FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Earl
is the best but, when it comes to her most important, few can deny the role of Bedtime Stories. To me, it is the moment she cemented herself as the Queen of Pop and silenced a lot of critics. It is an album I have wanted to put into Vinyl Corner for a while and, as it turns twenty-five on 25th October, it seems like a good moment to look ahead and show why the album is still important today. In order to understand why Bedtime Stories is so pivotal, one must look back at Madonna’s output in 1992. After the success that came Madonna’s way after 1989’s Like a Prayer, she was on top of the world and slaying her peers. Madonna’s music was becoming more confident and daring; her songs were electrifying but she was mature as well as provocative. 1992’s Erotica is often seen as a cold album that talks about sex in a distant and emotionless way. It is an underrated album that gained a lot of unwarranted criticism. Throw into the mix the fact Madonna released her Sex book right as Erotica came out and, to be fair, a lot of eyes were opened! By today’s standards, Sex and Erotica are not especially explicit – Madonna definitely influenced artists of the future and opened doors. Many felt Madonna had gone too far and that her sexual nature was pushing things; her art was more about shocking people than creating great music. Of course, if a male band had acted like this and pushed boundaries they’d be celebrated and sell venues out: the fact Madonna was a woman meant she was being targeted and singled out.
1992 was a year where Madonna courted a lot of press – a lot of it was negative or critical. Few expected her to make another album; not least one that answered her critics and evolved her music to another level. There are some raw and teasing moments on Bedtime Stories – not least Human Nature; a song that jabs critics who slagged Madonna off for being ‘human’ – and the album has a more mature and balanced sound. Madonna needed to fan some of the flames – as such, songs like Take a Bow show real heart and soul. That song, to me, is the most important of her career. Listen to that and compare it with tracks such as Justify My Love and Erotica. Those tracks and incredible but, as Madonna attracted so much controversy when they were released, she needed to react and show there was more to her than met the eye. Madonna was never going to turn into a nun but, rather than push even further, Take a Bow is a gorgeous and hugely memorable hit that makes you root for this heartbroken heroine. Not only that but her songwriting ability is clear. Penned with Babyface (who provides backing vocals), it is a gorgeous, affecting song with pentatonic strings and one of Madonna’s finest vocals. I would urge people to buy Bedtime Stories on vinyl, because it was a real turning point for Madonna; an album that kept her career alive – and confirmed there was nobody like her in Pop.
Madonna knew that, during the period after Erotica, she had been misunderstood and misconstrued. She was not, as some assumed, advocating everyone go out and have sex with anyone. In an unwelcomed way, Madonna was seen as leading the charge for irresponsibly and crudeness. In actuality, she was talking about expression, freedom and being confident; as I say, she influenced so many artists. Alongside a raft of new producers – including Nellee Hooper – Bedtime Stories arrived in a year (1994) when Madonna was performing in a music scene radically different to the one she was familiar with on her eponymous 1983 debut. Grunge and Britpop were common and, in terms of her sound, she could easily have continued along the lines of Erotica and fitted in. That said, there was a need fort damage control. She might not have wanted to retreat so much but, with her reputation and her career on the line, compromises had to be made. Bedtime Stories has some seductive moments, but it is a warmer, broader album than Erotica – maybe it is not as acclaimed and progressive, but the importance of Bedtime Stories cannot be overlooked. Rather than sex, there is romance. Madonna took from R&B and the British club scene of that time; she was injecting more European influences into her sound. In terms of reviews, I feel retrospective examinations have been kinder.
At the time, there was positivity but a feeling Madonna had not taken a huge leap; there were not as many standout tracks on Bedtime Stories as on earlier records. AllMusic, in this retrospective review, assessed the album:
“Perhaps Madonna correctly guessed that the public overdosed on the raw carnality of her book Sex. Perhaps she wanted to offer a more optimistic take on sex than the distant Erotica. Either way, Bedtime Stories is a warm album, with deep, gently pulsating grooves; the album's title isn't totally tongue-in-cheek. The best songs on the album ("Secret," "Inside of Me," "Sanctuary," "Bedtime Story," "Take a Bow") slowly work their melodies into the subconscious as the bass pulses. In that sense, it does offer an antidote to Erotica, which was filled with deep but cold grooves. The entire production of Bedtime Stories suggests that she wants listeners to acknowledge that her music isn't one-dimensional. She has succeeded with that goal, since Bedtime Stories offers her most humane and open music; it's even seductive”.
