Spin Magazine

February 02, 1998

Spin cover photo - Madonna appears on the April issue of Spin magazine.

Keep It Together

February 02, 1990

Keep It Together

Single by Madonna
From the album Like a Prayer

A-side: "Vogue" (Australia, Europe)
Released: January 30, 1990
Format: CD, cassette, 7", 12"
Recorded: 1988
Genre: Pop, dance-pop, funk
Length: 5:03 (album version) 4:32 (single version) 3:57 (radio edit)
Label: Sire · Warner Bros.
Writer(s): Madonna · Stephen Bray
Producer: Madonna · Stephen Bray

"Keep It Together" is a song by American singer Madonna, from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was released on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records as the sixth and final single from the album in the United States, Canada and Japan. Written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind "Keep It Together" was Madonna's relationship with her family—whom she dearly missed after her divorce from actor Sean Penn. The song was dedicated to American funk and soul band Sly and the Family Stone. The lyrics deal with the realization of how important Madonna's family has been to her life. A pop and funk song consisting of an upbeat rhythm and groove, "Keep It Together" features percussion, banjo and a conga.
 
In the United Kingdom and some other countries, "Dear Jessie" (1989) served as the final single from the album and "Keep It Together" was not released as a separate single. Receiving mixed reviews from critics, "Keep It Together" was compared to the work of Sister Sledge, especially their song "We Are Family". The song was a commercial success in charts, reaching a peak of number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian charts, while topping the dance chart in the United States. "Keep It Together" has been performed as the closing song of the 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The performances were inspired by the 1971 science fiction film, A Clockwork Orange, and during the introduction, Madonna sang a verse from "Family Affair" by Sly and the Family Stone.

Background
 
When Madonna started work on her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, she was already in an emotional state of mind, following her divorce with then-husband Sean Penn, her thirtieth birthday, and unfavorable reviews for her acting endeavors. She had certain personal matters on her mind that she thought could be the musical direction of the album. But she understood that as she was growing up, so was her core audience. Feeling the need to try something different, Madonna wanted the sound of her new album to indicate what could be popular in music. However, being raised as a Catholic, Madonna felt guilty about the failure of her marriage. She said, "Because in Catholicism you are a born sinner and you are a sinner all your life. ... I could not escape my past, nor could I relax". Saddened by what was happening with her, Madonna missed her family, her father and her siblings. She confessed to Becky Johnston for Interview magazine:
 

I didn't feel close to anybody in my family when I was growing up. I didn't feel close to my older brothers, they were just typical older brothers who tortured me all the time. And I didn't feel close to my sisters. There was a lot of competition in our family, so, I worked really hard in school. I was a straight-A student, and they all hated me for it because I did it more for the position I was going to have in my father's eyes that for whatever I was going to learn by studying. Then when I got a little older—when I was in high school and started dancing really seriously—I'd say I got closer to my brothers. My oldest brother opened my eyes to lots of things.
 

The song was released as the sixth and final single from the album on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records. In Australia, it was released as the B-side of "Vogue", while it was not released in the United Kingdom at all, where "Dear Jessie" served as the album's final single.

Composition

"Keep It Together" is a pop and funk song with an upbeat rhythm and groove. It was produced by Madonna and Bray, and features Paulinho da Costa on percussion, brass playing by David Boruff and Steven Madaio, Bill Bottrell as the audio engineer and guitars by Chester Kamen. Musician Prince played guitar. According to Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine, the song is influenced by the Sly and the Family Stone track "Family Affair" (1971). It starts as the sound of slap bass plays along with sequenced synth bass, as Madonna sings the opening lines, "Keep, keep it together, keep people together forever and ever". As the first verse starts, a guitar comes into play with Madonna's voice being backed by percussion and banjo. After the second chorus comes near the end, Madonna utters the line "Brothers and sisters, They hold the key, To your heart and your soul, Don't forget that your family is gold", the percussion sound is thinned out and a mixture of the sound from a live drummer and conga comes into the picture. The song ends with the main groove sound gradually fading out.
 
