Fixing GHV2

[Sultrysully 2,702]

People hate of GHV2 but it really is loaded with great songs.  It suffers from omissions only.  Madonna left out a lot of soundtrack songs and ballads. 

If I could change....  I would omit DCFMA and add I'll Remember, This Used to Be My Playground, and Rain (Radio Mix).  Not hating on DCFMA but I wanted to keep it one disc.  This track list comes in at 79 minutes.  

1. Deeper and Deeper (7" Edit)

2. Erotica (Radio Edit Version)

3. I'll Remember (Theme from the Motion Picture With Honors)

4. Human Nature (Radio Version)

5. Secret (Edit)

6. This Used to Be My Playground

7. Bedtime Story (Edit)

8. The Power of Good-Bye

9. Beautiful Stranger (William Orbit Edit)

10. Frozen (Edit)

11. Take a Bow (Edit)

12. Ray of Light (Radio Edit Version)

13. Don't Tell Me

14. What It Feels Like for a Girl (GHV2)

15. Rain (Radio Remix)

16. Drowned World/Substitute for Love

18. Music

 

[McDonna 7,812]

7 minutes ago, Sultrysully said:

People hate of GHV2 but it really is loaded with great songs.  It suffers from omissions only.  Madonna left out a lot of soundtrack songs and ballads. 

If I could change....  I would omit DCFMA and add I'll Remember, This Used to Be My Playground, and Rain (Radio Mix).  Not hating on DCFMA but I wanted to keep it one disc.  This track list comes in at 79 minutes.  

1. Deeper and Deeper (7" Edit)

2. Erotica (Radio Edit Version)

3. I'll Remember (Theme from the Motion Picture With Honors)

4. Human Nature (Radio Version)

5. Secret (Edit)

6. This Used to Be My Playground

7. Bedtime Story (Edit)

8. The Power of Good-Bye

9. Beautiful Stranger (William Orbit Edit)

10. Frozen (Edit)

11. Take a Bow (Edit)

12. Ray of Light (Radio Edit Version)

13. Don't Tell Me

14. What It Feels Like for a Girl (GHV2)

15. Rain (Radio Remix)

16. Drowned World/Substitute for Love

18. Music

 

I suspect the exclusion of Rain, I'll Remember and TUTBMP was to keep it more exclusive to Something To Remember.  Also, I didn't mind this collection as is.  It pretty much included all her hits since Immaculate Collection.

[chrisjc 19]

1: This Used To Be My Playground

2: Erotica

3: Deeper & Deeper

4: Rain

5: I'll Remember

6: Secret

7: Take a Bow

8: Human Nature

9: You'll See

10: You Must Love Me

11: Don't Cry For Me Argentina

12: Frozen

13: Ray of Light

14: The Power of Goodbye

15: Beautiful Stranger

16: American Pie

17: Music

18: Don't Tell Me

19: Impressive Instant

20:  New Song

 

In this timeline Impressive Instant was a single making Top5 in UK and Top10 in US.

[PaperFaces 5,209]

Id keep the original tracklistong but have the video version of Human Nature; the Calderone mix of WIFLFAG, the Morales mix of Deeper and Deeper, Junior’s mix of Bedtime Story, the Stereo mc’s mix of Frozen and an extended mix of Music.

[Roland Barthes 5,282]

She should have done with GHV2 what she did with finally enough love : make edits of the remixes but well, best of are never very good, the Changes Bowie ones were bigger messes, Prince Hits was overloaded. Good compilations are a rarity like The Carpenters, Abba Gold, Immaculate Collection, Bob Marley's Legend...they became more than greatest hits album, they are iconic, maybe because a lot of thought and care were brought to their making.

[dylanlioncourt 5,284]

It was one of the first few CD's I got when I began collecting Madonna merch and releases. Nice for the edits but I hardly revisit it.

