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Nina West
post Sep 20 2019, 02:34 AM
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Like I did for Kylie Minogue & Lady Gaga in their artist forums, I am now doing a list for Madonna this time. There's a lot to go through, so for now I'm just doing the 80's in this post and include the other decades in separate posts. So here goes...




Ain't No Big Deal [B-Side]

This was originally going to be Madonna's debut single and was one of the earliest songs recorded on her own along with 'Everybody' & 'Burning Up'. However things changed when Stephen Bray gave the song away to a band called "Barracuda" instead and Rosenblatt even wanted to include this as the b-side to 'Everybody' (which got chosen as her first single), but later changed his mind and after hearing the final recorded version of 'Ain't No Big Deal', and didn't feel that it was a strong enough debut (which was probably why it was given away). But an alternate version of the track would later end up as a B-Sides to both 'Papa Don't Preach & 'True Blue' for the U.K. & U.S.A. markets respectively.




Lucky Star [Madonna]

Lucky Star was originally going to be released as third single. But when radio stations picked up Holiday and started playing it excessively it got switched. In the UK the song was released instead of Holiday but failed to gain chart success. It was re-issued as a single the following year and did much better. Lucky Star wasn't released as a single in the US until after the release of 'Borderline', which in return was later released as the final single in Europe.




Over And Over/Love Don't Live Here Anymore [Like A Virgin]

The releases of Crazy For You, Gambler (both released by different labels) & Into The Groove weren't originally planned because the Sire label feared they would be competing with the actual singles from 'Like A Virgin' (which they did) and because of the release and massive of those singles, it resulted in the cancellations of both Over And Over & Love Don't Live Here Anymore as singles. Have you noticed how both of those songs were never used as b-sides for any of the LAV era singles? That's because they were saving them for a possible release. However the latter track did get released in Japan as the album's final single and later got re-recorded for her 'Something To Remember' collection in 1995 and got released as a single the following year.




True Blue [True Blue]

This song was not planned as a single originally, but got squeezed between Papa Don't Preach & Open Your Heart because radio stations started giving it lots of airplay and therefore Madonna and the label had to release it as the album's 3rd single (it would have been stupid not to) with 'OYH' later following as the 4th single.




Where's The Party [True Blue]

It's very likely that this was originally scheduled to be the album's final single, which is why it was never used as a b-side to any of the previous singles. But with the spontaneous release of True Blue (single) and the Who's That Girl singles probably kept it from happening and given the fact that there had already been 5 singles and the album had already sold by the bucket loads by this point , It wasn't really needed.




Love Makes The World Go Round [True Blue]

Prior to the album's release, Madonna premiered this at the 1985 "Live Aid" concert which led many to believe that this was gonna be the album's lead single, as far as I know this was the first song recorded for [I['True Blue'[/I] and Madonna felt that the message of the song was suitable for the concert and to this day this remains its only live performance to date. During the album's recording sessions Live To Tell was eventually chosen to lead the campaign.




Spotlight [You Can Dance]

Initially the song was rejected during her 'True Blue' album recording sessions due to Madonna feeling its too similar to her earlier hit 'Holiday', but would later get remixed for its inclusion on her first remix album 'You Can Dance' as the sole new track. It was only given a release in Japan and never released anywhere else, because the label felt that it might hurt the sales of the album.




Santa Baby/Supernatural [A Very Special Christmas]

A test pressing of this "single" exists and it's very likely that they were going for a Holiday season single that could bridge the gap year between The Look of Love and Like a Prayer. But probably due to Madonna's busy filming schedule it ended up staying on the 1987 charity Christmas album 'A Very Special Christmas'. The latter track 'Supernatural' was recorded during the 'LAP' sessions, but didn't make it onto the album and would later end up as a b-side to Cherish.




Spanish Eyes [Like A Prayer]

There are lots of rumours regarding the single run of this album. Apparently, Madonna had a different song in mind before settling with Oh Father as single after David Fincher convinced her to release it as a single. In fact, he said that she was very mad at him for talking her into the release of the song. My guess is, that the b-side "Spanish Eyes" was originally planned as single.




Till Death Do Us Part [Like A Prayer]

It's also likely that this was gonna be a single instead of Dear Jessie (where it appears as a b-side), anyway that's just speculation and the label probably felt that 'DJ' was a safer more radio friendly choice.




Love Song [Like A Prayer]

According to Prince's ex-wife this was also considered at some point, but probably due to its less than favourable reception from fans and critics, that's why it never saw a release.




