BEDTIME STORIES: Her Most Underrated Album!

[MarXus 92]

17 minutes ago, PWCCA said:

I have always loved this song. Such a beautiful track.... and it is criminal that it has been ignored on her live tours. I think it would sound really great in an acoustic set

I would suspect if she went on tour in support of the album, it may have been on the setlist.  I do think it's a bit long in the tooth, and probably wouldn't set well with a more casual fan or someone who isn't necessarily a big fan, but is interested in seeing her perform. 

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

It would be so fantastic if she did some type of mini-tour for “Bedtime Stories”. It deserved so much more and I’d love to see her in a smaller setting performing the album start to finish, perhaps even throw in “Let Down Your Guard” and some unreleased tracks from that era. 

[MarXus 92]

5 minutes ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

It would be so fantastic if she did some type of mini-tour for “Bedtime Stories”. It deserved so much more and I’d love to see her in a smaller setting performing the album start to finish, perhaps even throw in “Let Down Your Guard” and some unreleased tracks from that era. 

No argument here, but it would only appeal to hardcore fans of that era.  I'd go for sure, but there are a lot of fans who probably would be bored of her performing just this album. 

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

1 minute ago, MarXus said:

No argument here, but it would only appeal to hardcore fans of that era.  I'd go for sure, but there are a lot of fans who probably would be bored of her performing just this album. 

That’s why I said mini-tour, it couldn’t last for long. Perhaps just like 3-5 dates in small venues like theatres. It would definitely be a big treat for the hardcore fans. 

[MarXus 92]

2 minutes ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

That’s why I said mini-tour, it couldn’t last for long. Perhaps just like 3-5 dates in small venues like theatres. It would definitely be a big treat for the hardcore fans. 

Most definitely, but I think this album would probably be best toured with some other songs throughout her career.  Though, I doubt we'll ever hear her perform any of these songs, but maybe Human Nature again, possibly Secret. 

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

2 minutes ago, MarXus said:

Most definitely, but I think this album would probably be best toured with some other songs throughout her career.  Though, I doubt we'll ever hear her perform any of these songs, but maybe Human Nature again, possibly Secret. 

I will be beyond happy if she ever performs anything from this album again aside from Human Nature. I’m sure the 1995 tour they originally had planned would have been fantastic. 

[MarXus 92]

On 1/26/2020 at 6:34 PM, Nobody Knows Me said:

I will be beyond happy if she ever performs anything from this album again aside from Human Nature. I’m sure the 1995 tour they originally had planned would have been fantastic. 

It is kinda weird that one of her biggest hits, "Take A Bow" has only seen a rare performance and never was included on any final tour setlist since it's release.  But it's a hard song to sing, but I thought she did pretty good when she sang it a few times on Rebel Heart Tour. 

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

It is a shame that doesn’t include more songs from Bedtime Stories on her tours. “Secret“ and “Take A Bow” especially are two of my favourite songs of all time so it was fantastic when she performed both on a few stops on the Rebel Heart Tour, and I actually thought those two and “Forbidden Love” would’ve worked on the Madame X Tour as well. 
And yes, it is weird that “Take A Bow” is almost never performed when it’s one of her biggest hits. The Rebel Heart Tour performance of the song was amazing, and obviously suited the Matador section perfectly.

 

[IamZod 596]

I’m not a big ballads person, but Take A Bow is an exceptional song. In fact, Madonna is one of the few acts I like who have recorded ballads I also like. I love Diana Ross but her back catalogue is completely overloaded with them, and a lot of them are pap. 

I re-visited some of the album tracks again recently off this thread and my opinion of the album has slightly improved. 

[Fabiolous 5,488]

Take a bow is "one of her biggest hits" only in the USA, but also it isn't a classic. I doubt most people remember that song. I personally find it quite boring 

[wtg1987 10,151]

5 hours ago, I don't search I find said:

Take a bow is "one of her biggest hits" only in the USA, but also it isn't a classic. I doubt most people remember that song. I personally find it quite boring 

I agree - it’s a babyface song not a Madonna one imo - the video is gorgeous though - this album wasn’t that memorable imo 

[MarXus 92]

1 hour ago, wtg1987 said:

I agree - it’s a babyface song not a Madonna one imo - the video is gorgeous though - this album wasn’t that memorable imo 

Thus, why I feel it’s underrated!  Listening back now, I think how beautiful she sounds and how gorgeous the tracks are.  

[MarXus 92]

For you chart buffs and anyone who is interested to know, TAKE A BOW started its  7 week run on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 chart this week, 25 years ago.  Here's a Billboard article on it by Keith Caulfield.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6889398/rewinding-the-charts-in-1995-madonna-took-a-bow-at-no-1?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3ZBv44Hdt1VQLJSm7VUGDqZh_olALReA2vg_S--tXjHBBj5eEFIPg8fTk

[MarXus 92]

Here's a nice Piano and orchestra version. The strings in this are beautiful.

 

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

Chiming in to say Sanctuary is epic!

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

A very underrated moment from the Bedtime Stories era. Such a great B-side and it’s very reminiscent of the CrazySexyCool album, which is a compliment! I actually wish she’d replaced Don’t Stop with this. 

