Мадоннаның «Secret» әні: Жаңа бейне және музыкалық эволюция

1994 single by Madonna

"Secret" is a song by American singer Madonna from her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994). It was released by Maverick Records on September 26, 1994, as the lead single from the album. The singer originally recorded the song as a demo with producer Shep Pettibone. However, Dallas Austin replaced Pettibone's role as the producer and reworked its composition, earning him a writing credit alongside Madonna. It was a departure from Madonna's previous musical style, since up to that point in her career, her music had mostly consisted of big sounding dance tracks and melodic ballads. "Secret" combined the pop and R&B genres with instrumentation from an acoustic guitar, drums and strings, while lyrically talking about a lover having a secret. The song was released accompanied by eight different remixes by DJ Junior Vasquez, who re used Madonna's vocals, but changed the composition of the track completely. Unusual for a singer in the mid 1990s, Madonna talked about the new single on the Internet, leaving an audio message for her fans as well as a snippet of the song. "Secret" received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Madonna's vocal delivery and its mid tempo R&B groove, deeming it seductive and soulful. The song was also a commercial success. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the United Kingdom, it reached a peak of number five, becoming her record breaking 35th consecutive top ten single on the UK Singles Chart. Elsewhere, it reached number one in Canada, Finland, and Switzerland, and the top five in Australia, Denmark, France, New Zealand and Spain. With the single's cover art and its accompanying music video, Madonna ushered in another image change, inspired by the look of Hollywood actress Jean Harlow. The black and white video was directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel, who was chosen by the singer due to McDaniel's previous short films. It features Madonna as a singer in a nightclub in Harlem, New York City. Interspersed with scenes of daily life in the neighborhood, the video ends with Madonna uniting with her lover and their supposed child. The video sparked academic discussions about what might constitute the lyrical secret of the song. Madonna performed "Secret" on tour for the first time during her 2001 Drowned World Tour. It was later performed at the Houston stop of her Sticky and Sweet Tour in November 2008 as a fan request, and seven years later on some shows of the Rebel Heart Tour.

Following the release Madonna's first book publication, Sex, the erotic thriller, Body of Evidence, her fifth studio album, Erotica, as well as a disastrous interview on David Letterman's show in the early 1990s, the media and public's backlash against Madonna's overtly sexual image was at a peak. Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack of the film With Honors. At first, it started as a collaboration with Shep Pettibone and was to be stylistically similar to Erotica, but due to Madonna's wish to soften her public image at the time, she decided to move towards an R&B sound collaborating with well known R&B producers and took a more appropriate image for the general public. After searching, Madonna chose to work with Babyface, whose previous collaborations with artists like Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, and Toni Braxton had resulted in successful smooth R&B songs. Through him, she met with then upcoming young producer from Atlanta named Dallas Austin, who had become famous for his work on girl group TLC's debut album, Ooooooohhh On the TLC Tip (1992). Together they composed two songs for the album, "Secret" and "Sanctuary". The song was originally produced in its demo form by Pettibone, under the name "Something's Coming Over Me", however Austin reworked the demo and made it a different song musically. "Secret" premiered on the official Warner Bros. Records' website on September 14, 1994, and was officially released as the lead single from Bedtime Stories 12 days later. Unusual for the mid 1990s, Madonna talked about the new single on the internet leaving an audio message for her fans, as well as a snippet of the song. Hello, all you Cyberheads! Welcome to the 90's version of intimacy. You can hear me You can even see me But you can't touch me do you recognize my voice? It's Madonna. Often imitated, but never duplicated. Or, should I say, often irritated? If you feel like it, you can download the sound file of my new single "Secret", from my new album, Bedtime Stories, which comes out next month. I just shot the video in New York, and will be premiering an exclusive sample of it online. So check back soon. In the meantime, why don't you post me a message and let me know what you think of my new song. And by the way, don't believe any of those online imposters pretending to be me ain't nothing like the real thing. Peace out.

