Miles Away (Madonna song)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Miles Away"
Single by Madonna
from the album Hard Candy
ReleasedOctober 17, 2008
Studio
Genre
Length4:49
Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Madonna
  • Timbaland
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Danja
Madonna singles chronology
"Give It 2 Me"
(2008) 		"Miles Away"
(2008) 		"Celebration"
(2009)
Music video
"Miles Away" on
YouTube

"Miles Away" is a song by American singer

Warner Bros. Records, as the third and final single from the album on October 17, 2008. It was subsequently included on her compilation album, Celebration (2009) and its music video on the accompanying music video collection, Celebration: The Video Collection. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the track with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills. "Miles Away" is a melancholy electronic ballad, and is inspired by her then husband Guy Ritchie. The lyrics are autobiographical in nature and deals with long-distance relationships
.

"Miles Away" has received positive appreciation from music critics who praised it as a harmonious and meaningful ballad. It reached the top forty in most countries, while peaking inside the top ten in Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Spain, or radio airplay charts such as in Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It became the best-selling digital single of 2008 in Japan and won three trophies at the 23rd

Hot Dance Airplay chart, the most for any artist. The song has been performed by Madonna in the promotional tour for the Hard Candy album and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, during the gypsy
segment of the show.

Writing and inspiration

"Miles Away" was inspired by Guy Ritchie, Madonna's then-husband.

Madonna wrote and produced "Miles Away" with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills.[1] It was the first song composed for Hard Candy. After hearing the music, Madonna began singing and spontaneously coming up with the lyrics for the song.[2] In an interview with MTV, Madonna said that the song was inspired by her then husband, Guy Ritchie. "So many people have to deal with long-distance relationships. It's not easy. You have to work hard to make it work."[3] When asked if the song was autobiographical, she said:

Probably in many respects most of the songs [on Hard Candy] are [autobiographical]. But in more of an unconscious way. I don't really think about telling personal stories when I'm writing music. It just comes. And then a lot of times, six months later, eight months later, I go, "Oh, that's what I wrote that song about." But that's when I play the song for lots of people and they all go, 'Oh, I can totally relate to that'. In 'Miles Away' I'm tapping into the global consciousness of people who have intimacy problems.[4]

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Madonna further explained her inspiration behind the song and stated that "['Miles Away' is] a song most people who work can relate to. If part of your work is travelling, and the person you are with also works and travels, you find yourself separated a lot and it can be very frustrating, [...] I'm American and he [Ritchie] is British, and I have to come to America all the time. [...] Especially at the beginning of our relationship, that long-distance thing was very frustrating. I also think it's easier for people to say things from a distance; it's safer."[5]

Recording and composition

"Miles Away"
A 28-second sample to Madonna's "Miles Away" featuring the chorus and the backing vocals singing the line "So far away".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

During recording, Timberlake sat down with Madonna and played a guitar riff composed by him, asking her how she wanted the song to sound.[6] Madonna had "all these thoughts, riddles, poems, feelings, all written in huge notebooks," Timberlake said, "and she kept handing them over. It was amazing, taking these little bits here and there and putting them together like a puzzle."[6] In this way, one of the ideas they connected was the universality of long-distance relationships, the pain and heartache of which they were able to incorporate in "Miles Away". After recording it, Timberlake commented that he had helped in creating a classic Madonna song, saying "I couldn't do a song like that, [...] I thought it was completely her. That was the trick."[6]

Musically, "Miles Away" is a melancholy song composed like a

Alfred Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 116 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A minor; Madonna's voice spans from the low-note of G3 to the high-note of C5. "Miles Away" has a basic sequence of Am–Em–G–F–Am–Em–G–F as its chord progression.[12]

Lyrically, "Miles Away" deals with a relationship in trouble. Madonna said that it's not difficult to express herself lyrically without giving away too much of her own privacy.[2] Though Madonna has said before that the song is about Guy Ritchie, it has been speculated that lines from the lyrics of the song like: "You always have the biggest heart when we're 6,000 miles apart", talked about the then failing marriage between Madonna and Guy.[13]

Critical reception

Kerri Mason of

Daily News called it the album's most beguiling tune.[16]

Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe said that Madonna's journey "from shameless seductress to thoughtful student produces nary a ballad, but some seriously bittersweet tones linger under the surface of these effusive tunes." He also said that the song has a peace of mind quality in it.[9] Joey Guerra from Houston Chronicle complemented the galloping beats and melodic backing vocals of "Miles Away" and said that it "sounds like late-'80s Madonna".[11] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian said Madonna sings "with the emotional engagement of a sat-nav suggesting a right turn onto the A23."[17] Miles Marshall Lewis of The Village Voice said that with "Miles Away", Madonna comes closest "to reflecting on her married-with-children bliss (or lack thereof)."[18] Tom Young from the BBC called the song "genuinely good, genuinely felt" and compared it with some of Madonna's other hit songs like "Holiday", "Into the Groove", "Ray of Light" and "Music".[10] Pete Paphides of The Times called the song "excellent", and describing it as "a collision of acoustic downstrokes and feverishly jaunty rhythm that verges on reggae."[19] Thomas Hauner of PopMatters said, "At one point the album’s tediousness [...] is such that one assumes Ashlee Simpson and Britney have already passed on the material because even they deemed it too redundant."[20]