[Sultrysully 2,702]

On 6/10/2021 at 9:26 PM, thegoldencalf said:

Yet STR was much more successful than GHV2. Also these collections have to be thought out in a way to make sense since they can only have so many songs on them. 
For example WTG was excluded from TIC since it was too similar to La Isla Bonita. 
Even though I’ll Remember is an amazing song and did great commercially nobody would have cared about it by 2001. Same with This Used To Be. 
I think that GHV2 never made it because the name and cover were not as iconic as TIC, has nothing to do with the track listing. 
Also by the end of 1990 she was everywhere. In 2001 she was pretty absent and musically she didn’t have a relevant release since Don’t Tell Me. 
Plus there was no JML controversy boost the popularity of the album.

GHV2 actually contains fantastic songs.  Two new songs (ala The Immaculate Collection) would have boosted the record but GHV2 was also her first release where digital piracy was so front and center.  Album sales, industry wide, plummeted.  Including more non-album tracks could have helped as well.  TUTBMP, I'll Remember, You'll See, You Must Love Me are all missing.  Something to Remember had a lot of non-album tracks and Three completely new tracks.  Agree that GHV2 was not as Iconic of a name at The Immaculate Collection.  Maybe, GHV2 should have been marketed as The Immaculate Collection - The Second Coming Edition and included the first disc with the original, non-Q sound mixes.  

[Sultrysully 2,702]

On 4/9/2023 at 2:44 PM, chrisjc said:

1: This Used To Be My Playground

2: Erotica

3: Deeper & Deeper

4: Rain

5: I'll Remember

6: Secret

7: Take a Bow

8: Human Nature

9: You'll See

10: You Must Love Me

11: Don't Cry For Me Argentina

12: Frozen

13: Ray of Light

14: The Power of Goodbye

15: Beautiful Stranger

16: American Pie

17: Music

18: Don't Tell Me

19: Impressive Instant

20:  New Song

 

In this timeline Impressive Instant was a single making Top5 in UK and Top10 in US.

Lots of non-album tracks.... love it.  

[BuggedOut 3,519]

On 6/10/2021 at 5:35 PM, captainjay said:

She did. She said the only songs that made the cut were songs she could listen to 5 times in a row. 

She was also at a bitchy point in her life/career when she hated a lot of her own back catalog.

Personally, I don't think overlapping with STR mattered. A Madonna specific ballads collection is like a Streisand specific Broadway or film song or duets collection. It's so niche. 

GHV2 should have appealed to a much broader audience than STR.

Chronological and more inclusive of the real hits would have made it a stronger collection.

Playground, Rain, I'll Remember -- should have all been there as well as American Pie, no matter the "punishment" Madonna thought it deserved, her reason was stupid and without any point or merit. 

And I agree with Branko, DCFMA could have been there (or not) but in remix form - only. 

And of course, video version (unedited) for Human Nature - ONLY - what a fucking classic and that would have been - and exclusive to this release. No door slams. It's a fucking Madonna album, deal with the swearing. Eat a dick.

From a commercial perspective, the collection should have been put together by someone that wasn't Madonna. She was too close to it she still doesn't respect how impactful some of those songs were. She sees the songs from her perspective (I like that producer but not that producer. It wasn't my idea to do that song, WB made me work with Babyface. That producer was always late and disrupted my gym routine and I missed that one basketball game because that person wasn't on time!) - whereas we listened to the songs on the radio as they came out and supported the hell out of them in a time she wasn't so popular or it was more challenging, but she managed to get hits.

Branding the collection Immaculate Collection II would have been simply brilliant -- and now GHV2 is basically forgotten. No one remembers it outside these types of forums. It was a shit collection she was forced to put together and no effort to please the fans was made. Megamixes ... whatever. Why not throw us a bone with Impressive Instant? Fuck ..

 

The door slams MAKE the Video Version, imo.

It works better and gets the point across better, I think.

[BuggedOut 3,519]

All these track lists and no top 20 You Must Love Me.

Fail.

[BuggedOut 3,519]

Impressive Instant wouldn’t have done well as a single and is only known for the Singy Singy Singy bit. Hard pass on including it on a Greatest Hits collection.

