It's that time again: another candle on the birthday cake (pretty soon the cake will be too small for the candles!). And who else to mark the occasion then the queen herself.
"Live To Tell" was a very important moment in Madonna's career. It represented a turning point, both music and image wise. No one expected that her first release after the hugely successful Like A Virgin album would sound anything like this.
After Madonna finished The Virgin Tour, she
asked producers Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray to write some songs with her to and produce her third studio album, True Blue (1986). "Live to Tell"
was originally written by Leonard for the soundtrack of Paramount's romantic
drama film Fire with Fire. "My managers represented the guy who was
directing the film; it was his first film. I saw a little piece of the film,
and I had the script. I wrote a theme and I said, 'What if I could get Madonna
to write the lyrics for it?'", said Leonard.
However, Paramount rejected the song,
believing that Leonard was incapable of creating the score for the film. It was
then that Leonard presented the song to Madonna. She decided to use it for
At Close Range, the new film of her then-husband, actor Sean Penn. Madonna
wrote the lyrics of the song on the spot, and made recorded the song alone in a studio in one take (which is the one used on the record).
She presented the song to the film's director James Foley, who after hearing
the track, decided to enlist Leonard as the person to write the score for the
film, as per suggestions by Madonna.
Leonard later recalled that "it was so
innocent and so shy. It's as naive, as raw, as raw can be and that's part of
what gave it all its charm. Madonna has a special fondness for the song and years later said it was probably the best thing she had ever done.
The song became a big success, and so did Madonna's new image. She said at the time:
"After a while I got sick of wearing
tons of jewelry—I wanted to clean myself off. I see my new look as very
innocent and feminine and unadorned. It makes me feel good. Growing up, I
admired the kind of beautiful glamorous woman—from Brigitte Bardot to Grace
Kelly—who doesn't seem to be around much anymore. I think it's time for that
kind of glamor to come back. In pop music generally, people have one image. You
get pigeonholed. I'm lucky enough to be able to change and still be accepted.
If you think about it, that's what they do in the movies; play a part, change
characters, looks and attitudes. I guess I do it to entertain myself."
The song went to #1 in the US and topped the European singles chart while peaking at #2 in the UK. It remains one of Madonna's best (and most personal) songs to date.
I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warm she
gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from
me
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
