Мадоннаның "Nothing Really Matters" әні туралы

1999 single by Madonna

"Nothing Really Matters" is a song by American singer Madonna for her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998). It was written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and was produced by the singer with William Orbit and Marius De Vries. The song was released as the sixth and final single from the album on February 9, 1999, by Maverick Records and Warner Bros. Records. An electronic dance track on which Madonna experiments with different musical genres, "Nothing Really Matters" includes ambient music and electronic noise frequencies that were added by De Vries. Lyrically, the recording delves on the singer's first daughter Lourdes Leon, having also themes of selfishness, affection, and motherhood. The song was critically appreciated for its lyrical content and composition, and was declared by reviewers as one of Madonna's most personal efforts; however, some critics felt it was tepid and lacklustre compared to other tracks from Ray of Light. In the United States, the song remains Madonna's lowest entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 93. Its low chart peak was due to lack of airplay and the delay in releasing it in CD single formats, to which the singer's fans protested against Warner Bros. The song became her 23rd number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart, reaching the top spot in Hungary and Spain, and entering the top ten in countries including Canada, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Scotland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. An accompanying music video was directed by Swedish director Johan Renck, and was released on February 13, 1999. Inspired by Arthur Golden's 1997 novel Memoirs of a Geisha, the video portrays Madonna as a geisha, dancing in a small room. The red kimono worn by her in the video was designed by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. It was worn by the singer during her performance of the song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. "Nothing Really Matters" is cited as one of Madonna's most underrated singles to date. The costume and music video has been cited by journalist and academics as one of Madonna's most iconic and best re inventions.

"Nothing Really Matters" was recorded alongside the rest of the album at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California. Only three other people were in the studio with Madonna during the recording of the song and album: Orbit, recording engineer Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer, Matt Silva. It is set in time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of F major, with a moderate tempo of 117 beats per minute. Madonna's vocals range from the lower octave of F3 to the higher note of A4. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune labelled the production as a "worldly, and weary Madonna". David Browne from Entertainment Weekly noticed that the "hard step beats and synth washes make the romantic physical yearnings (and hooks) of 'Skin' and 'Nothing Really Matters' even tauter [ ]". J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt the song was a "smart, groove intensive tune". Chuck Taylor from Billboard compared the composition of "Nothing Really Matters" to the "disco encrusted" "Vogue" (1990). However, he found that the "core" important part of the song was its "sweetly spiritual" and "simple" lyrical content. The song begins with a "strange, electronic, slightly broken noise" that spans between the start of the song up until 54 seconds. The chorus starts with a fast pacing dance sound, over which Madonna sings, "Nothing really matters / love is all we need / everything I give you / all comes back to me." Throughout the entire song, it includes two verses, three choruses, one bridge section, and an outro. Based on the lyrical content, Bryan Lark from The Michigan Daily reviewed the parent album, and concluded that as the single "Ray of Light" was about confronting the past, "Nothing Really Matters" conversely is about "moving onward."

