1994

1994-11-25

United States

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer Madonna. It was released on October 25, 1994, by Maverick and Sire Records. In order to move into a more mainstream sound, Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave Hall and Nellee Hooper, wanting to soften her image following the critical and commercial backlash she faced after releasing sexually explicit projects in the previous two years, notably the Erotica album, the Sex book and her leading role in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. This image transformation was preceded by the ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack to the 1994 film With Honors. A pop and R&B album, Bedtime Stories explores lyrical themes of love, sorrow and romance, but with a toned-down, less sexual approach. Critics described the album as "autobiographical", as the song "Human Nature" addresses the controversy surrounding her previous projects. Madonna also worked with Icelandic singer Björk on the track "Bedtime Story", as she wanted to explore the British club musical scene, where genres such as dub had been growing in popularity. To promote Bedtime Stories, Madonna performed the album's songs at the 1995 American Music Awards and the 1995 Brit Awards. A tour was also planned, but did not take place due to Madonna acquiring the title role in the 1996 musical film Evita. The album yielded two US Billboard Hot 100 top-three singles, "Secret" and "Take a Bow"; the latter stayed at number one for seven weeks on the chart. Its other singles, "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature", were both top-ten hits on the UK Singles Chart. Bedtime Stories received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its candid lyrics and production, and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 38th Grammy Awards. The album debuted and peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also became her fifth number-one album in Australia and charted within the top-five in many other countries, including Canada, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Bedtime Stories has sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedtime_Stories_(Madonna_album)