I'll Remember

Name	I'll Remember
Cover	Madonna I'll Remember US CD SIngle.jpg
Border	yes
Artist	Madonna
From album	With Honors
B-side	"Secret Garden"
Released	March 8, 1994
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Pop
Length	4:23
Label	Maverick, Sire, Warner Bros.
Writer	Patrick Leonard, Madonna, Richard Page
Producer	Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Last single	"Bye Bye Baby" (1993)
This single	"I'll Remember" (1994)
Next single	"Secret" (1994)

"I'll Remember" (shortened from I'll Remember [Theme from With Honors]) is a song by American recording artist Madonna. It was released on March 8, 1994, by Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack single of the film With Honors. The song was a radical change in image and style for Madonna, who had received negative feedback, both critically and commercially, for the prior two years due to the release of her book Sex, the studio album Erotica and the film Body of Evidence. Warner Bros. decided to use Madonna as the vocalist for the song after noting that most of her previous soundtrack singles had achieved commercial success.

"I'll Remember" has characteristics of late Seventies styled songs. It utilizes a synthesized keyboard arrangement to bring about a continuously reverberating sound of heartbeat. Madonna's voice is supported by backing vocals. Contemporary critics praised the song, hailing it as one of her best work. It was nominated for "Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television" at the 37th Grammy Awards and "Best Original Song" at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards. After its release, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her fifth song to do so. It also reached number one in Canada and Italy. The accompanying music video portrayed Madonna singing the song in a stylized recording studio. Her look and style was compared to the imagery of the music video of previous single "Rain". The androgynous portrayal of Madonna smoking in the last shot was appreciated critically for breaking gender barriers.

Background

The year 1992 saw the release of the book Sex by Madonna. However, the book, which contained explicit sexual imagery and pictures of voyeuristic fantasies, was negatively accepted by the critics as well as her fans. Madonna's fifth studio album Erotica and the film Body of Evidence were released at the same time; both failed to garner critical and commercial acclaim. Hence she decided to re-invent her image, to connect with her fans and replenish the damage that her provocative image had caused to her career.

Composition

According to author Rikky Rooksby, the song is written in the style of Album-oriented rock (AOR) by bands like Boston or Foreigner. It is slowed down from the tempo of rock songs and utilizes a steadily reverberating synth keyboard to bring on the effect of a heartbeat. "I'll Remember" has characteristics of late Seventies song apart from the arrangement and the low bass. Backing vocals are used on the later choruses for support with the strings, cascading down to a minor arrangement before the third one. Author Rikky Rooksby called the song as one of Madonna's biggest ever singles and a stronger cut. Author J. Randy Taraborrelli in his biography of Madonna called the song a beautiful one. According to him, "it sounds like a flick theme too, equipped with smart chords and big emotion. It is reminiscent of another movie theme of Madonna's, 'Live to Tell' (1986)." Music critique Peter Buckley noted that the song was atmospheric and one of Madonna's best works, showing her ability to stay in touch with and adapt to musical developments. "I'll Remember" earned nominations for "Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television" at the 37th Grammy Awards and "Best Original Song" at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards.

Chart performance

In the United States, the song debuted at number thirty-five on the Hot 100 chart for the Billboard issue dated April 2, 1994. After seven weeks, the song reached a peak of number two on the chart. It stayed there for four weeks, being blocked from the top spot by All-4-One's "I Swear". The song became the fifth single by Madonna to reach the top two position and tied her with Elvis Presley for the most number-two songs. However, this record was broken by Madonna in 1998, when her single "Frozen" peaked at two. The song also reached number-one on the adult contemporary chart, becoming Madonna's fourth number-one for this chart following "Live to Tell", "La Isla Bonita", and "Cherish". "I'll Remember" remained atop the adult contemporary chart for four weeks. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of 500,000 copies.

In Canada, the song debuted at fifty-two on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart. After seven weeks it reached the top of the chart for the RPM issue dated May 16, 1994. The song was present on the chart for twenty-four weeks, and was ranked at number two on the Year-end RPM chart for 1994. In the United Kingdom it debuted at ten on the chart and reached seven the next week. It was present for a total of eight weeks on the chart. Across Europe, the song became a top forty hit in Belgium, France, Netherlands and Switzerland. The song reached the top-ten in Australia, Ireland and Sweden and peaked the chart in Italy. It peaked just outside the top-forty in Germany. The video featured production credits by Diane Greenwalt, editing by Patrick Sheffield and photography by Stephen Ramsey. It featured Madonna in a stylized recording studio singing the song with back up singers. The video was compared to the music video of Madonna's single "Rain" (1993). Her look in the video, consisted of blue-black icy hair, bright blue eyes and a long dark dress with a beaded necklace around her neck. In front of the studio, the producers are shown deciding which part of the song should be put in lower bass. Feminist writer Martha Leslie Allen lauded the video, as well as Madonna, "for breaking free of the conventional portrayal of women yet again, and displaying their duality."

Tracklisting and formats

US CD and 7" Single |align="center"|25 |- |Canadian RPM Singles Chart |align="center"|28 |- |French Singles Chart |align="center"|49 |- |Irish Singles Chart |align="center"|10 |- |Italian Singles Chart |align="center"|1 |- |New Zealand Singles Chart |align="center"|41 |- |Canadian RPM Singles Chart |align="center"|13 |- |}

Chart procession and succession

Notes

References

External links

Madonna – "I'll Remember" lyrics MTV

Madonna – "I'll Remember" music video MTV

Category:Madonna (entertainer) songs Category:1994 singles Category:Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Songs written by Patrick Leonard Category:Songs written by Madonna (entertainer) Category:Theme music