"Nothing Really Matters" was selected as the sixth and final single from Ray of Light. On February 9, 1999, Warner Bros. Records issued the song to top 40 and rhythmic contemporary radio formats in the United States. It was released in six major formats, including a 12 inch vinyl, two CD singles, one maxi CD, a cassette tape, and was made available for digital download. A promotional 7 inch vinyl was issued to several clubs in North America, and included the original album version, along with the B side and parent album track "To Have and Not To Hold". Two 12 inch vinyl formats were released in North America; one included four vinyls that incorporate two tracks on each, while the second was re issued with new artwork and track list placement. The maxi CD included the album version, and two remixes by the Austrian disc jockey Peter Rauhofer (under the alias Club 69). Two CD singles were issued worldwide except for North America; the first CD includes the album version, one remix by Rauhofer, and one remix by Peter Kruder & Richard Dorfmeister, whilst the second includes three remixes by Rauhofer. In Canada, the CDs were issued on May 4, 1999. A cassette tape was released in the United Kingdom; this includes the album version and one remix by Rauhofer, presented on both sides of the recording tape.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, Kevin C. Johnson from the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Chris Gernard from Metro Weekly highlighted "Nothing Really Matters" as one of Ray of Lights best tracks. Erlewine, who also wrote Madonna's biography for the website, cited the song as one of her career standouts. Chuck Taylor from Billboard labeled the song as a "gem" and commended the "irresistible hook". Paul Moody from NME noted that the song "floats by almost as if it's asleep, a knowing return to the disco diva effortlessness of 'Vogue', but with Madonna free from the narcissistic outer shell of old, free to announce: "I've realised/No one wins "" Rolling Stone said, "Songs like the title track and 'Nothing Really Matters' are filled with warmth and wonder." "A bubbly, infectious piece of shufflebeat " Stuart Maconie wrote in a Q review of Ray of Light, "but aberrant items continually swim into view, like a tumbling, atonal piano solo right out of Schoenberg." Sunday Mirror said it is the "best pop tune" from the album. Stephen Thompson from The A. V. Club was positive, stating that the "chugging" chorus and composition "should ring across dance floors for years to come[ ]" Nathan Smith from the Houston Press was also positive, stating, "Few singles illustrated [Madonna's change in musical approach] better than 'Nothing Really Matters'". He concluded, "It's a great, bouncy dance track that never received the love it deserved, and its family friendly themes are a good fit for the event." However, Enio Chiola from PopMatters felt the song's commercial appeal and production was inferior to other album tracks, and stated that "Skin"—another song from Ray of Light—would have been a better release. Jose F. Promis from AllMusic reviewed the single and awarded it two and a half stars out of five. He suggested that the original album version was somewhat "tepid", and commented, "This single is a case of where the production supersedes the song, which in and of itself is among Madonna's simplest and least interesting tunes." However, he commended the remixes, including the "Eastern Asian", "chillout" and "several club cuts". Medium's Richard LaBeau opined that it was a "perfectly fine cut from her best album, but there are several other songs on the album that are better and would have made more interesting singles". Billboards Nolan Feeney noted, "She keeps the platitudes from sounding empty by taking her younger self to task [ ] Dance music is often a tool for artists and listeners to build their identities; here, Madonna uses pulsing beats to shed her skin". Ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardians Jude Rogers placed "Nothing Really Matters" at number 39, calling it a "heavenly ode to motherhood". At the 2000 ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards, "Nothing Really Matters" was nominated for the Award Winning Dance Song award; this was Madonna's first nomination in that category, and was her second nomination at the awards since the previous year, when her song "Ray of Light" was nominated, and eventually won the Top Dance Song award. "Nothing Really Matters" eventually won the award, becoming her first win in that category; she won it again in 2002 for "Don't Tell Me".

In the United States, "Nothing Really Matters" debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her lowest entry on the chart. Many fans in North America blamed Warner Bros. Records' marketing strategy for the song's poor charting. In Belgium's Flanders region, the song debuted and peaked at number 43 on March 13, 1999, According to a behind the scenes interview with Entertainment Tonight, Madonna stated that the inspiration behind the video was from the 1997 Arthur Golden novel Memoirs of a Geisha. She later stated, "The whole idea of a geisha is a straight metaphor for being an entertainer because, on one hand you're privileged to be a geisha, but on the other hand you're a prisoner [ ]" Madonna choreographed her own moves in the video, since she "[did not] like how other people say how I should move, I'm my own best choreographer." In an interview with American broadcaster and journalist Larry King, Madonna commented about the geisha depiction, "[ ] there was a character in the book called Hatsumomo and she's been my muse for the past six months. So I don't know." She stated that her daughter, at the time, called Madonna the novel's character, Hatsumomo, which the singer found intriguing yet bizarre. Madonna wore the kimono again for her performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. The look was then re designed by Gaultier and the Italian fashion duo Dean and Dan Caten for Madonna's 2001 Drowned World Tour. The visual for "Nothing Really Matters" premiered on MTV on February 13, 1999. The video can be found on Madonna's 1999 compilation, The Video Collection 93:99.

The video opens with an empty room with a fish painting, and then shows Madonna holding to what looks like a baby, but is actually a big bag of water. Alternating scenes shows her in a red and black kimono dancing to the song. Then, a scene features a group of people of Asian heritage, who walk down a dark hallway. As Madonna sings the song in a black kimono, she grips onto the bag of water. When the chorus starts, it features Madonna in a red kimono continuing to dance. This scene carries on through the rest of the song. There are multiple scenes of young Swedes of Asian heritage performing butoh dance moves coached by Swedish choreographer Su En. These scenes were shot in a decommissioned R1 Reactor below the Royal Institute of Technology in central Stockholm. The ending scene has Madonna sitting while someone is painting her back and slowly rests her body on the group. As the song fades, Madonna is in her red kimono walking and laughing towards the camera and then the screen rapidly fades to black. The music video received favorable reviews from critics. Soman S. Chainani from The Crimson was positive in his review, stating, "The video is deliciously subversive. In a sense, Madonna consciously sheds layers of her post modern act during the 4:25 minute video, daring us to piece together its clues." Labelling it a "surreal" video with "angular" imagery and direction, he concluded, "Random? Of course not. Realizing it's all the pieces of a puzzle, we grasp the stunning answer. Madonna is, in all truth, a modern day geisha. She is trapped within her corridor, without the least privacy, but she is free to perform." A reviewer from HitFix commented, "[The video] is a gorgeous futuristic creation and one of Madonna's most underrated videos. Dark and hypnotic, 'Matters' features unconventional choreography that was initially off putting to many (at least for 1999), but in actuality director Johan Renck has created a visual spectacle that demands repeat viewing. It also features one of Madonna's more inspired video performances." At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, Renck, Bjorn Benckert and Tor Bjorn Olsson were all nominated for Best Special Effects in a Video. This was Madonna's second sub credited nomination in that category, having been nominated, and eventually won for the same award a year prior with her single "Frozen". Madonna was also nominated three times for her single "Beautiful Stranger" that same year. However, Renck, Benckert, and Olsson lost to Sean Broughton, Stuart D. Gordon and Paul Simpson of Digital Domain with their work on "Special" by American Scottish band Garbage; this remains Madonna's final video to be nominated in that category.

