Bedtime Story

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"Bedtime Story"
Single by Madonna
from the album Bedtime Stories
Released	April 1995
Format	CD single, vinyl record (12")
Recorded	1994
Genre	Pop-Techno
Length	4:08 4:52 (album version)
Label	Maverick
Writer(s)	Nellee Hooper Björk Marius DeVries
Producer(s)	Madonna, Nellee Hooper
Madonna singles chronology
"Take a Bow" 1994	"Bedtime Story" 1995	"Human Nature" 1995

"Bedtime Story" is a song by American singer Madonna from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories. The song was released as a single in April 1995. "Bedtime Story" was the third single off the album.

Contents 1 Song information 2 Music video 3 Track listings and formats 4 Chart performance 5 References

[edit] Song information

"Bedtime Story" was a collaboration of sorts between Madonna and Icelandic popstar Björk. A fan of Björk's solo work, Madonna harbored intentions of working with her, although Björk declined the opportunity of co-operation, instinctively feeling it would be wrong. The Bedtime Stories album producer, Nellee Hooper (also responsible for co-production of Björk's early solo work) asked Björk to contribute to the album sessions, leading to her contribution of the demo "Let's Get Unconscious" especially written for Madonna, which would ultimately become the album's title track. Both Hooper and De Vries changed the composition significantly enough to gain co-writing credits. The lyrics to "Bedtime Story" are Björk's own criticism of Madonna's aesthetic. ^[1]

For a Madonna dance record, the song is somewhat unconventional. A minimal trance backing is used and the lyrics deal with a journey into the subconscious. Though not a mainstream success in the US (it was the first Madonna single since 1983's "Burning Up" to not reach the top-forty), the song was a top five success in markets such as the UK and Australia, as well as being a dance club hit. Some Madonna fans, in retrospect, have cited the structure of "Bedtime Story" as a pre-curser to the progressive, electronica-based sound that would follow three years later with Madonna's next studio album, Ray of Light.

Issued as the third single from the Bedtime Stories album, the song received full remix treatment. Alongside the single edit of the song, a number of dance remixes were commissioned, including two by Junior Vasquez (rumoured to be Madonna's favourite dance music producer of the time, but in 1996 they had a public falling out) and Orbital. The video, directed by Mark Romanek, premiered as an MTV special entitled "Madonna's Bedtime Story Pajama Party", in which Madonna read a bedtime story inside NYC's Webster Hall to a select audience of invitees (all dressed in bedtime and clubkid wares). The video was, at the time, rumoured to be the most expensive video ever made (comments suggesting the budget had reached $5 million). As recently as 2005, the video has been screened in contemporary art galleries (including the Museum of Modern Art, where it is stored in the permament collection), and is now often considered to be one of the strongest examples of the music video medium.

The single was performed live at the 1995 Brit Awards in London, with a Lady Godiva inspired look to match. It was Madonna's first performance at the "Brits". It co-incided with the newly remixed single release in the UK, always a strong market for dance music, hitting number-four. Though the song was not included in her Drowned World Tour, Madonna re-embraced the song in time for her Re-Invention Tour, using it as a filler piece, with a new video directed by Dago Gonzalez.

Though Björk wrote the song for Madonna, she would go on to use some of the lyrics for her B-side "Sweet Intuition", which was eventually released, later in 1995.

A distorted vocal sample from Bedtime Story was added by Nellee Hooper for the remix of 1996 Garbage single, #1 Crush, at the beginning of the song.

[edit] Music video

The video, like the song, is one of Madonna's most experimental. It visualizes the concept of the song, showing images that seem like a dream or some other state of unconsciousness. Madonna - wearing a variety of blonde wigs - floats through the air, gives birth to doves and lays down on a surreal operation table. At the end of the video, her face is shown, with eyes and mouth in switched position, inspired by Frida Kahlo's paintings. It has also been said that Bedtime Story was strongly influenced by Remedios Varo's painting The Lovers (Los Amantes), as well as by some scenes of Tarkovsky's movie Stalker.

Directed by acclaimed director Mark Romanek (who would later directed the infamous "Scream" music video for Michael Jackson), the video is considered to be one of Madonna's most artistic videos. Some of the imagery may have directly inspired the fantastical dream sequences within the film The Cell.

[edit] Track listings and formats

• European Cassette Single / European CD Single

1. "Bedtime Story" (Album Edit)
2. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Single Mix)

• European CD Single

1. "Bedtime Story" (Album Edit)
2. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Wet Dream Mix)
3. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Dreamy Drum Dub)
4. "Bedtime Story" (Orbital Mix) - 7:43
5. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix)

• UK CD Single (Limited Edition)

1. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Single Mix)
2. "Secret" (Allstar Mix)
3. "Secret" (Some Bizarre Mix)
4. "Secret" (Some Bizarre Single Mix)

• UK 12" Single (Limited Edition) / European 12" Single

"Side 1"

1. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix)
2. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Sound Factory Dub)

"Side 2"

1. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Wet Dream Mix)
2. "Bedtime Story" (Orbital Mix) - 7:43

• US CD Single / US Cassette Single

1. "Bedtime Story" (Album Edit)
2. "Survival" (Album Version)

• US CD Maxi Single

1. "Bedtime Story" (Album Edit)
2. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Wet Dream Mix)
3. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Dreamy Drum Dub)
4. "Survival" (Album Version)
5. "Bedtime Story" (Orbital Mix) - 7:43
6. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix)
7. "Bedtime Story" (Junior's Single Mix)

• US 12" Promo Only Single

"Side 1"

1. "Bedtime Story" (Lush Vocal Mix) 6:47
2. "Bedtime Story" (Luscious Dub) 7:38

"Side 2"

1. "Bedtime Story" (Percapella Mix) 6:31
2. "Bedtime Story" (Unconscious In The Jungle Mix) 6:26

"Bedtime Story - Chaper II" "Catalogue Number: PRO-A-7600" "Produced by Nellee Hooper and Madonna" "Additional Production and Remix by Mark Picchiotti and Teri Bristol" "Keyboards by Craig Snider" "Engineered and Mixed by Mark and Teri at HUTCH Studio, Chicago"

[edit] Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
1995	UK	#4
1995	Australia	#5
1995	Billboard Hot 100	#42
1995	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	#1
1995	Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	#3
1995	Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	#40
1995	Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	#38

[edit] References