The Power of Good-Bye
"The Power of Good-Bye" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Madonna | ||||
from the album Ray of Light | ||||
A-side | "Little Star" (United Kingdom) | |||
B-side | "Mer Girl" | |||
Released | September 22, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre |
| |||
Length | 4:10 | |||
Warner Bros. | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Madonna singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"The Power of Good-Bye" on YouTube |
"The Power of Good-Bye" is a song by American singer
."The Power of Good-Bye" received acclaim from
Background and release
Between 1996 and the release of this song's associated album in 1998, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences" including giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, interest in
It was a career-changing experience for me. Before that I had always done my co-writing with friends. But working with Madonna [...] it was the first time I had ever written one-on-one with a great artist/writer. After that I changed gears a little, and now I mostly collaborate directly with artists.
—Nowels talking about the experience of writing the song with Madonna.[2]
In the meantime, Madonna had written "The Power of Good-Bye" with Nowels; it was one of the nine songs they had written for the album. Nowels had always wanted to work with Madonna, admiring her previous work with Leonard,
After issuing "
Recording and composition
After the songwriting sessions ended with Nowels, Madonna started collaborating with Orbit and Leonard for recording the tracks. However, since Leonard could not delve much studio time, Madonna worked solely with Orbit.
"The Power of Good-Bye" features production credit from Madonna, Orbit and Leonard, while
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, "The Power of Good-Bye" begins with a four-chord
Lyrically, "The Power of Good-Bye" talks the strength that comes in
Critical reception
"Madonna imitating Jennifer Rush and Belinda Carlisle in a power ballad that will always give you the feeling that she could have done much better, but ['The Power of Good-Bye'] is so well built and is so epic that we firmly believe that it would sound good even with Katy Perry."
—Guillermo Alonso from Vanity Fair during a ranking of Madonna's singles.[24]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked "The Power of Good-Bye" as one of Ray of Light's highlights,[25] while Amy Pettifer of The Quietus called it "one of [the singer]'s finest moments".[26] Larry Flick of Billboard praised the fact that "[Madonna] brilliantly nestles a dewy love ballad within a cutting-edge electronic pop framework." He noted that "[one] can listen to this track a dozen times and still pluck something new from the richly layered arrangement", while highlighting Madonna's vocals, writing that she "performs with a confidence that allows her to flawlessly merge a widened vocal range with a considerable dose of raw emotion and soul."[5] Daily Record said it is "brilliant".[27] Bryan Lark of The Michigan Daily picked the song and "Frozen" as "the album's best two tracks", noting that both proved that "[Madonna] still likes to get into the groove, explaining why this a techno album and not part of the 'Mood' series."[21] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune felt that the "rapturous sweep of '[The] Power of Good-Bye' [proves that] Madonna has succeeded where all of her pop peers have failed: She's made not just street-smart disco, but smart pop."[28] Authors Allen Metz and Carol Benson wrote in The Madonna Companion that the track, along with "Frozen" and "To Have and Not to Hold" from the album, formed a "dream trilogy" during which Madonna does a monologue with herself, talking about divinity.[29]
Rachel Brodsky of Spin remarked that both "The Power of Good-Bye" and "Frozen" were able to "cement the mainstream crossover of a dance culture once relegated to illegal basement parties".[17] Elysa Gardner of the Los Angeles Times perceived that "Madonna's enduring knack for incorporating hip and exotic textures into accessible pop tunes is evident on avant-leaning dance tracks such as 'Nothing Really Matters' and 'The Power of Good-bye'."[30] Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters praised the inclusion of the recording and other Orbit tracks on Madonna's 2001 compilation album GHV2, for representing "a testament to [the producer's] ability to use gadgets and electronic wizardry not to alienate listeners, but to draw them in".[31] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave an A− grade to the song for its composition, writing that it was "[s]tructured like your average adult contemporary ballad with enough electronic sheen to sound edgy, 'The Power of Goodbye' was the ultimate in electronica-lite."[15] While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardian's Jude Rogers placed the track at number 29, calling it one of Ray of Light's "many powerful sub-aquatic electronic" ballads.[32] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold listed "The Power of Good-Bye" as the singer's 41st best single, writing that "a knowing reference to the wide-eyed plea of her earlier hit 'Open Your Heart', this gorgeous goodbye almost makes the heartache worth it".[33] Medium's Richard LaBeau deemed it "one of the most underrated songs of Madonna’s career, this melancholy electronica ballad is one of her most deeply affecting".[34]
Chart performance
"The Power of Good-Bye" entered the US
In the United Kingdom, the song had better chart placement. The A-side with "Little Star" debuted at number six on the
In countries like Austria, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland "The Power of Good-Bye" was able to reach the top 10.