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, although "Keep It Together" sonically pays tribute to Sly and the Family Stone, the lyrics talk about the realization of how important Madonna's family has been as a form of stability in her life, especially in the line "Brothers and sisters, They've always been there for me, We have a connection, Home is where the heart should be". The lyrics follow the course of Madonna's rise from figuratively being a "hungry sibling" ("I'm gonna leave this place, So I can forget every single hungry face") to being a superstar ("I hit the big time but I still get the blues, Everyone's a stranger, City life can get to you").

Track listings and formats
 US 12" vinyl disc
 1."Keep It Together" (12" Remix) – 7:50
 2."Keep It Together" (Dub version) – 7:00
 3."Keep It Together" (12" Extended Mix) – 7:20
 4."Keep It Together" (12" Mix) – 6:50
 5."Keep It Together" (Bonus Beats) – 3:27
 6."Keep It Together" (Instrumental) – 5:52
US 5" compact disc
 1."Keep It Together" (Single Remix) – 4:32
 2."Keep It Together" (12" Remix) – 7:50
 3."Keep It Together" (12" Mix) – 6:50
 4."Keep It Together" (12" Extended Mix) – 7:20
 5."Keep It Together" (Instrumental) – 5:52

US cassette single and 7" single
 1."Keep It Together" (Single Remix) – 4:32
 2."Keep It Together" (Instrumental) – 5:52
Japanese maxi CD single
 1."Cherish" (Extended Version) – 4:45
 2."Keep It Together" (12" Remix) – 7:50
 3."Keep It Together" (Dub version) – 7:00
 4."Keep It Together" (12" Extended Mix) – 7:20
 5."Keep It Together" (12" Mix) – 6:50
 6."Keep It Together" (Bonus Beats) – 3:27
 7."Keep It Together" (Instrumental) – 5:52

Charts

American Pie

February 02, 2000

"American Pie" hits radio - Madonna's "American Pie" debuts on radio

American Pie

Single by Madonna
From the album The Next Best Thing

Released: March 3, 2000
Format: CD single
Recorded: November 1999
Genre: Dance-pop
Length: 4:33
Label: Maverick · Warner Bros.
Writer(s): Don McLean
Producer: Madonna · William Orbit

American pop star Madonna released a cover version of the song "American Pie" in March 2000 to promote the soundtrack to her film The Next Best Thing (2000). Her cover is much shorter than the original (it contains only the beginning of the first verse and all of the second and sixth verses) and was recorded as a dance-pop song. It was co-produced by Madonna and William Orbit, after Rupert Everett (Madonna's co-star in The Next Best Thing) had convinced her to cover the song for the film's soundtrack.
 
Released in March 2000, the song was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany (her first since "La Isla Bonita", in 1987), Switzerland, Austria, and Finland. The song was the 19th best selling of 2000 in the UK. The single was not released commercially in the United States, but it reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to strong radio airplay.

Music Video

The music video, filmed in the Southern USA and in London and directed by Philipp Stölzl, depicts a diverse array of ordinary Americans, including scenes showing same-sex couples kissing. Throughout the music video Madonna, who is wearing a tiara on her head, dances and sings in front of a large American flag.
 Two official versions of the video were produced, the first of which now appears on Madonna's greatest-hits DVD compilation, Celebration, and was released as the official video worldwide. The second version was issued along with the "Humpty Remix", a more upbeat and dance-friendly version of the song. This video was aired on MTV's dance channel in the United States to promote the film The Next Best Thing, starring Madonna and Rupert Everett; it contains totally different footage and new outtakes of the original and omits the lesbian kiss. Everett, who provides backing vocals in the song, is also featured in the video.

Charts and certifications

Sticky & Sweet Tour (2009)

Promotional poster for the tour

Febuary 2, 2009

Venue : Bahrenfeld
City : Hamburg
Country : DE

Tour by Madonna

Associated album: Hard Candy
Start date: August 23, 2008
End date: September 2, 2009
Legs: 4

Shows:
42 in Europe
30 in North America
11 in South America
2 in Asia
85 Total

Box office: US $408 million ($443,946,021 in 2014 dollars)