kyle316pt2's Full Review: Something to Remember by Madonna
Preamble
Madonna is known for many things. She is regarded as a world class perfomer, acknowleged as a phenominal dancer, considered a generous to a fault humanitarian, and also happens to be a less than perfect actress(no laughing please!). But one of things that Madonna isn't widely regarded for is-ironically, being a singer; not in the technical sense,at least. But to dismiss Madonna for not being a powerhouse, knock you out of your seat vocalist would be a mistake. It's true that there are stronger, more vocally dynamic singers that easily surpass Madonna when it comes to being able hit notes that only dogs can hear and appreciate, but as I've always said-and have previously mentioned, there's more to the art of singing than just the ability to shatter glass. I think through singing, one is communicating a story and one must be able to convey the message of the song, whether it be good or bad, with more than just explosive vocal chords. That's when emotion comes in to play, and unlike some(or most to be honest)of her contemporaries, Madonna truly excells in emotional delivery. She might not be able to impress you with her technique, but I'll bet good money that Madonna could and will make you feel somthing with her raw, unflinching emotion. People like to forget that Madonna is a singer, first and foremost and in 1995 Madonna chose to release Something to Remember to remind people of that fact. Something to Remember is a perfectly servicable collection of ballads that is evidence that a singer doesn't have to be bland and/or stale-Barbra Steisand or Celine Dion, or loud and/or overwrought-Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston to get your point across. And with that said, I'd say Mission Accomplished, Ms. Ciccone! We're not soon to forget these songs anytime soon!
The T-B-T doesn't need anyone at all.....you'll see!
1.I Want You(with Massive Attack): Whoever came up with the bright idea of pairing Madonna-the Queen of Pop-with Massive Attack-the pioneers of Trip Hop-to collaborate on one of Marvin Gaye's classic boudoir heaters should be lauded for their creative foresight because I Want You is everything a person could want from a subdued, down tempo Madonna. Madonna's pitch perfect mournful, downright haunting interpretation of I Want You against Massive Attacks muted, drugged out sonic playground is perfection. With a capital P. If Justify My Love is one of Madonna's sexiest performances and Take A Bow is one of Madonna's most technically lauded, then I Want You is the perfect blend of both attributes and to these ears, Madonna has never sounded better.....vocally, that is......SCORE:11/10
2.I'll Remember(from the motion picture With Honors): Does anyone have one of those vomit bags they give you on airplanes before takeoff handy? Because I need one everytime I force myself to listen to the sentimental dreck known as I'll Remember, the tepid and wholly unmemorable title track from the Joe Pesci/Brendan Fraizer feet good flop With Honors. I'm all about songs about reflection and empowerment-in moderation-but I'll Remember crosses a line of pop cheese pablum that I never thought Madonna would be capable of crossing. And while she gives off a solid, convincing vocal, the production is unironically early 90's(read: manufactured beyond redemption) and the song just comes off as forced and unnatural for an artist of Madonna's caliber. Celine Dion? Yes, there's no question that she could have nailed this song. Madonna? I don't think so. Oh god, I feel another case of the not-so-dry heaves coming on; pass me that vomit bag, stat!.................SCORE:0/10
3.Take A Bow: Also known as Madonna's screen test for Evita. Gorgeous, classy video nonwithstanding, Take A Bow finds Madonna going to emotional depths that she had seldom explored before and the discovery that Madonna could be in fact wounded like the rest of us translates into an utterly transendant performance from Madonna. Madonna might be all business most of the time, but here in these 4 minutes(no pun intended), M lets down her guard and opens her heart(again, no pun intended) and when she sweetly sings "I've always been in love with you..." accompanied by Babyface's smooth and distinctive tenor, your heart breaks ever so slightly in sympathy for the emotional torment that Madonna is conveying in Take A Bow. If melancholy were a song, it would be Take A Bow..........SCORE:11/10
4.You'll See: Madonna's first collaboration with David Foster, the master of easy listening and/or adult contemporary schlock that was seemingly played everywhere in the mid 90's, is one of those rare Madonna songs that I'm fairly ambivalent about. One moment I'm swept away by the strength and courage of Madonna's convictions as she wistfully, yet willfully sings about leaving her much to do about nothing lothario behind once and for all. And the next moment, the bitter cynic in me comes out to mock David Foster's corny acoustic guitar production and wince at Madonna trying her best to become the next Celine Dion(her again?)............SCORE:5/10