Chart performance

In the United States "Miles Away" charted on the Billboard

Hot Dance Airplay chart and reached number one in its December 27, 2008 issue. This feat gave Madonna her seventh consecutive number one single on the Hot Dance Airplay chart making her the artist with the most Dance Airplay hits on this chart.[23] On the issue dated December 20, 2008, "Miles Away" debuted and peaked at number 99 on the Pop 100 chart but dropped off it the following week.[24] The song debuted at number 90 on the Canadian Hot 100. The next week it dropped out of the chart, but made a re-entry and climbed up to the top forty, peaking at number 23 for the issue dated December 13, 2008.[25]

"Miles Away" achieved the best commercial reception in Japan, where it was used as the theme for

music certifications from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ)—platinum for 250,000 PC downloads, and double platinum for 500,000 master ringtones.[29][30] At the 23rd annual Japan Gold Disc Awards, "Miles Away" won three awards as "Mastertone of the Year", "Mobile Single Track of the Year" and "Online Single Track of the Year".[31] According to the RIAJ, the song has sold 681,000 digital downloads as of April 2009.[32]

On November 30, 2008, the song entered the

UK Singles Chart at number 39, selling 5,643 digital downloads.[33] It dropped to number 68 the following week and then dropped off the chart. This ended a run of 63 consecutive top 20 UK hits for Madonna, stretching from 1984 through 2008, as "Miles Away" became Madonna's first ever single (apart from debut single "Everybody") not to crack the UK top twenty.[34] The track debuted at number 39 in the Dutch Top 40 on September 20, 2008, and reached a peak of number ten on November 15, 2008.[35] In Australia, the Thin White Duke Mix charted at number 28 on the Australian Club Charts.[36] In Spain, "Miles Away" became her third consecutive single from Hard Candy to reach number one on the official singles chart.[37] In other countries, "Miles Away" peaked within the top forty of the official charts.[38]

Live performance

Madonna playing the acoustic guitar while singing "Miles Away" on the Sticky & Sweet Tour

Madonna performed "Miles Away" during the promotional tour for Hard Candy and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour.[39] In the promotional tour, Madonna performed "Miles Away" as the second song from the six-song set list. Madonna wore a black dress with black tails, track pants and high-heeled, lace-up boots. She performed the song standing in front of the microphone while playing acoustic guitar.[40] The backdrops showed graphical images of airplanes leaving London and arriving in New York,[41] boarding passes and passports as well as airports.[40]

In the Sticky & Sweet Tour, "Miles Away" was performed during the

River Plate Stadium of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was recorded and released on the live album, Sticky & Sweet Tour (2010).[44]

After the breakup between Madonna and Guy Ritchie was announced, during a performance of "Miles Away" on the tour's Boston stop, she dedicated the song to the "emotionally retarded". She then added, "You may know a few people who fall into that category—God knows I do," the line being a probable reference to Ritchie himself although this has not been confirmed.[45]

Track listing and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Hard Candy liner notes.[1]

Management

Personnel

  • Madonna – songwriter, vocals, producer
  • Timbaland – songwriter, producer
  • Justin Timberlake – songwriter, producer, background vocals, guitar
  • Danja
     – producer, writer
  • Demacio "Demo" Castellon – recording, programming, audio mixing
  • Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – recording
  • Chris Gehringer –
    audio mastering
  • Ron Taylor – Pro Tools editing
  • Dan Warner – guitar
  • Hannon Lane – additional keyboards
  • Julian Vasquez – assistant engineering
  • Vadim Chislov – assistant engineering
  • Graham Archer – assistant engineering
  • Fareed Salamah – assistant engineering
  • Jose Castellon – recording and mixing assistant
  • Joseph Castellon – recording and mixing assistant