Keep It Together [Like A Prayer]

This was planned for a full international release after its success in the USA with Vogue serving as its b-side. But when the label saw the potential of this song, they scrapped plans for an international release of Keep It Together and went with Vogue instead. Although it did get released as a double a-side in Australia only.



I'll be doing separate posts for 90's, 00's & 10's very soon, please tell me what you think of this post.


This post has been edited by SamJudd: Sep 20 2019, 09:21 PM
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Liam.k.
post Sep 20 2019, 11:13 AM
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No major losses or mistakes here. I would say I'd have liked 'Til Death Do Us Part' released in favour of 'Dear Jessie' and I think 'True Blue' sounds more suited for winter so having 'Open Your Heart' follow 'Papa Don't Preach' instead would have worked for me, although they made the right choice in releasing 'True Blue' first if radio were on board.
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tommie
post Sep 20 2019, 12:27 PM
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Her singles run in the 80s is pretty much iconic so it's hard to say that they made any obvious mistakes. I very much doubt Love Makes The World Go Around was ever considered for release though and probably just something new for her to debut at the Live Aid concert, at least I hope so because I've always found that song diabolical.
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Liam.k.
post Sep 20 2019, 12:37 PM
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QUOTE(tommie @ Sep 20 2019, 01:27 PM) *
Her singles run in the 80s is pretty much iconic so it's hard to say that they made any obvious mistakes. I very much doubt Love Makes The World Go Around was ever considered for release though and probably just something new for her to debut at the Live Aid concert, at least I hope so because I've always found that song diabolical.

I reckon 'Love Makes The World Go Around' was an early consideration for lead single until they recorded more material and realised there were better options.

It's a pleasant song but it would definitely have put her career on a different track, and I think not for the better.
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vibe
post Sep 20 2019, 12:52 PM
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LMTWGR was performed at LIVE 8 DUE to its lyrical content.

Interesting thread much of which is based on rumour.
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J00prstar
post Sep 20 2019, 12:53 PM
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That Live Aid song is so cheesy! No wonder they dropped it as a single, even in her first era that would have been embarrassing for her image!
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Nina West
post Sep 20 2019, 02:17 PM
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So the True Blue era could have looked like this =

"Live To Tell"
"Papa Don't Preach"
"Open Your Heart"
"La Isla Bonita"
"Where's The Party"

Mmmm could have been interesting and probably would have been a huge success anyway, but the way it actually turned out was already perfect.



As for the 'Like A Prayer', this is more of a mixed bag, would have loved 'TDDUP' as a single over 'Dear Jessie', however don't think 'Spanish Eyes' really screamed single to me & 'Oh Father' was definitely the better option. 'KIT' would have definitely been successful and would have easily given Madonna a top 10 hit in the UK, but 'Vogue' is just iconic and kicked off the 90's decade of her career with an almighty BANG & STYLE. Even if 'KIT' got added as a double a-side, it would have just got ignored, especially in the UK and wasn't really needed there, and worked well enough in the U.S. on its own merit anyway (plus considering it was single #5 over there).

"Like A Prayer"
"Express Yourself"
"Cherish"
"Spanish Eyes" [U.S. release]
"Till Death Do Us Part" [European release]
"Keep It Together"



This post has been edited by SamJudd: Sep 20 2019, 02:19 PM
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Nina West
post Sep 20 2019, 09:12 PM
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Now its time for the 90's decade cancelled singles, enjoy....






Now I'm Following You (Part II)/Sooner Or Later [I'm Breathless]

At least one more single was planned from the 'I'm Breathless' soundtrack with either the former or possibly the latter Sooner Or Later which won an Oscar for Best Original Song, maybe both as they were apparently the front runners for potential releases. But these plans were scrapped when Madonna decided to move on with the 'The Immaculate Collection instead which came out just 6 months after this album.




Bad Girl [Erotica]

This was originally going to be the album's second single, but Deeper And Deeper got released instead as the label felt that it would have been better to release something more commercial and more in line with her previous hits & radio friendly to probably drive more album sales during the X-Mas market in 1992, and especially after the controversial and heavy lead single & title track Erotica. Bad Girl got released as the album's 3rd single in early 1993.




Forbidden Love (with Don't Stop as b-side) [Bedtime Stories]

The five singles from Bedtime Stories were picked even before the album was released. The last single never materialized due to the cancellation of the tour, Evita and the Something to Remember album. Don't Stop was chosen as b-side because radio stations had already been playing and demanding it as single around the time Bedtime Story was released.