What it feels is a snooze and using that A&B dub remix as the video version kept it from doing anything on the charts ‘for a girlllll, in this worlddddd’ is nice for a dub, but blah

I’d say this tracklist would’ve been nice. Not necessarily in this order:

1: This Used To Be My Playground (Single)

2: Erotica (Radio)

3: Deeper & Deeper (Edit)

4: Rain (Edit)

5: I'll Remember

6: Secret (Edit)

7: Take a Bow (Edit)

8: Bedtime Story (Jrs Single Mix)

9: Human Nature (Video Version)

10: You'll See (Edit)

11: You Must Love Me (Single)

12: Don't Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix Edit)

13: Frozen (Edit)

14: Ray of Light (Edit)

15: The Power of Goodbye

16: Beautiful Stranger (Orbit Edit)

17: American Pie

18: Music

19:  Don't Tell Me

[deathproof 9,746]

On 6/9/2021 at 10:11 AM, louis.exe said:

If you could change GHV2 what would you do to make it better?

It's not that bad when you think of it. It's a great conglomeration of her musical output from the 90's and early 2000's. It would be a shame to omit songs like Bedtime Story, Human Nature, or even Drowned World just because they weren't massive global hits. They showcase her versatility beautifully, and are strong representations of her chameleon soul.

But if this has to be strictly a "greatest hits" release, then let's add in:

• This Used to Be My Playground
• I'll Remember
• You'll See
• American Pie

And if we want to dig deeper:

• Fever
• Rain
• You Must Love Me

For shits & giggles:

• Nothing Really Matters
• Impressive Instant (as a new song)
• Run (as a new song)

So revised would be like this:

1. Deeper and Deeper (7" Edit)
2. Erotica (Edit)
3. Fever (video Version)
4. This Used to be My Playground (Video Edit)
5. I'll Remember [Orbit Mix]
6. Secret (Edit)
7. Take a Bow (Edit)
8. Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Remix Edit)
9. You'll See (Edit)
10. Frozen (Video Edit)
11. Ray of Light (Video Edit)
12. Power of Goodbye
13. Beautiful Stranger (William Orbit Radio Edit)
14. American Pie
15. Music
16. Don't Tell Me
17. What It Feels Like for a Girl [Radio Edit]
18. Impressive Instant
19. Run

[lap 1,339]

My track list in chronological order:

 

1.This used to be my playground (Video Version)

2.Erotica (Edit)

3.Deeper and Deeper (David's Radio Edit)

4.Fever (video Version)

5.Rain (Video Edit)

6.I'll Remember 

7.Secret (Edit)

8.Take a Bow (Edit)

9.You'll See (Edit)

10.Frozen (Edit)

11.Ray of Light (Radio Edit)

12.The Power of Goodbye

13.Drowned World (Edit #3)

14.Beautiful Stranger (Radio Edit)

15.American Pie

16.Music

17.Don't Tell Me (Radio Edit)

18.New Song (Liquid Love?)

 

Then, Celebration (covering 2002/2018):

 

1.Die Another Day

2.American Life

3.Hollywood

4.Hung Up

5.Sorry

6.Four Minutes

7.Give it 2 Me

8.Celebration

9.Revolver

10.Broken

11.Give Me All Your Luvin'

12.Girl Gone Wild

13.Living for Love

14.Ghosttown

15.Bitch I'm Madonna

16.Medellin (Edit)

17.Crave

18.New Song

 

 

 

[PaperFaces 5,209]

My GHV2 playlist is this:

1- Erotica (Kenlou B-Boy Mix)

2- Deeper and Deeper (David's Radio Edit)

3-  Bad Girl (Edit)

4- Rain (Video Edit)

5- Secret (Edit)

6- Take a Bow (Edit)

7- Bedtime Story (Junior's Single Mix)

8- Human Nature (Video Version)

9- Love Don't Live Here Anymore (Soulpower Remix)

10- Don't Cry For Me (Miami Mix Edit)

11- Frozen (Stereo Mc's Mix)

12- Ray of Light (Orbit Ultraviolet Mix Edit)

13- Power of Goodbye

14- Nothing Really Matters

15- Don't Tell Me (Edit)

16- What It Feels Like For a Girl (Calderone Dark Side Mix)

17- Music

 

The different mixes spices it up a bit and makes for a balanced listening experience.

