MADONNA
TAKE A BOW
YOU’LL SEE
PLAYLIST
Madonna Take a Bow | A story told in 2 songs | PART 1. Love masochist
Second parts of songs are rarely made, unlike in the world of cinema, but as always happened with the Queen of Pop, Madonna innovated by telling a story of love, suffering and recovery in 2 parts. The first is the beautiful ballad ‘Take a Bow‘.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Madonna Take a Bow
Trembol | Story behind Take a Bow
‘Take a Bow‘ was released in 1994 as part of the album ‘Bedtime Stories‘, which meant an escape from the scandal caused by the previous sexually explicit album, ‘Erotica‘.
Madonna wanted music to be the center of attention again, so she composed a more intimate and politically correct album.
- For ‘Take a Bow‘ Madonna asked Babyface to help her write, produce and even sing.
- The second voice heard throughout the song is that of Babyface himself. It’s our favorite part because it gives it that R’n’B tone that Babyface is a specialist at.
The song is about a submissive love, about the adoration that Madonna professes for a man who doesn’t reciprocate her and who also treats her badly.
While verses go by she seems to find the strength to get away from him, but Madona doesn’t tell us what happens next, whether she gets over it or not. That story is developed in the 2nd part, ‘You’ll see‘.
‘Take a Bow‘ became very popular thanks to the video clip, filmed in Andalusia (Spain).
- In the video Madonna has a passionate love affair with a bullfighter. The actor is a real bullfighter, the Spanish Emilio Muñoz. Other more famous bullfighters such as Jesulín de Ubrique and El Litri were also considered, but Emilio convinced the director.
- As with everything Madonna did, the video generated quite a bit of controversy as she was accused of paying homage to bullfighting 🐂
- The aesthetics of the video takes us to the 40s in Spain. Something that Madonna did on purpose because at that time she was trying to convince Alan Parker, director of Evita, to give her the role. As you know, she did well 😆
Madonna explains what she wanted to achieve musically with ‘Take a Bow’
Madonna (Facebook image)
Madonna and Babyface ‘Take a Bow’
Madonna (Facebook image)
The idea going in was to juxtapose my singing style with a hardcore hip-hop sensibility and have the finished product still sound like a Madonna record.
La idea era yuxtaponer mi estilo de canto con una sensibilidad de hip-hop hardcore y hacer que el producto final aún sonara como un disco de Madonna.
🎵 Find more amazing stories behind the best songs ever
You can’t miss ⭐️ The best parts of Take a Bow
1. Babyface’s backing vocals begin before the chorus and extend throughout it.
2. Madonna tells the man that he deserves an award for his role and that she feels very lonely.
3. The tone rises in the bridge before the final chorus, giving fresh air to a very melancholic song.
This is what it says | Madonna Take a Bow Lyrics
MADONNA | TAKE A BOW | LYRICS
Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Light are low, the curtains down
There’s no one here (There’s no one here, there’s no one in the crowd)
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there’s no one around (No one around)
Watching you, watching me,
One lonely star (One lonely star you don’t know who you are)
I’ve always been in love with you (Always with you)
I guess you’ve always known it’s true (You know it’s true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (Bye bye), say good-bye
Make them laugh, it comes so easy
When you get to the part
Where you’re breaking my heart (Breaking my heart)
Hide behind your smile,
All the world loves a clown (Just make ’em smile the whole world loves a clown)
Wish you well, I cannot stay
You deserve an award for the role that you played (Role that you played)
No more masquerade,
You’re one lonely star (One lonely star and you don’t know who you are)
I’ve always been in love with you (Always with you)
I guess you’ve always known it’s true (You know it’s true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-byeI’ve always been in love with you (Always with you)
I guess you’ve always known it’s true (You know it’s true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (Bye bye), say good-bye
All the world is a stage (World is a stage)
And everyone has their part (Has their part)
But how was I to know which way the story’d go
How was I to know you’d break (You’d break, you’d break, you’d break)
You’d break my heart
I’ve always been in love with you (I’ve always been in love with you)
Guess you’ve always known
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-byeI’ve always been in love with you (Always with you)
I guess you’ve always known it’s true (You know it’s true)
You took my love for granted, why oh why
The show is over, say good-bye
Say good-bye (Bye bye), say good-bye
Say good-bye
MADONNA | TAKE A BOW | LYRICS IN SPANISH
Saluda, la noche ha terminado
Esta mascarada se está haciendo vieja
Las luces se apagan, las cortinas se bajan
No hay nadie aquí (No hay nadie aquí, no hay nadie en la multitud)
Di tus líneas pero ¿las sientes?