I think a lot of the less-effusive reviews concern the lack of big hits rather than a decline in overall quality. Ironically, it is Madonna’s sexuality and boldness that helped score a lot of big reviews: something she felt she needed to tone down to remain popular makes Bedtime Stories seem like a strange compromise. I do like the fact there is an emotional balance on Bedtime Stories; more tenderness and maturity and, luckily, she retained her edge and sense of humour.
Despite a lot of negative press prior to Bedtime Stories, Madonna did regain traction in 1994. There are a lot of positive articles and retrospectives regarding Bedtime Stories. Here, we learn more about the creative process at the time and how Madonna was open to collaborative ideas:
“The inviting R&B sound of Bedtime Stories is due in part to co-producer Dallas Austin, who longtime Madonna backup singer Donna de Lory describes as "part of her tribe at that time." Also on board were co-producers Nellee Hooper, Dave "Jam" Hall (hot off Mary J. Blige's debut, What's the 411?) and, of course, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier/Mario Testino
Similar to Babyface, De Lory describes working with Madonna as a creative partnership, even if she was the one setting the tone. "Once she got her ideas out, she was open to your ideas. You didn't want to go in with her and right off the bat say, 'Well, I hear this,' because she was so specific and articulate. She already had the sound in her head. But after she'd spoken, we'd put our two cents in. We always had ideas, like, 'Can we answer this line with an extra "survival" [in the background]?'"
The result of that session is the perfect opener to the album -- a lush, beguiling anthem to resilience and statement of purpose. "I'll never be an angel, I'll never be a saint it's true/ I'm too busy surviving, whether it's heaven or hell/ I'm gonna be living to tell," Madonna sings, nodding to her critics while simultaneously brushing them off”.
Here, when marking the twentieth anniversary of Bedtime Stories, Vice discussed the furore Madonna attracted in 1992 and her response:
“For as long as Madonna has made music, she has endured relentless criticism for her sexuality. She’s been perhaps the most consistent target in the music industry, drawing critiques for more than three decades, and reviews of her work have served as a roadmap for how we scrutinize women at each stage in their music career. Whether it was public speculation on why she isn’t “like a virgin” or it was chastising her middle-aged body in a leotard, the shaming has had many iterations despite its one unwavering resolution: She goes too far.
Madonna asserted her lack of apology on the grounds that she had not said or did anything unusual; it was simply unusual for a woman to say it. In an interview with the LA Times, she defended Bedtime Stories by saying “I’m being punished for being a single female, for having power and being rich and saying the things I say, being a sexual creature—actually, not being any different from anyone else, but just talking about it. If I were a man, I wouldn't have had any of these problems. Nobody talks about Prince's sex life”.
In terms of Madonna’s discography, I would place Bedtime Stories fourth in my list of favourites – Ray of Light, Like a Prayer and Madonna would be above it – but, in terms of Madonna albums that move you and make a statement…are any as powerful and important as Bedtime Stories?! I don’t think so.
PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Demarchelier
Many artists in her position might have retreated and played it safe after such a backlash. There is no debate Madonna was the biggest Pop artists in the world in 1992 but, after facing some negativity following Erotica/Sex, she needed to consider her next move carefully. Bedtime Stories is, as I say, not as revered as other Madonna works. It is her most important album and, not only did it return her to favour and show great maturity, but it brought new layers to her work; again, establishing her position as Pop’s queen and setting her up for a long and varied future – her latest album, Madame X, was released earlier this year. I would recommend you check out Madonna’s albums on vinyl format as they sound incredible. With the needle dropped, how can one resist the grooves, moves and excellent cuts across Bedtime Stories?! There are a couple of weak-ish tracks in the pack but, with any Madonna album, even they are interesting and warrant investigation. Shy of twenty-five years in the world, the album has influenced artists and cemented Madonna as an icon. Rather than apologise for past ‘missteps’, she was unapologetic but dd not attack critics or exacerbate the issue by becoming even more exploit. The fact that Bedtime Stories came between her most controversial album (Erotica) and, debatably, her best (Ray of Light) means that it is overlooked and seen as a transition – that is unfair because, as songs like Take a Bow, Human Nature and Secret show, here was some of her most compelling and accomplished work to date. The edge remains but, rather than Bedtime Stories being a shot at critics and a move further into erotica, Madonna managed to create an album with plenty of heart and tenderness. It is an amazing record and I think Bedtime Stories is an overlooked jewel that warrants fresh ears – especially as it is twenty-five soon. If you cannot get hold of a vinyl copy, then stream the album and revel its beauty. It is an amazing response to a difficult period and one that solidified Madonna’s name as…
THE Queen of Pop.