[itzjak 123]

Only 90's hits, like "93:99". Re named "Design Of A Decade"

1. Erotica (Album Edit)

2. Deeper And Deeper (7" Edit)

3. Fever (Edit One)

4. Bad Girl (Edit)

5. Secret (Edit)

6. Bedtime Story (Album Edit)

7. Take A Bow (Edit)

8. Human Nature (Radio Version)

9. Don't Cry For Me Argentina

10. Frozen (Edit)

11. Ray Of Light

12. The Power Of Good Bye

13. Drowned World

14. Nothing Really Matters

15. Beautiful Stranger

 

[antknee 19]

I agree with the comments on the packaging, sequencing and inclusion of the GHV2 Megamix.

Here’s my take on resequencing and adding a few extra songs to the collection:

After trying to find the right mix, I completely understand why they left off this used to be my playground and I’ll remember. Not only because they’re ballads, but also to make something to remember more viable from a sales perspective.

if they made a deluxe version with a second disc, i would have added the songs above, plus:

* Goodbye To Innocence

* Let Down Your Guard

* Freedom

* Your Honesty

* I’d Rather Be Your Lover (w/Tupac)

* Guilty By Association

* Has To Be

* Cyber-Raga

Throw in a handful of promo-only remixes and/or ROL outtakes to round it out.

Edited April 13 by antknee

[Drownedboy 1,344]

The thing is TIC felt so cohesive and well done with cronologically put tracklist as you can see her evolution but at the same time it has a sense of unity so armonic and it was a time when people really did bought music. And what´s more, even if you prefer some original versions, the IC versions really add and cohabit wonderfully, so you feel you have gained. I adore both version of LAP and Express Yourself and put each of them depending on the mood I am.

About GHV2, it´s not a bad record but for me: It didn´t feel very cohesive and sometimes even messy (as celebration), some edits are for the worse, some tracks are not hits, and it misses some really important hits she disliked (american pie?), I don´t like the liner notes and the pictures are cool but very small. A new song is soo missed, and that was a time when piracy was hurting a lot. And finally, when know Madonna was in bad terms with Warner and not in very shiny mood. So that´s why I think we know that compilation could have been much better, cause really that period it cover 1992-2001, was musically amazing. 

[Prayer 11,623]

It's easy to underestimate "GHV2"'s commercial and historic impact cause it was quickly forgotten and replaced by "Celebration" in less than ten years. It didn't end up having the long impact that "The Immaculate Collection" had for years. But at the moment of its release, streaming and YouTube didn't exist, and it was like a 90s playlist for casual fans and "Ray Of Light" and "Music" general public. I think it helped to give songs like "Erotica", "Deeper And Deeper", "Secret", etc. a secured place and importance in her history, after being considered a dark or low moment in her career until she was back on top in 1998. "GHV2" was a way of saying "these other songs are also my hits, listen to them".

Plus commercially it did great at the start: almost 900.000 copies in the UK (!!!), 1.500.000 in the US (a country where greatest hits compilations never did that well except for some cases), 300.000 in France, 300.000 in Germany... but of course without no new songs it simply couldn't have long term longevity. And when "Celebration" was released in 2009 it simply was forgotten forever.

[steady75 8,601]

A two disc affair would have been a real incentive to buy and make the second disc the singles that were missed from The Immaculate Collection. I personally only need one Evita single anyway but you could whack You Must Love Me On there if need be

 

1. New Song
2. What It Feels Like For A Girl
3. Don't Tell Me
4. Music
5. American Pie
6. Beautiful Stranger
7. Nothing Really Matters
8. The Power Of Goodbye
9. Drowned World
10. Ray Of Light 
11. Frozen
12. Don't Cry For Me Argentina
13. You'll See
14. Human Nature
15. Bedtime Story
16. Take A Bow
17. Secret
18. I'll Remember
19. Rain

 

1. Fever
2. Bad Girl
3. Deeper & Deeper
4. Erotica
5. This Used To Be My Playground
6. Hanky Panky
7. Keep It Together
8. Oh Father
9. Dear Jessie
10. The Look Of Love
11. Causing A Commotion
12. Who's That Girl
13. True Blue
14. Gambler
15. Dress You Up
16. Angel 
17. Burning Up
18. Everybody

 

Debbie from accounts found putting a copy from the petrol station right in her handbag.