"Secret" was written and produced by Madonna and Austin. It was recorded from April to June 1994 at Axis Studios in New York and DARP Studios in Atlanta, GA. A descending chord sequence follows and around the one minute mark, the drums start with Madonna singing the chorus "Something's coming over, mmmmmmmm". It is entirely supported by the strings. According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, the descending chords are supported by the ascending strings—an example of contrary motion used in music. During the middle section, another wah wah guitar solo is added alongside the strings. Near the end, the melodies add an upper harmony for differentiation with the verses. According to Musicnotes. com, the song is set in the time signature of common time and progresses in 96 beats per minute. The composition is set in the key of E minor with Madonna's vocal ranging from G3 to G4. "Secret" contains a basic sequence of B7–Em7–D–Cm7–C during the opening verses, and B7–Em–D–C during the chorus its chord progression. Madonna's voice remains at the center of the song's production, as she sings lyrics such as "happiness lies in your own hand". Lyrically it talks about a lover having a secret as well as how Madonna realized that one's happiness is under one's control.

Madonna released more than eight remixes of the song in different formats. The song also had dance mixes created by Vasquez. There are two versions of "Junior's Luscious Mix", those being a single edit and a longer version, which has a piano introduction and turns "Secret" into a dancefloor track. Billboard was positive towards all the remixes, noting that "this single is a promising preamble to what will likely be a cool, new chapter in the career of dance music's most successful graduate." "Secret" received critical acclaim. In his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography, author J. Randy Taraborrelli described the song as "clever", adding that no matter how many time one listens to it, "it never ceases to intrigue". Matthew Rettenmund wrote in his Encyclopedia Madonnica that "Secret" paved way a new direction musically for Madonna; he believed that the track was more haunting musically than Madonna's previous single "Who's That Girl" (1987) and comparable to "Justify My Love" (1990). Rettenmund complimented the cover artwork, saying that "a dozen years into her career, it was one of her most arresting poses shot by Demarchelier, a testament to the durability of her star appeal". Billboard also said it is an "instantly memorable and creatively satisfying pop/hip hop excursion," also adding that the "tune opens with a simple acoustic line, breaking into an easypaced funk beat that snugly fits into current top 40 trends. Madonna's voice continues to grow, and it is put to excellent use over a haunting melody that is fleshed out with subtle, quasi psychedelic guitar work." Editor Paul Verna described the song as a "pop smash" that is one of the most "seductive" songs from Bedtime Stories. Steve Baltin from Cash Box said, "Featuring her trademark dance backbeat, the song is quieter than usual, creating a serene melody that makes for very easy listening." In his 2011 review of Bedtime Stories, Brett Callwood of the Detroit Metro Times called the song "spectacular". Cathi Unsworth from Melody Maker wrote, "The sheerest of silk stockings, slinky soul for the wee small hours and glasses of red wine." Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five, adding that it "features excellent use of strings and a controlled vocal. Not particularly immediate, but a grower." Alex Needham of NME called it an "underrated gem", adding that the track has a "brilliant bluesy strut". Charlotte Robinson, writer from PopMatters, wrote that the gentle grooves of "Secret", accompanied by acoustic guitar and delicate strings, make the song "seductive". Barbara O'Dair from Rolling Stone called the song "infectiously funky", adding that her delivery of the lyrics "Happiness lies in your own hand/It took me much too long to understand" shows a downbeat restraint in her vocals that proves the singer is "drawn to sadness". Rooksby concurred that "its a good track" but felt that the time could have been reduced from five minutes, which made it a little long. He also felt that the drums looping around the track made it a "bit monotonous".

NME magazine ranked "Secret" at number 30 in their list of the best songs of 1994. Similarly, Slant Magazine listed it as the 42nd best single of the 1990s, stating that its "one of the most organic sounding singles of Madonna's career, taking its sweet time to get where it's going and not giving up too much along the way. The arrangement gets off on being withholding, and, at least for one glorious single, so does Madonna: When she sings, "You knew all along/What I never wanted to say," she sounds positively rapturous. Scott Kearnan of The Boston Globe included the track at number 30 on his list of "Best Madonna Songs", stating "its slinky R&B groove made 'Secret' something special, even if it's not remembered for an accompanying scandal or bawdy 'moment'. We like to talk about her ability to produce controversy and headlines, but at the end of the day, here's what Madonna makes best: pop music". Louis Virtel of The Backlot listed the song at number 14 on his list of "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs", calling it "meditative, moving" and "sexy as hell". Jude Rogers from The Guardian called it a "sultry, persuasive R&B number", highlighting Madonna's "deep" vocals. She placed it at number 33 on her ranking of Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday. Entertainment Weeklys Chuck Arnold listed "Secret" as the singer's 27th best single, writing that "[producer Dallas] Austin brought the hip hop swagger, but it was [Madonna] who revealed her soul". In August 2018, Billboard picked it as the singer's 35th greatest single, calling it "accessible without giving the whole game away, building its chorus around haunting harmonies borrowed from Nirvana's "Something in the Way" [ ] it showed that Madonna could rebound from the bad press of the Erotica era without reverting to playing it safe".

