"Bye Bye Baby" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna, for her fifth studio album Erotica (1992). It was released on November 15, 1993, as the sixth and final single from the album only outside the US. "Bye Bye Baby" was written by Madonna, Shep Pettibone, and Anthony Shimkin and was produced by Madonna and Pettibone. The song is inspired by Madonna's emotions of that time and her S&M thoughts. Musically, it is a hip hop song, sampling a hook from LL Cool J's track "Jingling Baby", released in 1990. Madonna's vocals were filtered to make them appear as sound coming out from an antique radio. "Bye Bye Baby" features instrumentation from keyboard and lyrically finds Madonna asking questions to a lover she is about to abandon.
"Bye Bye Baby" received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented the composition and lyrics, but were disappointed with Madonna's vocal delivery. The song received limited release worldwide, peaking at number seven in Italy, and also charting in Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. Madonna performed "Bye Bye Baby" on the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards and on her Girlie Show World Tour the same year. For both performances, she was dressed as a Victorian gentleman in tailcoat and top hat. She and her backup singers danced with three scantily clad women in a brothel-style setting, while singing the song. Critics and authors noted the gender bending and role play in the performance, and found it to be a response to misogyny.
Comments