On February 24, 1999, Madonna performed "Nothing Really Matters" as the opening number of the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. The performance was held and recorded at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The stage had two large Japanese infrastructures on either side, a black screen, and a semi large bench on which Madonna stood. The performance opened with the lights beaming on Madonna, who wore the red Gaultier kimono, red platform boots, and black bob hairstyle. The chorus started with four back up dancers holding plastic bag, similar to the Japanese people in the music video, and a background dancer being projected on screen. By the second chorus, Madonna's back up vocalists started singing atop the benches wearing similar kimonos. During the song's bridge interlude, a man entered the stage and started performing with flamed rope. The live performance received positive reviews from most music critics; Jason Kaufman from NY Rock commented, "Her constant nationality morphing has got to go. With her geisha girl gone club hopping outfit last night, [ ] the woman proved she's a walking Epcot Center, long on fashion and short on culture. And what were those women dancing behind her in her musical number holding? The objects looked like fetuses from last week's The X Files". Bradley Stern from Idolator hosted a poll, asking viewers what was their best Madonna Grammy performance. Alongside the 1999 Grammys, Stern listed Madonna's performances of "Music" at the 2001 ceremony, "Hung Up" at the 2006 ceremony, and "Same Love" and "Open Your Heart" at the 2014 ceremony. "Nothing Really Matters" came third in the poll with 102 votes. InStyle staff highlighted the performance as one of the best Grammy performances to date. The song is performed as the opening number for Madonna's 2023 2024 Celebration Tour. During the performance, she wore a floor length black kimono and a diamond radial headdress while a large white light shined above her. The headdress was designed by German designer Malakai specifically for the tour, adorned with 25 large Swarovski crystals and paved with micro crystals. It was designed
with "Madonna's iconography and what she stands for" in mind. Matt Cain from BBC Culture pointed out how "there are no distracting theatrics, just Madonna, her image and her voice – which has never sounded better" and described the performance as a "heartfelt rendition". According to Liam Hess of Vogue, given that "Nothing Really Matters" is one of Madonna's most personal tracks, "it made for a neat introduction to a show that offered a deliberately looser, chattier glimpse at Madonna, the woman".

"Nothing Really Matters" has been noted as one of Madonna's most underrated singles to date. Louis Virtel from NewNowNext listed the song at number 94 on their Top 100 Madonna Songs list, stating, "Copping both new age maxims and Beatle sentiments ('Everything I give you all comes back to me'), 'Nothing Really Matters' is as queer and curious as a red patent leather geisha costume." The Gaultier kimono has been cited by several publications as one of Madonna's most notable re inventions and looks, including fashion magazines InStyle, Elle and Harper's Bazaar. Alongside this, the kimono has been recognized as one of the Grammy's best and worst looks. Louis Virtel listed the music video at number 49 on his ranking of 55 Best Music Videos by Madonna. Julien Sauvalle from Out listed the video at number eight on his Top 20 Most Stylist Madonna music videos list. Idolator's Nicole Sta called the clip as one of Madonna's best music videos. Nikki Ogunnaike from Glamour magazine listed the video as one of Madonna's Top 5 Most Fashionable music videos. The geisha look was further reproduced for Madonna's appearance on the May–June 1999 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine. The singer took partial creative control of the issue, and requested photographer of the shoot Patrick Demarchelier to incorporate elements of the novel Memoirs of a Geisha into it, both visually and typographically. Masahiro Ito has cited the song's music video as one of the inspirations for his work on the video game Silent Hill 2 (2001).