5.Crazy For You: Let me set the scene. Picture it: Anonymous Junior High, Anywhere U.S.A circa 1985; hundreds of kids moving to the beat of A-HA and Duran Duran(Hi T.J. I see you!)when the mood suddenly changes and the first wistful note of Madonna's(the new sensation that she is!)second #1 hits and the crowd that was just jamming to Hungry Like The Wolf and Take On Me begin to awkwardly pair off in clumsy, puppy love approximations of couples who think they know what love just might be. And yet there's that one lone wallflower; the girl(or boy-c'mon it's possible!) nursing a major crush on the Big Man on Campus and as Madonna utters the line "can't you feel the weight of my stare?"with a whispery sigh, the wallflower boy's (in my story, the flower is a boy, okay?) eyes lock with the BMOC and for that single moment in time even though the BMOC is currently swaying with Little Susie Ho-Maker(ha! Bonus Points!) somehow a connection is made in those three and a half achingly tender moments and the wallflower boy knows that maybe that the night wasn't a complete wash after all. True story, by the way..........SCORE:10/10(yes, I'm back to lovin' it, fully and completely)
6.This Used To Be My Playground: What is with Madonna and soundtracks? She, and not Whitney Houston, should be rightfully considered the Queen of Soundtracks(wait, she's already the Queen of Music, not to mention Pop. Does she really need another title? Why yes....yes she does.)based on the sheer amount of material that Madonna has released and benefited from. And This Used To Be My Playground(from A League of Their Own, which Madonna is quite funny in, btw)is one of her most underrated contributions to the Soundtrack genre, despite the fact it was a #1 song-much like Who's That Girl? is ignored, only in this case unjustly. Madonna plays it straight here, avoiding the obvious vocal histronics that she tended to go for on You'll See, and instead she wisely lets her emotion tell the story of looking back at a childhood long left abandoned in the past(ahem, subliminal message much?) and her vocal restraint meshes perfectly with Shep Pettibone's lovely, movie-esque score of live pianos and a varied arrangement of strings. She might not be the best actress in the world, but with This Used To Be My Playground, she proves that she knows a thing or two about soundtracks........SCORE:9/10
7.Live To Tell: Some people(boo! hiss!)like to dismiss Madonna as nothing much more than a one note-or less-fluffy, inconsequential and ultimately disposable disco-pop artist that has long outlasted her expiration date. And to that I challenge......no I dare them to listen to Live To Tell and try to not rethink their opinion of Madonna; because after listening to the hauntingly majestic, yet undeniably tragic first person narrative of Live To Tell, even her most feverent critics have to give credit where credit was already long past due. Thinking about it, it's actually funny how smoothly Madonna's reinventions have become because with Live To Tell and the True Blue album, Madonna was most assuredly reserved a place in the pantheon of the All Time musical greats. And after Live To Tell, the question now was: where does she go from here? And how?...........SCORE:10/10
8.Love Don't Live Here Anymore(remix): To be honest, I don't see why they-the Powers That Be-felt it necessary to remix Love Don't Live Here Anymore from the rough, unpolished, yet sincerely honest rendering from a hungry, out to prove herself Madonna that it was originally into a slick, overproduced and altogether faceless karoke cover from a woman who should have known better. What's that old saying? If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Love Don't Live Here Anymore is the perfect case in point.........SCORE:4/10
9.Something To Remember: Why is this on here instead of Bad Girl? Good Question, because other than the way too convenient title, the song is nothing much more than a forgotten album cut(although to be fair, Madonna does sing it very well) from one of Madonna's lesser projects(I'm Breathless, the soundtrack to Dick Tracy). I mean it's root album is so incidental I didn't bother to include it in my "Evolution of..." retrospective, so that's gotta say something about the song don't you think? Honestly, besides a mildly catchy chorus the song is pure false advertisement....but hey, it's still better than the blasphemy known as I'll Remember.....SCORE:1.5/10