[chaosmen1984mk 592]

This compilation was just a product made without heart or soul and just to make money. That is why it is rightly forgotten by most fans. The only salvageable thing from this era was that wonderful Thunderpuss Megamix. I would like to see something similar on this 2023 tour where several songs merge into one and that is that Madonna has so many beautiful songs that time will be short to sing them all. And I'm not just referring to the greatest hits because I'm sure Madonna will also sing other songs that didn't become singles, that's evident because it's about celebrating her 40-year successful career and it's a valuable opportunity for the public to get to know so many beautiful songs that did not become popular for various reasons.

[steady75 8,601]

There were already too many ballads on GHV2

Take A Bow

Power Of Goodbye

Drowned World

Argentina

Secret & WIFLFAG, Frozen kinda fall into chill ballad territory too really. 
 

The beauty of Immaculate was its major positive energy. It was everybody’s go to album to put on as you were getting ready to go out at the weekend especially the girlies. All my cousins used to. 
Crazy For You and Live to Tell we’re often skips on those nights. Your five bangers in before a ballad and then you’re clobbered with Into The Groove. Live To Tell is the only buzz kill serious moment on that album really. 

Leaving off Bad Girl, Rain, Playground, I’ll Remember, You Must Love Me, You’ll See, while annoying for completists, was the right decision. She could have done with two more uptempos as the new tracks to up the energy levels and adding Fever edit one and American Pie to make it a bit more of a banger fest. 
 

I feel they tried to emulate Immaculate’s energy on Celebration and for that it was successful but it did very much feel like a budget complication not worthy of the queen of pop even if i did quite like the artwork. It’s very humble for the queen of pop. 
 

I know they do a Greatest hits after every three / four studio albums for her as a rule but imagine if they’d waited.

1. Music

2. Hung Up

3. Deeper & Deeper

4. Sorry

5. American Pie

6. Don’t Tell Me

7. Beautiful Stanger

8. Ray Of Light

9. Die Another Day

10. Erotica

11. Human Nature

12. 4 Minutes

13. Give It 2 Me

14. Frozen

15. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina

16. Secret

17.Take A Bow

18. Celebration 

That’s a really worthy rival to Immaculate tbh. 

[luluthecat 962]

My only major complaint is the unforgivable Human Nature (Clean Radio Edit), if they wanted a censored mix then why not go for the Video Version?!....well that and Don't Cry For Me Argentina, it's too attached to the musical, You Must Love Me makes more sense as it was written for her........or just scrap the Evita era and stick on the perfection that is Nothing Really Matters

[EgoRod 4,508]

I always forget about this compilation.

Wasn't a particular reason they didn't go for a double CD? Something to do with the costs?

They couldn't do more than the 75 min in one cd. The edits are boring and the selection does'nt flow well.

If we don't see Hanky Panky I don't know why we should have Evita or any other soundtrack (American Pie incl)

I think DCFMA kills the vibe in it. And I believe a diversity of edit/mixes would have created a more interesting album.

[Ian 2,132]

14 hours ago, EgoRod said:

I always forget about this compilation.

Wasn't a particular reason they didn't go for a double CD? Something to do with the costs?

They couldn't do more than the 75 min in one cd. The edits are boring and the selection does'nt flow well.

If we don't see Hanky Panky I don't know why we should have Evita or any other soundtrack (American Pie incl)

I think DCFMA kills the vibe in it. And I believe a diversity of edit/mixes would have created a more interesting album.

had it been the Miami Mix instead it would've sold 10 million in America alone!