REVIEW: ‘Bedtime Stories’ – Madonna

Queen Of Pop, Madonna, is hopefully releasing new music this year so let’s take this opportunity to look back at Madge’s awesome career.

“Bedtime Stories” is the sixth studio album by Madonna. Already proving she is the ultimate musical re-inventor she decided to move in a more R&B direction. Madonna used this direction in a bid to soften her image following the critical and commercial backlash she faced after releasing several sexually explicit projects in the previous two years, notably the Erotica album and the Sexbook.

Released on October 25, 1994 in the UK, the success was moderate; it debuted at number two behind Bon Jovi‘s Cross Road. I much preferred this to “Erotica” but let’s see what I think of it now.

1 – Survival

A strange move to open the album with a non-single but a very non-threatening introduction to the album.

2 – Secret

So laid back and “groovy” and this says to me that Madonna has put all that sex nonsense behind her. Also, you can’t beat a classy B&W video!

3 – I’d Rather Be Your Lover

Possibly a touch too laid back and soulful for a Madonna song for me to enjoy.

4 – Don’t Stop

A nice summer vibe to this one. Picture yourself on a beach, cocktail in hand and this comes on the radio – perfect!

5 – Inside Of Me

Hmm, there’s a difference between getting chilled out and sending me off to sleep – I need something to wake me up by this point!

6 – Human Nature

Fab! I’ve been woken up. This song has a catchy hook and the video is, shall we say, interesting too?

7 – Forbidden Love

“Oops, I didn’t know I was supposed to stay awake”. Although these tracks don’t frustrate me as much as the ones on “Erotica”, they are not doing much else for me yet.

8 – Love Tried To Welcome Me

A nice ballad…

9 – Sanctuary

It starts off with the hinting that it’s about to become the next version of “Like A Prayer” but – it didn’t carry through…

10 – Bedtime Story

Why this wasn’t the opening track and lead single I will never know. I loved this at the time and still do. This type of song is when Madonna is at her best!

The performance on the 1995 Brit Awards was also epic!

11 – Take A Bow

A simply beautiful song. A great way to end the album as it would leave me on a “Madonna high” despite all the other quite unforgettable tracks.

What are your Madonna memories?

Don’t have a music streaming service yet? Try one of these:

| Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon  |

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive commission on any purchases.