Something to Remember 2

[MadonnaDave 110]

If you were putting together a follow up to Something to Remember, what would your track listing be? And what would you title the collection? Take A Bow, perhaps? 
 

After the dance chart number ones compilation, it might be nice for Warner to shine a light on some beautiful gems in the back catalogue.

With Bad Girl finally getting shown some love on the Celebration Tour, it got me thinking that Madonna’s slower tempo contemplative songs and love songs often get overlooked or comparatively forgotten outside of the fan base. 

 

My short list of tracks for inclusion would be:

Angel
The Look of Love
Promise To Try
Pray For Spanish Eyes
Bad Girl
In This Life
Love Tried To Welcome Me
You Must Love Me
Nothing Really Matters
The Power of Goodbye
To Have And Not To Hold
Has To Be
Be Careful (with Ricky Martin)
Time Stood Still
Nothing Fails
Joan of Arc
Messiah
 

And the long list:

Shoo-Bee-Doo
Sooner or Later
What Can You Lose?
Inside of Me
Drowned World/Substitute For Love
Gone
I Deserve It
X-static Process
Easy Ride
Miles Away
Masterpiece
Falling Free
Hold Tight
HeartBreakCity
 

Or why not dust off some unreleased songs?

Corazon (Be Careful) solo version 
Like A Flower
If You Go Away 
I Can’t Forget
Love Won’t Wait
Arioso




 

 

[gst6662000 293]

that bad girl performance has so much soul......

[Diieeego 261]

If there was a STR2 I think it would naturally be composed of songs released after STR

Capping it at 15 songs so it’s like the original one, this would be my take 

 

1. NEW SONG

2. Drowned world / substitute for love

3. Devil wouldn’t recognize you

4. Frozen

5. Easy ride

6. nothing fails

7. I deserve it

8. time stood still

9. the power of good-bye

10. Ghostown
11. I rise
12. NEW SONG

13. Masterpiece

14. Messiah

15. gone

[BuggedOut 4,122]

I don’t think many would buy this if it was just 1996 to now.

If they did something like this, I could see a re-release deluxe edition with two discs including the later ballads and maybe a few older ones as well.

[EgoRod 5,451]

I made similar question not long ago and there were some interesting lists:

 

[theblessedjoker 529]

Something To Remember CD1

1. Live To Tell
2. Crazy For You
3. The Look Of Love
4. Love Don't Live Here Anymore
5. Bad Girl
6. Take A Bow
7. You'll See
8. Spanish Eyes
9. One More Chance
10. Rain
11. Oh Father
12. Forbbiden Love
13. Promise To Try
14. In This Life
15. I'll Remember
16. I Want You

 

Something To Remember CD2

 

1. Drowned World/Substitute For Love
2. Nothing Fails
3. Miles Away
4. I Deserve It
5. Masterpice
6. You Must Love Me
7. Time Stood Still
8. Ghosttown
9. X-Static Process
10. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You
11. Intervention
12. Joan Of Arc
13. Mother & Father
14. Falling Free
15. Gone
16. The Power Of Goodbye

[chaosmen1984mk 799]

As a fan of course I would love a second part of Something to Remember that included some outtakes like Heaven, Like a Flower, Miss you, etc. Generally, Madonna's ballads have been characterized by having a simple production, without great pretensions and where the vocal part is the most important part of the song. Something totally opposite to dance songs where many times in the desire to create a product that stands out from the competition they end up producing a chaotic and disorderly amalgamation of unfortunate sounds that spoil what was originally a beautiful composition.

However, putting myself in the shoes of a cold record label executive, I see a compilation of this type as unlikely since it would not generate significant profits since Madonna lacks any ballad that has left its mark on the public in recent decades. In fact, Frozen could be considered her last successful ballad and all the others have passed unnoticed in the taste of the general public.

That is why for a new compilation to see the light of day, a success similar to Take a Bow is necessary/mandatory. The new album that is being talked about so much these days could be the perfect opportunity for this.

[LongIslandTea 1,591]

1. Hey You
2. One More Chance
3. Dear Jessie
4. Bad Girl
5. Shoo Bee Doo
6. You Must Love Me
7. What It Feels Like For A Girl
8. The Power Of Goodbye
9. Love Profusion
10. Drowned World / Substitute For Love
11. Miles Away
12. Masterpiece
13. This Used To Be My Playground (Movie Version)
14. Has To Be

[MadonnaDave 110]

If Madonna hasn’t had major hit ballads since Something to Remember as suggested above, than perhaps an expanded edition of the existing album would be more successful than a follow up with different tracks entirely.

I would add a second disc to include

The Look of Love
Promise To Try
Pray For Spanish Eyes
Bad Girl
In This Life
Love Tried To Welcome Me
You Must Love Me
The Power of Goodbye
To Have Not To Hold
Has To Be
Time Stood Still
Gone
Nothing Fails
X-static Process
Devil Wouldn’t Recognise You
Ghosttown
Messiah

 

 

[steady75 9,570]

I think you'd have to get creative in terms of "Ballads" per se and we'd probably need some stripped back versions of her bigger hits to pad it out. her commercial power isn't where it was in 95 and a compilation that read.

The original STR was actually only 13 songs (the length of Erotica) with an orchestral version as a bonus track.

With three brand new songs they only had to choose ten songs from her back catalogue.

If they were to do it again I actually think it would be a better idea to include Secret too. I was never sure why it was missed out first time round. I know it's not a ballad but it was a pretty substantial hit for her and a huge part of her public reset. 

 

1. New Song 
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. Frozen
5. The Power Of Goodbye
6. Don't Cry For Me Argentina
7. What It Feels Like For A Girl
8. Secret
9. Ghosttown
10. Masterpiece
11. Crave
12. Nothing Fails
13. Drowned World

 

At this point in her career though most people wont even be aware of Something To Remember first time round so a reedition updated is probably the way to go leaving some stuff behind on the first edition to make it purchasable and they'd need something rare for the fans. I think Rain, Argentina and Bad Girl would possibly be included after the Celebration Tour. I cannot see any casual expecting to pick up a Madonna Ballad compilation that doesn't include Crazy For You, Live To Tell and Take A Bow. Sadly I think Nothing Fails would become the Look Of Love of the compilation (ie dumped)

The lead would 100% be a collab with someone for the profile. 

1. New Song (duet lead single)
2. New Song
3. New Song
4. Frozen
5. The Power Of Goodbye
6. Ghosttown
7. Live To Tell
8. Bad Girl
9. Crave
10. Drowned World
11. Rain
12. Masterpiece
13. Crazy For You
14. Take A Bow

But that's me with my corporate record head on. It would probably be sold as an updated version of the original.