10.Forbidden Love: Rumored to be the 5th single from Bedtime Stories before Madonna began to shift all of her attention to Evita, Forbidden Love is sexy without coming off as sleazy or trashy. Who can't appreciate a song about wanting someone that we can't have? We've all been there before and don't even think about lying about it either. Madonna's seductive cooing is gift wrapped in plush velvet thanks to Babyface's smooth production and I have to concur that Mr.Face done Our Madgesty good. It's enough to make a person wonder what an entire album of collaborations between Madonna and Babyface would sound like? Surely it would be better than an entire record produced from pop cheese maestro David Foster?............Score:9/10
11.One More Chance: Well, whaddaya know? The pop cheese maestro does indeed return for a second time(the first being the hit or miss You'll See) and I have to confess that, even though Madonna comes off as Sheryl Crow-lite sometimes on One More Chance, the song is shockingly not the train wreck that one would imagine would come from David Foster deliberately toning down Madonna's outrageous sensibilities. But perhaps that's because Madonna is a much better songwriter than David Foster's usual partner in crime, the mistress of over the top melodrama, Diane Warren(I think I gagged a little just typing her name just now! Seriously, the woman is terrible.) But for whatever reason, Madonna and a lone acoustic guitar work deceptively better than one would think..........SCORE:10/10
12.Rain: Oh, Rain! Shall I count the ways how much I adore thee? First I must mention that I do have a special affection for M's more neglected gems*COUGHtrueblueCOUGH* and Rain is right near at the top of that list. Rain sets a mood, creates a atmosphere, whatever you choose to call it and because of that intangible quality(or mood...or atmosphere) the song literally makes a person cognizant of what Madonna is singing about. The simple metaphor of rain as love might have been many times before, but I think that Madonna's take is clearly superior to any other variation. Also I lovethe layering effect of Madonna's sing-talking behind the synthesizers ,added to enhance the mystique of Rain. Rain is the sonic personification of ear candy bliss. Can you tell that I love it yet?............SCORE:11/10
13.Oh Father: At first glance at the track listing, it's kinda funny to see Madonna's woeful ode to her emotionally negelectful father thrown into the mix of Madonna's more "traditional" ballads, but if one takes a moment to think about what Oh Father really means, it's inclusion makes total sense. The song is regretful and accusatory in its' basis but also for Madonna it's a traumatic love song to her father. He might have forgotten about her for the moment, but she had never forgotten him. And does it really even matter that it's not what most would consider a traditional love song? No, not really when you consider that Oh Father is one of Madonna's career defining vocal performance of her career. The tragic beauty of Oh Father is spinetingling from start to finish............SCORE:11/10
14.I Want You(Orchestral-feat Massive Attack): It's so hard to choose between the two versions of I Want You because I adore both mixes equally. It become's a very Sophie's Choice type of moment for me when pressed about the issue and I just can't choose. No I refuse to do it; I refuse to choose one I Want You over the other and you can't make me. Now that I got that absurd and existential tantrum out my system, I can turn my attention to the wonder that is I Want You(Orchestral). V.2 is less about Massive Attack's transient production and more about Madonna's lush and sensual vocal delivery that I contend that she has never sounded better. And that includes Take A Bow! I Want You, to me anyways, is her definitive moment in song as a vocalist and having two versions of I Want You on Something To Remember(one to open, one to close appropriately enough)only makes me giddy and lightheaded like few things can. Seriously..................SCORE:11/10
Postscript
Could it be possible that people refuse to accept Madonna as a credible vocalist? Well if that isn't the most obvious question of the century, I don't know what is. It's clear that people don't take her very seriously as a singer because her name is never mentioned in the same breathe of other more capable, less emotional balladeers of the modern era, and to that I say that people in general are making a big mistake. People should know by now not to underestimate Madonna in anythng she does and with Something to Remember she yet again shows that when it comes to her talent there is more than meets the eye.
REPEAT:"I Want You(both versions)", "Rain", "Oh Father", "Take A Bow"
SKIP: "I'll Remember", "Something To Remember"........ironic, isn't it?
FINAL RATING:3.85/5(Who needs 5 octaves? 3 will do me just fine!)
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