 

[DFTFLX 29]

I always adored this album. For me this was always Madonna brilliantly navigating the complex waters of the time. After all the mid 90's were not an especially easy time for any more established artist with the huge cultural and artistic shifts at play. Madonna had an image problem, an avalanche of media hostility and a public increasingly tired of her perceived antics. Bedtime Stories enabled her to bridge this period very well and achieved what it probably set out to. I always felt it was the prequel to Ray of Light in the sense that she is clearly experimenting and finding the new artistic feet that would carry her forward into the late 90's, but brilliant glimmers aside, there is something often uncertain and uncohessive about it all which ultimately means it lacks the confidence and vision of her more iconic albums.

Some memories from the time ... watching the Ruby Wax interview and thinking she felt more jaded and depressed, buying Secret on CD single and playing Let Your Guard Down to DEATH, loving the pastel blue cd case, loving the font and text alignment in the liner notes, the video for Take a Bow being played coooooooonstantly on MTV, the video for Human Nature getting a huge fan fare but not especially taking off, the much media hyped BS performace at the BRITS and many non Madonna fans actually quite liking the album.

Edited February 28, 2020 by DFTFLX (see edit history)

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

This is probably my favourite moment of the entire era, and one of my favourite performances of her entire career. I love her look and her vocals so much. She said on the same night that she was 99% sure a tour was happening, so I always imagined this being a sneak peek for the tour that was planned in the same way “Express Yourself” was for Blond Ambition at the 1989 VMAs.  

 

[MarXus 92]

On 2/28/2020 at 6:07 AM, DFTFLX said:

I always adored this album. For me this was always Madonna brilliantly navigating the complex waters of the time. After all the mid 90's were not an especially easy time for any more established artist with the huge cultural and artistic shifts at play. Madonna had an image problem, an avalanche of media hostility and a public increasingly tired of her perceived antics. Bedtime Stories enabled her to bridge this period very well and achieved what it probably set out to. I always felt it was the prequel to Ray of Light in the sense that she is clearly experimenting and finding the new artistic feet that would carry her forward into the late 90's, but brilliant glimmers aside, there is something often uncertain and uncohessive about it all which ultimately means it lacks the confidence and vision of her more iconic albums.

Some memories from the time ... watching the Ruby Wax interview and thinking she felt more jaded and depressed, buying Secret on CD single and playing Let Your Guard Down to DEATH, loving the pastel blue cd case, loving the font and text alignment in the liner notes, the video for Take a Bow being played coooooooonstantly on MTV, the video for Human Nature getting a huge fan fare but not especially taking off, the much media hyped BS performace at the BRITS and many non Madonna fans actually quite liking the album.

I love every word of this. I remember feeling very similar as you.  Though, at the time of the release, I don't think I appreciated the album as much as I do now.  Though, I was so busy at the time in my life, I totally was taken by surprised by the release of the album coming up.  I caught the tail end of a new special on MTV called "Madonna: The Body of Her Work" which pretty much covered her whole career up to the new album.  It was the first time I was hearing clips from the new album, before it was released. I remember being memorized by the sound of "Take  A Bow".  The acoustical sounds for "Secret", I loved.  Like you mentioned, this was a perfect album to "bridge" what she did previous with what she wanted to accomplish afterwards. It perfectly segued into Evita and then it only opened the flood gates for her to produce the masterpiece we know as 'Ray of Light'.

Thanks for sharing. Loved reading your thoughts.

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

On 2/28/2020 at 1:59 AM, Nobody Knows Me said:

A very underrated moment from the Bedtime Stories era. Such a great B-side and it’s very reminiscent of the CrazySexyCool album, which is a compliment! I actually wish she’d replaced Don’t Stop with this. 

 

I had this as my profile song on Myspace for so long because I adored it. It has an Erotica left over vibe mixing TLC and Bedtime Stories as a drunken sex song with a night atmosphere which I feel would have definitely fit the album over Don't Stop. One of my favorite cuts from her!

[luckystar1983 623]

I just heard Let Down Your Guard for the first time.yesterday and I loved it!  I don't understand why it wasn't included on the album.

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

5 hours ago, luckystar1983 said:

I just heard Let Down Your Guard for the first time.yesterday and I loved it!  I don't understand why it wasn't included on the album.

Me neither, such a fantastic song and so much better than Don’t Stop. 

[musicman 2,026]

 i love very much this album from the debut its  great job

[MarXus 92]

On 3/3/2020 at 9:47 AM, luckystar1983 said:

I just heard Let Down Your Guard for the first time.yesterday and I loved it!  I don't understand why it wasn't included on the album.

Great song, but I'm not sure if it fits the album.  I know a lot of people don't like "Don't Stop" but that song is a bit more classic Madonna.  From what I've read, the intention was to make it a single, but it never happened. It's a fun song, much like some of her earlier songs that shared an anthem of getting on the dance on the floor and having fun.  Nothing else on the album shares that same message.

[Ian 2,248]

about don't stop, back then I got a radio call-out call and they played a clip from some rando song and after that a clip from Don't Stop and then a machine told me to choose song#1 or song #2 and I chose DS of course,  and got all excited and wondering if that was gonna be the next single and then after 2 weeks or so  I heard Human Nature actually was the new one and got all disappointed by the announcement , but hey at least I liked the video and the mixes !