In the United States it debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 issue dated October 8, 1994 and it sold 18,000 units in its first week. It was the third highest debut of Madonna's music career at that time, following "Erotica" at number 13 (1992) and "Rescue Me" at number 15 (1991). According to journalist Liz Smith, "Secret" became the most requested song on US radios after it was sent for airplay, being spun on 152 radio stations and gaining around 1,900 spins. Following the release of the commercial CD formats the next week, the song debuted on the Singles Sales chart at number 18 with 18,000 units sold. Three weeks later it peaked on the chart at number three, staying for a total of 22 weeks; 11 of those were spent within the top ten. In the United Kingdom "Secret" debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, staying on the chart for a total of ten weeks. "Secret" became her 35th consecutive top ten single since "Like a Virgin" (1984), which remains an unequaled record in British chart history. On the French Singles Chart, "Secret" peaked at number two for two weeks, staying on the chart for a total of 30 weeks. and reached a peak of number four in its ninth week on the chart. "Secret" entered the ARIA Singles Chart at its peak of number five the week of October 23, 1994, eventually charting for a total of fourteen weeks. The video was directed by Melodie McDaniel, who had previously gained acclaim as a photographer for album artwork and also as music video director for bands like The Cranberries and Porno for Pyros. However, Madonna was more interested in one of McDaniel's earlier short films, where she portrayed baptism combining with voodoo rituals. She enlisted McDaniel and explained that she was "drawn to the rawness of [McDaniel's] film". Madonna wanted to tone down her image and according to McDaniel:
blockquote|She was ready to go there Madonna had a blonde Jean Harlow look at the time. I wanted to combine that old classic Hollywood mix with the edginess of modern contemporary, but make it feel timeless. I was trying to think of something different, something real It was awesome I got this break, but I was freaked out. I was jumping from young artists to working with an icon I think she was drawn to the rawness of my work. The video premiered on October 4, 1994, on MTV. Throughout the video, scenes of Madonna are interspersed with scenes of drag queens primping, and religious iconography such as rebirth and damnation. In his book From Hegel to Madonna, author Robert Miklitsch states that the music video for "Secret" is a departure from the various themes—repression and loss, anger and aggression—explored so vividly on Bedtime Stories. Miklitsch goes on to say that, although the video depicts images of cleansing rebirth, the fact that Madonna announced that she was pregnant in 1996 shows that, in retrospect, "Secret" may have been less about cleansing rebirth, and instead more about maternity as birth. Rettenmund had a different interpretation of the video, calling it as a "subtly orchestrated story of the singer's addiction to—and almost spiritual deliverance from—heroin".

On February 18, 1995, Madonna arrived in Europe to promote Bedtime Stories; that same day, she appeared on German TV show Wetten, dass ?, where she was interviewed and performed "Secret" and "Take a Bow". "Secret" was performed on Madonna's 2001 Drowned World Tour, during the cowgirl section of the show. The performance was accompanied by a video montage of riverside baptism, whirling dervishes ceremonies and Buddhist prayers; the footage was taken from McDaniel's film which had inspired Madonna for the performance as well as enlisting her. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called the performance "a gorgeous acoustic reading." Writing for The Victoria Advocate, Steve Dollar praised the performance, saying that the song "has grown in depth" over time. During the New York City performance of "Secret", she dedicated the song to its inhabitants. The performance of the song on August 26, 2001, at The Palace of Auburn Hills was recorded and released in the live video album, Drowned World Tour 2001. In November 2008, "Secret" was performed a cappella at the Houston stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour as fan request. After the performance, Madonna said: "Alright Texas! That was really good. I'd forgotten that song". Madonna then did an impromptu acoustic rendition of "Secret" on certain shows of her Rebel Heart Tour (2015−16), such as Vancouver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Amsterdam and Atlanta. On Vancouver, she dedicated the performance to a "special guest" in the audience, which was assumed by media to be her ex husband Sean Penn. The singer admitted she had not practiced the performance which, according to Shawn Conner from the Vancouver Sun, "came across as charitably, unpracticed (if well intentioned)".