Music video
The music video for "The Power of Good-Bye" was directed by
Madonna's lover in the video is played by Croatian actor Goran Višnjić, who was selected by the singer after she saw his acting in the British film Welcome to Sarajevo (1997). Calling him "the sexiest male working today", Madonna explained that "[she] was looking for an actor to be in [the] video and his face came right into my head".[52] The video premiered on MTV on September 10, 1998, a few minutes before the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards show began.[51] It was occasionally played on The Warner Bros. Network after the television show Felicity, which played the song as the background music during its TV ads.[4][53]
The video shows Madonna and Višnjić playing chess and ultimately the singer destroying the chess board, symbolizing an end to their relationship. She then goes walking by the sea, passing a man walking his dog on the beach. Intercut are scenes of Madonna singing the song in front of a curtain. The video is
The scenes showing Madonna walking alone on the beach was an homage to actress Joan Crawford in the 1946 film Humoresque.[55] Christopher Rosa from VH1 listed it as one of Madonna's 10 Most Underrated Videos. He compared the blue-tinged visuals to the video for "Frozen", but found the plot to be more complex. Rosa also noted that the ending showing Madonna walking towards the sea was purposefully ambiguous. "Does Madonna drown herself in the ocean? Does she move on from her lover? Whatever the case, there is no denying this moody video is one of Madge's most effective ever," he concluded.[56] The video can be found on the Madonna compilations, The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009).[57][58]
Live performances
Madonna first performed "The Power of Good-Bye" on October 23, 1998, during the VH1 and Vogue Fashion Awards, dressed in black latex and leather, accompanied by the children of Opus 118 from The Harlem School of the Arts.[59][60] On November 12, the singer performed the song at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards in Italy, dressed in black. John Dingwall from Daily Record noted that Madonna "struggled" on delivering the performance, as she seemed nervous.[61] "The Power of Good-Bye" was also one of the few singles that Madonna has performed on the BBC program Top of the Pops, which aired seven days later.[62] On November 23, 1998, she appeared on the Spanish RTVE show Séptimo de caballería and performed "The Power of Good-Bye", along with her European single, "Drowned World/Substitute for Love".[63]
Track listings and formats
|
|
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Ray of Light.[13]
- Madonna – lead vocals, songwriter, producer
- Rick Nowels – songwriter
- William Orbit – producer, arrangement, drum programming, sequencer, mixing
- Patrick Leonard – producer
- Craig Armstrong – strings
- Mark Endert – engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Mario Testino – photography
- Kevin Reagan – art direction, design
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria)[46] | Gold | 25,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[47] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[48] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
See also
- List of UK top 10 singles in 1998
References
- ^ ISSN 0955-4955.
- ^ a b c Kawashima, Dale (June 11, 2015). "Hit Writer/Producer Rick Nowels Talks About His Great Career, Working With Lana Del Rey, John Legend, Madonna and Santana". Songwriter Universe. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ a b O'Brien 2008, p. 237
- ^ ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1623. August 28, 1998. p. 37.
- ^ Jay (September 22, 2019). "Today in Madonna History: September 22, 1998". todayinmadonnahistory.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ "Album Releases: October 1998". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
- ^ F. Promis, Jose. "Power of Goodbye (UK CD Single) – Madonna". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. November 21, 1998. p. 23.