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[29] Platinum 250,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[30]
Ringtone 		2× Platinum 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^
    Warner Bros. Records. 2008. 9362-49884-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  2. ^
    Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link
    )
  3. ^ Gannon, Elle (May 2008). "From the ELLE archive: Madonna". Elle. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Sischy, Ingrid (April 2008). "Madonna: the one and only, on her life unchained". Interview. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  5. ^ Moran, Jonathan (April 20, 2008). "Madonna shows her soft side". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c Vineyard, Jennifer; Norris, John (May 22, 2008). "Madonna And Justin Timberlake Say Their 'Shrink Sessions' Led To Hard Candy's 'Personal' Feel". MTV News. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Mason, Kerri (May 3, 2008). "The Billboard Reviews: Madonna 'Hard Candy'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 45. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  8. ^
    Slant Magazine. Archived from the original
    on January 6, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  9. ^
    Boston Globe
    . Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Young, Tom (April 25, 2008). "Easy to chew, Hard Candy is everything you'd hope for from a Madonna album". BBC. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  11. ^ a b Guerra, Joey (April 28, 2008). "Big-name help, production mostly a success". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  12. ^ "Madonna 'Miles Away' Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. July 26, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Ganz, Caryn (May 1, 2008). "Madonna: Hard Candy review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  14. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (April 29, 2008). "Hard Candy > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  15. ^ Williams, Chris (April 18, 2008). "Hard Candy (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  16. Daily News
    . Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  17. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 25, 2008). "Madonna, Hard Candy". The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  18. ^ Lewis, Miles Marshall (May 6, 2008). "A half-centenarian provides more porny pop excellence". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  19. ^ Paphides, Pete (April 8, 2008). "Madonna: Hard Candy". The Times. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  20. ^ Hauner, Thomas (April 29, 2008). "Madonna | Hard Candy". PopMatters. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  21. ^ Trust, Gary (September 21, 2009). "Ask Billboard: Madonna, Yoko Ono, Gospel". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  22. ^ a b Bronson, Fred (December 29, 2008). "Madonna, Pussycat Dolls, Beyonce". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  23. ^ Bronson, Fred (December 8, 2008). "Straight No Chaser, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Brandy". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  24. ^ a b "Madonna > Charts & Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Madonna Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  26. ^ Ryall, Julian (March 24, 2008). "Madonna song used for Japanese TV drama". Reuters. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  27. ^ "『ハード・キャンディー』絶好調！日本のセカンドシングル曲が決定！" [Madonna / Miles Away] (in Japanese). Warner Music Japan. May 14, 2008. PCS-824. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  28. ^ a b "Madonna Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "Japanese digital single certifications – Madonna – Miles Away" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved February 19, 2016. Select 2016年1月 on the drop-down menu
  30. ^ a b "Japanese Sales and Certification – July 2008" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  31. ^ "The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award 2009". Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  32. ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  33. ^ "Madonna scores lowest charting single over 20 years". NME. December 9, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  35. ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – Madonna" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  36. ^ a b "ARIA Report: Week Commencing – 22nd December 2008 – Issue #982" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  37. ^
    Canciones Top 50
    . Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  38. ^ a b "Madonna – Miles Away" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  39. ^ "Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' world tour secrets revealed". NME. August 21, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  40. ^ a b Rodman, Sarah (April 30, 2008). "Madonna Opens Up "Candy" Shop". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  41. ^ Nagle, Michael (May 2, 2008). "On Throne, Onstage, Online and on Cellphone". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  42. ^ Serpe, Gina (August 12, 2008). "Givenchy Outfits Madonna Tour". E!. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  43. ^ Ganz, Caryn (October 7, 2008). "Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour Rolls Into New York With Reworked Hits, Virtual Britney". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  44. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (April 6, 2010). "The Sticky & Sweet Tour". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  45. ^ Leach, Ben (October 22, 2008). "Madonna takes swipe at Guy Ritchie". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g "Madonna – Miles Away". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  47. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  48. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  49. ^ "Madonna Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  50. ^ "Madonna Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  51. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200847 into search. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  52. ^ "Madonna: Miles Away" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  53. Les classement single
    . Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  54. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  55. ^ "Nielsen Music Control Airplay - Germany Top 5". Nielsen Music Control on behalf of BVMI. Archived from the original on November 8, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  56. ^ "Madonna Chart History: Global Dance Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  57. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  58. ^ "Madonna: Ricerca per Classifiche Artista" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  59. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  60. Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original
    on December 21, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  61. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Dec 18, 2008". TopHit. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  62. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  63. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200853 into search. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  64. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  65. ^ "Madonna – Miles Away". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  66. ^ "Madonna Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  67. ^ "Madonna Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  68. ^ "Ascensos de la semana: Sábado 24/01/2009" (in Spanish). Record Report. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  69. Tophit. Archived
    from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  70. Mahasz
    . Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  71. ^ "Japan Hot 100: 2008". Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  72. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2008". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  73. ^ "2008 Year End Chart Dutch". MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  74. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2009". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  75. ^ "Top Year-End Hits 2009". Tophit. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  76. ^ "European Hot 100 – Year End 2009". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  77. ^ "Éves összesített listák Rádiós TOP 100, 2009" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  78. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2009". TopHit. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  79. ^ "Dance/Club Songs – Year End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  80. ^ "The Year in Music 2009" (PDF). Billboard. p. 107. Retrieved October 5, 2010.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miles_Away_(Madonna_song)&oldid=1220207027"