268, 5439-18031-7)
1."Secret" (Radio Edit) ? 4:30
 2."Let Down Your Guard" (Rough Mix Edit) ? 4:33

U.S. 2-Track Single (2-18035)
1."Secret" (Album Version) ? 5:05
2."Secret" (Instrumental) ? 5:05

U.S. CD maxi-single (9 41772-2)
1."Secret" (Edit) ? 4:28
2."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) ? 4:16
3."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Club Mix) ? 6:17
4."Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) ? 10:17
5."Secret" (Some Bizarre Mix) ? 9:48
6."Secret" (Allstar Mix) ? 5:10

Australian / UK / European CD single (9362-41785-2)
1."Secret" (Edit) ? 4:30
2."Let Down Your Guard" (Rough Mix Edit) ? 4:33
3."Secret" (Instrumental) ? 5:03
4."Secret" (LP Version) ? 5:04
UK 12" single (WO268T, 9362-41785-0)
1."Secret" (LP Version) ? 5:04
2."Let Down Your Guard" (Rough Mix Edit) ? 4:33
3."Secret" (Instrumental) ? 5:03
4."Secret" (Edit) ? 4:30
Japanese CD "The Remixes" EP (WPCR-170)
1."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) ? 4:16
2."Secret" (Junior's Extended Luscious Club Mix) ? 7:57
3."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Dub) ? 6:21
4."Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) ? 10:18
5."Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Dub) ? 7:58
6."Secret" (Some Bizarre Mix) ? 9:48
7."Secret" (Allstar Mix) ? 5:10
8."Secret" (Radio Edit) ? 4:30
UK / European "The Remixes" CD single (9362-41806-2)
1."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) ? 4:16
2."Secret" (Junior's Extended Luscious Club Mix) ? 7:57
3."Secret" (Junior's Luscious Dub) ? 6:21
4."Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) ? 10:18
5."Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Dub) ? 7:58

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