Human Nature original chart run

[I am madonna 162]

The problem with this album is that most of the songs are like B-side demo tracks made by amateurs. And other problem is that there are many lyrics that give the impression that the lyrics are recycled from her previous songs.  So it's not strange at all that other songs have failed on the charts except secret and take a bow.

Edited May 21 by I am madonna (see edit history)

[MDNA22 1,251]

Think it's a really underrated album - great vocals, songwriting and production too and flows well despite the different songwriters and producers involved and the era was great for starting to re-build public opinion after the Erotica era backlash without compromising her as an artist and a great step towards getting the lead role in Evita. Warners and her PR agent Liz Rosenberg did an amazing job. Remixes and videos for all 4 singles were fantastic - but there were better tracks than Human Nature that could have done better as singles and got more radio play but she had already acheived chart success from the album with Secret and Take A Bow and think she wanted to get a message out about the Erotica era by making Human Nature a single. I wish we didn't keep getting it on almost every tour.

[Blue Jean 15,992]

1 hour ago, MDNA22 said:

Think it's a really underrated album - great vocals, songwriting and production too and flows well despite the different songwriters and producers involved

It is a great album, absolutely. Its only downfall is that it goes in 2 different directions. But this “mistake” is what helped make Ray of Light what it was. Sometimes you have to get it wrong to get it right. But Bedtime Stories is an enjoyable listen anyway, like you said it still flows.

[Prayer 15,009]

"Bedtime Stories" was a lush and expensive affair. Calling those songs B-Side material I mean, the ignorance. She was put to work with some of the best and most expensive producers of that era, Dallas Austin, Babyface, Nellee Hooper.

It was essential in the much needed at that point rebuild of her brand (with "Evita" later) and maybe she wouldn't even have a career now without that album. Plus she managed to combine the more obvious commercial moments ("Secret", "Take A Bow", "Forbidden Love") with the artistic statements ("Love Tried To Welcome Me", "Sanctuary", "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature" singles and videos, both huge risks especially in the US after her longest #1 single ever).

It's a key album in her journey but sadly quite forgotten now.

[DiegoLCL 5,323]

34 minutes ago, Prayer said:

"Bedtime Stories" was a lush and expensive affair. Calling those songs B-Side material I mean, the ignorance. She was put to work with some of the best and most expensive producers of that era, Dallas Austin, Babyface, Nellee Hooper.

It was essential in the much needed at that point rebuild of her brand (with "Evita" later) and maybe she wouldn't even have a career now without that album. Plus she managed to combine the more obvious commercial moments ("Secret", "Take A Bow", "Forbidden Love") with the artistic statements ("Love Tried To Welcome Me", "Sanctuary", "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature" singles and videos, both huge risks especially in the US after her longest #1 single ever).

It's a key album in her journey but sadly quite forgotten now.

This!
It boils my blood when I see people calling it "bland, R&B, ballad" she did desperately to win the public back from the 90's girls.
There's not a one Bedtime Story, Sanctuary, Human Nature or even a Secret in any Mariah, Celine, Janet or Whitney album by 1994.

Bedtime Stories is a huge demonstration of Madonna's knack as a producer, without her tight fist the album would be such a mismatch of sounds.

[clkelley39 1,040]

On 5/18/2024 at 7:13 PM, MikeyK said:

I can see how from a non-American perspective you would think this would have done well in the states, but not really. The early to mid 90s were a weird time here for mainstream music. Things got grittier and heavier. With a few exceptions, straightforward pop and dance pop sort of took a back seat or went adult contemporary. Most of what was popular from 92-96ish w/younger people fell under either “alternative” (a very wide umbrella) or gangsta rap and (grittier) r&b. Madonna was neither.

Bedtime Story was kind of her attempt at dipping her toe in the former, Human Nature the latter. Neither attempt was taken very seriously by their respective communities. But, both videos got a lot of airplay and I’m sure that helped the album. And hey, long term both songs are considered fan favorites so all’s well that ends well.

People blame slut shaming for her dip in popularity at that time and that was definitely a big factor, but also a lot of artists that were big in the 80s were sort of seen as uncool for a while.

This. There was a HUGE shift in the 90's. Everything got serious and everybody was grumpy and judgmental. Songs like "Don't Stop" and "Survival" with their corny lyrics would have been absolute flops here in the US. "Human Nature" didn't chart highly because it wasn't played much on the radio, but it was played ALL THE TIME on MTV, which doesn't effect it's chart position. I never realized it wasn't a hit until years later. 