- ^ a b F. Promis, Jose. "Madonna – Power of Goodbye". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ Walters, Barry (April 1998). "Madonna: The 'Ray of Light' Cover Story, 'Madonna Chooses Dare'". Spin. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362-46882.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ Ciccone, Madonna; Nowels, Rick (1998). "Madonna 'The Power of Good-Bye' Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (November 8, 2001). "Madonna: GHV2". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Rooksby 2004, p. 54
- ^ a b "Express Yourself: What Is Madonna's Greatest Era?". Spin. March 9, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Kot, Greg (July 1998). "The Methods and Machinery Behind Madonna's Ray of Light". Keyboard. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
- ^ Taraborrelli 2008, p. 178
- ^ Idolator. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Lark, Bryan (March 10, 1998). "Madonna Opens Heart and Soul on 'Light'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
- ^ Jeanrod & Theobald 2001, p. 90
- ^ Hvidfeldt, Anders (May 7, 1998). "Leonardo DiCaprio går i kloster" [Leonardo DiCaprio is in monasteries]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Alonso, Guillermo (August 6, 2015). "Todos los singles de Madonna, ordenados de peor a mejor". Vanity Fair (in Spanish). Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Madonna: Ray of Light". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ Pettifer, Amy (February 25, 2015). "Madonna's Rebel Heart: A Track By Track Review". The Quietus. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- ^ "Chartslot". Daily Record. December 4, 1998. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ Kot, Greg (March 1, 1998). "New-material Girl". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Metz & Benson 1999, p. 26
- ^ Gardner, Elysa (March 1, 1998). "Album Review: Madonna 'Ray of Light'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Robinson, Charlotte (November 12, 2001). "Madonna: Greatest Hits Volume 2". PopMatters. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (August 16, 2018). "Every one of Madonna's 78 singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (August 15, 2018). "Madonna's 60 best singles, ranked". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ LeBeau, Richard (August 16, 2018). "Ranking All 57 of Madonna's Billboard Hits in Honor of Her 60th(!) Birthday". Medium. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ a b "Madonna Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7932". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6995." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ Jones, Alan (August 19, 2008). "The immaculate guide to 50 years of Madonna". Music Week. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ^ Myers, Justin (August 16, 2016). "Madonna's Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Madonna – The Power of Good-bye". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. December 12, 1998. p. 53. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "Austrian single certifications" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Madonna; 'The Power of Good-Bye')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Salaverri 2005, p. 98
- Warner Bros. 1999. 9362-49729-6.)
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link - ^ a b Burns, Eric (September 1, 1998). ET News: Making of the video 'The Power of Good-Bye'. Entertainment Tonight (air). Event occurs at 20:00 EST.
- ^ "Madonna Talks About Her Video Co-Star". MTV News. September 18, 1998. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna Rolls Out Videos Here And Abroad, Loans Song To Felicity". MTV News. August 4, 1998. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- The Backlot. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Rosa, Christopher (August 16, 2016). "Madonna's 10 Most Underrated Music Videos". VH1. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
- ^ Basham, David (October 8, 1999). "Madonna Offers Up New Video Compilation". MTV News. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ^ Greenblatt, Leah (August 26, 2009). "Madonna's 'Celebration' track list revealed: Are the greatest hits all there?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ Aldridge, Kristen (August 13, 2013). "Madonna's Best Performance Looks of All-time". Shape. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna Biography". Musicomania.com. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Dingwall, John (November 13, 1998). "Saints and Winners; Spice Girls beat rivals to awards". Daily Record. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna sets TOTP date". BBC News. November 17, 2000. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ "Madonna con Miguel Bosé (23 de noviembre de 1998)" (in Spanish). RTVE. September 1, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
- ^ The Power of Good-Bye (7" vinyl liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 7-17160.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (Cassette liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9 17160-4.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (CD single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9 17160-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (AU maxi CD liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 44591 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (JP maxi CD liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. WPCR-2297.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (12" vinyl liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 44590 0.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (EU CD single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 17121 9.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Power of Good-Bye (Maxi CD single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 44598 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Power of Good-Bye (Remixes) by Madonna on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6986." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ "Madonna: The Power of Good-Bye" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- Les classement single. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Major Market Airplay: France" (PDF). Music & Media. February 6, 1999. p. 21. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. January 23, 1999. p. 11. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 305 Vikuna 8.1. – 15.1. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 8, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Power of Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 2. January 9, 1999. p. 38. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Madonna" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Major Market Airplay – Week 04/1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 4. January 23, 1999. p. 23. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna – The Power of Good-Bye". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "Madonna Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
- ^ "Madonna Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ^ "RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1998" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Jahreshitparade 1998" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top 40. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 1998" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
- ^ "Year in Focus: 1999 European Radio Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 13. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1999" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "MOSI PIAYE A Uli CONJEMPORART SONGS" (PDF). Billboard. p. 48. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-334-03062-1.
- Metz, Allan; Benson, Carol (1999). The Madonna Companion: Two Decades of Commentary. ISBN 0-8256-7194-9.
- ISBN 978-0-593-05547-2.
- Rooksby, Rikky (2004). The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna. ISBN 0-7119-9883-3.
- Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2008). ISBN 978-0-7432-2880-0.
External links
- "The Power of Good-Bye" at Discogs (list of releases)