I Want You (Ft Massive Attack) [Something To Remember]

This was gonna be the album's lead single, but the problem was that the rights to it belonged to Motown Records and not Maverick because the song was originally released as part of the Inner City Blues Marvin Gaye tribute album. Motown and Maverick couldn't come to an agreement and therefore the single was cancelled at the very last minute. It wound up being issued as a promotional single only despite it having a music video and instead You'll See got released as the lead single.




Buenos Aires [Evita]

Buenos Aires had been remixed by DJ duo Pablo Flores & Javier Garza especially for its single release. Warner Bros were initially reluctant to release the remixes, but decided to finally release it to coincide with the home video release of the Evita movie. It ended up as a promotional release only, possibly because the label didn't see the potential of it doing well. But it did manage to hit #3 on the Billboard Dance Club chart in October 1997.




Sky Fits Heaven [Ray Of Light]

This was most likely considered as a full-scale single due to its overwhelming praise by fans & critics, but couldn't be released because the song is based on poem by Max Blagg who agreed to let Madonna use parts of his poem for the song under the condition that it wouldn't be released as a single. Sky Fits Heaven did end up getting remixed by both Sasha and Victor Calderone and was only released to clubs and not physically available for purchase and even managed to appear on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in 1998.




Skin [Ray Of Light]

There's no actual confirmation whether Skin was ever going to be a single in the end. It was once considered before Beautiful Stranger had been conceived. When that happened, all plans for any other Ray of Light singles had been scrapped. There was also a huge gap between a physical releases of these and radio add date, resulting in most of the songs not charting as well as they could and should have. Nothing Really Matters in particular suffered from the strange way the singles were released during that era. It should be noted that Skin, Swim & Candy Perfume Girl were all considered as options for future single releases.




Be Careful (Cuidado Con Mi Corazón) [Ricky Martin]

Originally a Madonna song written early during the Ray of Light sessions and then entirely reworked and rewritten with William Orbit. The song was given to Ricky Martin and he decided to make it a duet using Madonna's original vocals during the second verse. It was planned to be released as the second single off his debut album with a video (and remixes by Pablo Flores) but Madonna was scheduled to release Beautiful Stranger the same month and therefore wouldn't have had the time to promote it.



00's decade coming soon....


This post has been edited by Nina West: Sep 4 2020, 10:13 PM
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HausofKubrick
post Sep 21 2019, 08:31 AM
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The 80s were pretty perfect in terms of singles but mainly because there weren't many stand out album tracks that had potential to be singles. There was a real big difference between the singles and album tracks I find. Till Death Do Us Part is probably the biggest missed opportunity!

In the 90s, Skin and especially Sky Fits Heaven could've worked as singles but the Ray of Light was so perfect so maybe they do work best as fabulous album tracks instead.
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tommie
post Sep 21 2019, 08:40 AM
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Yeah, I can't see any huge missed opportunities in the 90s either to be honest. Maybe not releasing Bye Bye Baby internationally, then again, considering the controversy around Erotica it might've worked in her favour to give it a rest between Rain and I'll Remember, which in the end helped her back to the top 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Don't Stop would've needed a single mix to properly boost it imho. The album version is just too plain, so I'm surprised radio started spinning it.

I almost mentioned that I would've liked Time Stood Still to be a double-A with American Pie but that's in the 00s section...


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Nina West
post Sep 21 2019, 07:32 PM
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The 00's section...





Time Stood Still [The Next Best Thing soundtrack]

This was briefly considered as a single following American Life, but was likely scrapped due to both the movie & soundtrack it featured on flopped.




Impressive Instant/Amazing [Music]

The dispute between Madonna and Warner regarding these two songs is well-known. Madonna pushed hard for Impressive Instant which was already a club hit in the summer of 2001. Warner believed that Amazing (due to its similarity to Beautiful Stranger) could do much better commercially. Madonna sabotaged the release of 'Amazing' which had already been issued as a promo single in Germany, Columbia, Spain & Israel by cutting it from the setlist of the Drowned World Tour because Warner had planned to release a live performance from the tour as music video for the song. The dispute resulted in neither of the songs getting released as a single.




Nobody Knows Me [American Life]

Nobody Knows Me was originally going to be the 3rd single off 'American Life'. However when American Life and Hollywood both failed to gain the chart success they were hoping for, they went with more toned down and radio friendly options such as Nothing Fails & Love Profusion as singles. Obviously that tactic didn't work either as they also both flopped.




Mother And Father [American Life]

Mother and Father was apparently also considered by Madonna at some point (most likely dropped in favor of Love Profusion). Another theory is that the remixes for Mother and Father & Easy Ride were commissioned for a scrapped American Life Remix Album which later became "Remixed and Revisited"




Candy Shop [Hard Candy]

Madonna offered two songs as lead single Option A (Candy Shop) and Option B (4 Minutes). Her favourite was Candy Shop, but Warner went with option B (4 Minutes) instead. It seems that she is still mad over their decision and continues to perform it out of protest not realizing that most of her fans also hate this song.