[Ian 2,342]

1 hour ago, clkelley39 said:

This. There was a HUGE shift in the 90's. Everything got serious and everybody was grumpy and judgmental. Songs like "Don't Stop" and "Survival" with their corny lyrics would have been absolute flops here in the US. "Human Nature" didn't chart highly because it wasn't played much on the radio, but it was played ALL THE TIME on MTV, which doesn't effect it's chart position. I never realized it wasn't a hit until years later. 

wtf ? so songs like Monica's Don't take it Personal;  Notorious BIG's One More Chance, , BIIM's Water Runs Dry, All 4 One's I can Love you like That , Shaggy's Bombastic and quite a few others -that did much better than M's HN-  didn't have corny lyrics?? LOL

---

anyway.. Take a bow was still on the chart (#44 I believe) when HN was still climbing it (#51 that same week in July ) that must have hindered both BedtimeStory and HN's chart success and neither of those songs were the soft pop R&B-ish that U.S. radio wanted from her

[MDNA22 1,251]

Bedtime Story performance at the Brits was fantastic one of her best live tv show performances and the week after the single was released in the UK and went straight into the top 10 after Take A Bow was kind of ignored in the UK and broke her long run of top 10 hits only reaching number 16. 

[Prayer 15,009]

1 minute ago, MDNA22 said:

Bedtime Story performance at the Brits was fantastic one of her best live tv show performances and the week after the single was released in the UK and went straight into the top 10 after Take A Bow was kind of ignored in the UK and broke her long run of top 10 hits only reaching number 16. 

"Bedtime Story" was of course very Björk-coded and Björk was UK's darling at that time. That plus all the Brits hype and excellent performance secured her a Top 5 position. Deserved of course.

[Drownedboy 1,767]

I love all your posts defending Bedtime Stories, for me it´s one of her best efforts and I love it, and as you said, it´s a perfect mix between great commercial pop music and personal staments or more experimental stuff. Brilliantly produced, amazing videoclips, her voice was very sweet and controlled and she looked amazing, And it sold millions, but it´s true her golden moment came later with ROL and Music to a lesser level, but still.

[chaosmen1984mk 818]

Despite its simple and at times silly lyrics, I think that Don't Stop would have been a better choice instead of Human Nature and of course much more successful.

The song would have served for the world to see again that Madonna, Queen of the discos and finally away from so many controversial songs. Dont Stop would have meant a kind of respite and fresh air for many fans who just wanted to have fun and have a good time without complications. Don't Stop was created to dance and if we analyze the entire album this song was like an oasis in the desert because even though Bedtime Stories was no longer as sexual as its predecessor, the dark and symbolic songs still predominated. However, Human Nature was finally chosen and fans would have to wait until Music to be able to enjoy a danceable and superficial song again. And the wait was definitely worth it in the end.

[Curtains 13,814]

"Don't Stop" would have probably done better commercially had it been released as the 4th single instead of "Human Nature" as Warner planned after it was played on the radio instead of "Bedtime Story". However it really doesn't feel like a classic tune. It's a cute little filler and as that, it serves its purpose.

"Human Nature" had much more of an identity. The video is amazing too. It was a bold choice and wasn't going to do as great but was a great artistic statement. I guess the fans are more tired of it nowadays since she performed the song A LOT since 2008 (every tour except the Rebel Heart Tour actually), but it pretty much feels like M's motto song nowadays. She's not sorry.

[clkelley39 1,040]

7 hours ago, MDNA22 said:

Bedtime Story performance at the Brits was fantastic one of her best live tv show performances and the week after the single was released in the UK and went straight into the top 10 after Take A Bow was kind of ignored in the UK and broke her long run of top 10 hits only reaching number 16. 

I had no idea "Take a Bow" wasn't an international hit. That was another one MTV was fully obsessed with. It was such a big deal here in the US. 

[clkelley39 1,040]

1 hour ago, Curtains said:

"Don't Stop" would have probably done better commercially had it been released as the 4th single instead of "Human Nature" as Warner planned after it was played on the radio instead of "Bedtime Story". However it really doesn't feel like a classic tune. It's a cute little filler and as that, it serves its purpose.

"Human Nature" had much more of an identity. The video is amazing too. It was a bold choice and wasn't going to do as great but was a great artistic statement. I guess the fans are more tired of it nowadays since she performed the song A LOT since 2008 (every tour except the Rebel Heart Tour actually), but it pretty much feels like M's motto song nowadays. She's not sorry.

Exactly. I love the song and listen to it regularly, but it's just filler. The Dr. Suess-like rhyming would not have gone over well with a general audience in 1994/95. Especially from a huge artist like Madonna from which big things were expected. Had there been a Bedtime Stories Tour, I bet it would have been a great part of the show. 

[I am madonna 162]

Apart from the fact that most of the tracks sound like B-side demos, there's another big problem with this album is give this impression that most of the songs are feel like it's from the cassette tape which played so many times so the tape is stretched out so they seem to listen to cassette tapes playing slowly. When I listen to this album on YouTube, I always listen to the rest of the songs with 1.25x faster playback speed, except for two songs, Secret and Take a bow. Only then will the songs become little bit listenable.