Realmente sientes lo que dices cuando no hay nadie alrededor (No hay nadie alrededor)
Mirándote, mirándome
Una estrella solitaria (Una estrella solitaria, no sabes quién eres)
Siempre he estado enamorada de ti (Siempre contigo)
Supongo que siempre has sabido que es verdad (Sabes que es verdad)
Diste mi amor por sentado, por qué oh por qué
El show ha terminado, di adiós
Di adiós (Bye bye), di adiós
Hazlos reír, es tan fácil
Cuando llegas a la parte
Donde rompes mi corazón (Rompiendo mi corazón)
Escóndete detrás de tu sonrisa
Todo el mundo ama los payasos (Sólo hazlos sonreír todo el mundo ama a los payasos)
Te deseo lo mejor, no puedo quedarme
Te mereces un premio por el papel que hiciste (Papel que hiciste)
No más mascaradas,
Eres una estrella solitaria (Una estrella solitaria y no sabes quién eres)
Siempre he estado enamorada de ti (Siempre contigo)
Supongo que siempre has sabido que es verdad (Sabes que es verdad)
Diste mi amor por sentado, por qué oh por qué
El show ha terminado, di adiósSiempre he estado enamorada de ti (Siempre contigo)
Supongo que siempre has sabido que es verdad (Sabes que es verdad)
Diste mi amor por sentado, por qué oh por qué
El show ha terminado, di adiós
Di adiós (Bye bye), di adiós
Todo el mundo es un escenario (El mundo es un escenario)
Y todo el mundo tiene su parte (Tiene su parte)
Pero cómo iba yo a saber por dónde iría la historia
Cómo iba a saber que romperías (Romperías, romperías, romperías)
Romperías mi corazón
Siempre he estado enamorada de ti (Siempre contigo)
Supongo que siempre has sabido que es verdad (Sabes que es verdad)
Diste mi amor por sentado, por qué oh por qué
El show ha terminado, di adiósSiempre he estado enamorada de ti (Siempre contigo)
Supongo que siempre has sabido que es verdad (Sabes que es verdad)
Diste mi amor por sentado, por qué oh por qué
El show ha terminado, di adiós
Di adiós, di adiós
Di adiós
| Background Image: Madonna facebook image
Did you know...?
Much more | Making of, live performances…
Madonna (Facebook Image)
Madonna performed the song with Babyface at the American Music Awards in 1995, as well as at the San Remo festival in Italy the same year.
In 2021 Madona re-released the ‘Take a Bow’ EP, which includes several remixes and an instrumental version.
Multiple artists have covered this great Madonna hit, including:
- The Serbian singer Bebi Dol recorded it in her language under the title ‘Pokloni se‘,
- The Dutch Laura Fygi, the Hong Kong artist Sandy Lam, the South Korean rock band Jaurim, the saxophonist Bennett Carl, the Filipino performer Sitti Navarro and the Chinese singer Yao Si Ting.
- Elaine Paige and Idina Menzel also sang it on their duets album.
In case you are curious, this is the making of the famous video.
Technical Note | Madonna Take a Bow
Take a Bow is a midtempo (80 beats per minute) with a very elegant arrangement by Babyface, who repeats Madonna’s words almost throughout the entire song, making it a covert duet.
- Madonna is said to have been inspired by a 1961 song by Kyu Sakamoto called ‘Sukiyaki‘, which gives ‘Take a Bow’ an oriental feel.
- Instrumentally, they used a full orchestra led by the strings.
🎼 Take a Bow key and chords
- The song is in 4/4 time, and in the key of A Major.
- The chords at the beginning are: A♭ – Si♭m7/E♭ – A♭ – Fa♭maj7
- In the chorus you can hear: La♭ – Sol♭ -Fam7
Madonna Take a Bow single cover
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