Beat Goes On [Hard Candy]

Beat Goes On was considered as a single option at some point, but after Miles Away flopped, no more singles were released from 'Hard Candy' and plans went ahead with her Greatest Hits collection 'Celebration'.


2010's coming soon...
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tommie
post Sep 21 2019, 07:50 PM
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Here's where it starts to go majorly wrong - American Pie / Time Stood Still double-A would've been nice, but oh well.

Impressive Instant was crying out for a release. Come on Warners! Sigh.

American Life killed the project dead as a single. Nothing Fails was crying out to be pushed properly instead of Love Profusion getting a perfume ad as a video.
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HausofKubrick
post Sep 21 2019, 08:14 PM
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Impressive Instant and Amazing both should've been singles!

In terms of AL, I actually love the singles run! Intervention deserved a look-in tho.

From Hard Candy it had to be Devil... :'(
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tommie
post Sep 22 2019, 02:40 AM
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Wasn't there a radio mix of Love Tried To Welcome Me (from Bedtime Stories) going around like in the early 2000s?

It wasn't that much different from what I remember, but it added a bit of pace to the song. It might've been a fan mix, but it seems odd for a fan remix to be so subtle. I liked it, from what I remember.
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tommie
post Sep 22 2019, 05:59 AM
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Also, I believe Swim was dabbled in as a potential single?
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Nina West
post Sep 22 2019, 08:13 AM
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Now time for the final section the 2010's







Superstar [MDNA]

Superstar was a promotional single in Brazil and later planned as the fourth and final single from MDNA. Those plans were luckily scrapped cause it's easily one of her worst songs EVER. Madonna also said that Falling Free was one of the songs she wanted to release as a single along with Gang Bang.




Hold Tight [Rebel Heart]

Hold Tight was released as the third (radio only) single in Italy instead of Bitch I'm Madonna, but apart from that it hasn't seen any other form of release in any other country, plus no music video was shot for it. The song did manage to chart in several countries due to downloads upon the album's release.




Devil Pray [Rebel Heart]

According to music video director Joseph Kahn, Madonna was going to release one final single from Rebel Heart, and that was gonna be Devi Pray. Madonna approached him and asked for a video concept. In the end, the single never materialized, despite being a fan favourite and many wanting it to be released.

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HausofKubrick
post Sep 22 2019, 08:43 AM
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Bitch I'm Madonna over Devil Pray was a moment where she truly disregarded her artistic integrity. Desgusten x
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vibe
post Sep 22 2019, 10:26 AM
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The beat goes on could have been huge

Devil wouldn’t recognise and Devil Pray should have been a singles !!

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Liam.k.
post Sep 25 2019, 10:47 PM
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I don't understand why 'Bad Girl' was so poorly received. Hindsight would say it shouldn't have been a single and 'Rain' should have been moved to third, but it's always been an album highlight for me and has a fab video (one that's very underrated!).

'Don't Stop' would have been an unneccesary single for me. The other four all offer something interesting where as this is quite easy and inoffensive.

I'd have been interested to see how 'I Want You' would have performed if it was allowed to be released as the lead single for Something to Remember. I imagine 'You'll See' would still have followed as it's a strong song that invites album purchases, but 'I Want You' offers something quite different for Madonna although still in line with where her music career was going (the strings and the eerieness of the song is quite similar to moments on Ray of Light).

'Sky Fits Heaven' and 'Skin' would definitely be my picks for singles if we were to have a 6th and 7th release from Ray of Light but, like Bal said, I'm happy with how that era panned out as it was.

I guess the situations of 'Impressive Instant' vs. 'Amazing' and 'Candy Shop' vs. '4 Minutes' means that Madonna and the record company were even. I agree with Madonna in the first instance but the record company were right to put their foot down in the second.

I can remember the speculation of 'Devil Pray' being the fourth single at the time. I recall a magazine extract (Italian, I think) that gave some sort of mention to a music video concept being drafted but nothing ever materialised from that. Shame, I think 'Devil Pray' struck the balance right between being contemporary and Madonna-esque.
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Jordanlee
post Sep 25 2019, 11:01 PM
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Impressive Instant and Amazing should’ve been singles!

Axe what it feels like for a girl and have those as tracks 3 and 4.

I actually prefer them both to the title track tbh.

Those American Life cancelled singles are both better than what we got as singles.

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