Edited May 22 by I am madonna (see edit history)

[MikeyK 756]

11 hours ago, clkelley39 said:

This. There was a HUGE shift in the 90's. Everything got serious and everybody was grumpy and judgmental. Songs like "Don't Stop" and "Survival" with their corny lyrics would have been absolute flops here in the US. "Human Nature" didn't chart highly because it wasn't played much on the radio, but it was played ALL THE TIME on MTV, which doesn't effect it's chart position. I never realized it wasn't a hit until years later. 

Yep. Exactly. Janet had that big era but she was a bit younger than Madonna and Michael so she skirted by. Even the hits from that Ace of Base album that was so huge here had more of a melancholy tone than most of the Scandinavian pop that came after it. In the videos they mostly just pouted in all black.

M sort of took on the vibe of the time too in Secret.

I jokingly tell younger friends of mine that there was such a pop star drought in 94-95 that Courtney Love would be considered a main pop girl back then.

[Blue Jean 15,992]

4 hours ago, I am madonna said:

Apart from the fact that most of the tracks sound like B-side demos, there's another big problem with this album is give this impression that most of the songs are feel like it's from the cassette tape which played so many times so the tape is stretched out so they seem to listen to cassette tapes playing slowly. When I listen to this album on YouTube, I always listen to the rest of the songs with 1.25x faster playback speed, except for two songs, Secret and Take a bow. Only then will the songs become little bit listenable.

You should try Like a Prayer in reverse, there are secret Satan worshipping lyrics coded in that song

[BoyToyMark 408]

Human Nature should probably have been the third single in the US. As much as I love Bedtime Story and the video and remixes are amazing, it definitely was a risk in the US that didn't pay off. Obviously did well in the UK and Aus.

Maybe it should've been an international single and Human Nature released as the third US single and then fourth (fifth internationally) would be Forbidden Love. A bit like how they did it with the Ray Of Light single releases which was perfect in my opinion if Warner didn't screw up the timing of Nothing Really Matters.

[Bad Boy 57]

On 5/16/2024 at 3:53 PM, GregVsMatt said:

Also note Take A Bow did not make the Top 10 here in Australia or the UK - for Australia, Warner USA pushed Warner Music Australia for heavy promo of the album in May 1995 (which Australia was the only country to make it #1) and the Bedtime Story single - we got a world exclusive Ray Martin interview with M at her Hollywood hills home, a heavy advertising campaign and the Bedtime Story single was released as a gold CD to link back to the Gold Tour CDs, posters were given away with the CD single while leftover posters from the Take A Bow giveaway were given away with the cassette single of Bedtime Story - this is why it hit #5 - meanwhile Triple J were playing Human Nature on high rotation so they had to quickly add a sticker 

The TV commercial also featured Human Nature months before it's release -  by the time it was released as a single, it was too late as radio play had minimised. 

 

 

Why would Warner Music USA care about Australia though or even UK. I doubt Madonna herself cares how well her singles chart here.

[GregVsMatt 3,798]

4 hours ago, Bad Boy said:

Why would Warner Music USA care about Australia though or even UK. I doubt Madonna herself cares how well her singles chart here.

From what I recall there was a higher budget given to Australia after The Girlie Show was the biggest tour in Australian history - and a second budget allocated in 1995 - Australia was one of M's biggest markets in the 80s/90s/ early 2000s - it was the lack of touring that disengaged her casual fans later 

[Jackie 8,505]

3 minutes ago, GregVsMatt said:

From what I recall there was a higher budget given to Australia after The Girlie Show was the biggest tour in Australian history - and a second budget allocated in 1995 - Australia was one of M's biggest markets in the 80s/90s/ early 2000s - it was the lack of touring that disengaged her casual fans later 

Totally agree re lack of touring - had she only come in DWT - and beyond - would have kept the fan base and public engaged more here.

[GregVsMatt 3,798]

59 minutes ago, Jackie said:

Totally agree re lack of touring - had she only come in DWT - and beyond - would have kept the fan base and public engaged more here.

Yes all tours were scoped / planned / negotiated for Australia except RIT, MX and Celebration and it always failed due to cost vs profit 

[Jackie 8,505]

2 hours ago, GregVsMatt said:

Yes all tours were scoped / planned / negotiated for Australia except RIT, MX and Celebration and it always failed due to cost vs profit 

Yea, which is understandable also -pros and cons on living on a very large island lol

[GregVsMatt 3,798]

3 hours ago, Jackie said:

Yea, which is understandable also -pros and cons on living on a very large island lol

Yep but I love it here lol

[Alpha 1,426]

On 5/17/2024 at 10:35 PM, Would You Like To Try said:

On GHV2 the only compilation right?

No. GHV2 had the radio version which replaced both bitch and shit with rhe first line being repeated. The video version was only available on the Aus CD single i think.

 

 

Also...is it true TAB actually technically did better than Bedtime Story despite charting lower? I had read it sold more copies in the UK but since it was the holidays there was more competition while Bedtime Story was released when there was legit no competition so charted higher despite having way less sales. Also TAB literally only had LP version Edit and Instrumental. Even the alleged special edition was the same tracklist just in a jewel case and a border around the artwork lol