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> 'I'm Breathless' • album discussion, 2nd soundtrack album | 1990
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HausofKubrick
post May 21 2020, 09:54 PM
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A place to discuss Madonna's 2nd soundtrack album 'I'm Breathless' for the film Dick Tracy. Released in 1990.

1. He's a Man
2. Sooner or Later
3. Hanky Panky
4. I'm Going Bananas
5. Cry Baby
6. Something to Remember
7. Back in Business
8. More
9. What Can You Lose
10. Now I'm Following You (Part 1)
11. Now I'm Following You (Pt. 2)
12. Vogue

What are your thoughts on this album? Share any opinions, memories, favourite songs, or just discuss it anytime you're re-listening!
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Liam.k.
post May 22 2020, 09:37 PM
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Happy 30th birthday to I'm Breathless! cheer.gif

As mentioned in the survivor polls, there are a few stinkers here but the rest is pretty decent! 'Vogue' is obviously the best, even if it is literally tagged on the end as a way of attracting sales, but 'Sooner or Later', 'Something to Remember', 'Back in Business' and the bonkers 'Now That I'm Following You' are all great.



Madonna may not be the strongest vocalist but the passion she injects into this song really sells it for me, as well as her natural charm and showmanship.



"A lot of people say I have a lot of balls... what I have is a Dick" *Dick Tracy character appears on stage*
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Liam.k.
post May 22 2020, 09:40 PM
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Idolator: 30 Years Of Madonna’s ‘I’m Breathless’

QUOTE
Exactly 30 years ago, Madonna turned the music world upside down by releasing an album of show tunes called I’m Breathless. Doubling as one of three (!) soundtracks to Dick Tracy, the staggeringly ambitious collection is a mix of Stephen Sondheim originals and campy, pop pastiches courtesy of regular collaborators Patrick Leonard and Shep Pettibone. The emphasis is on vocals and atmosphere instead of floor-fillers. It could have been a career-derailing misstep, but fans were more than willing to go along for the ride.

The genius of I’m Breathless is its ability to find the middle ground between Broadway fare and top 40 pop. Madonna wasn’t trying to bend and twist into another genre, she simply dismantled it and took the bits and pieces that pleased her. Take “Hanky Panky.” The ode to light S&M, which ranks as one of the most unlikely hits of the ’90s, wouldn’t sound out of place in Cabaret. It also works, however, squeezed between “Express Yourself” and “Cherish” in a stadium tour. The same goes for the wonderfully demented “I’m Going Bananas.”

More traditional in their sound and aesthetic are the glorious Sondheim contributions. Madonna nails the Oscar-winning “Sooner Or Later,” showing range that surprised even her most ardent detractors. “More” sounds like the Broadway equivalent of “Material Girl,” while “What Can You Loose” is the duet with Mandy Patinkin you didn’t know you needed. If I had to pick a favorite cut, however, that honor would go to one of the non-Sondheim songs. “Something To Remember” still holds up as one of the Queen of Pop’s best ballads 30 years on.

Despite the genre flip, I’m Breathless was a massive hit around the world — selling seven million copies. Admittedly, a large proportion of those sales can be attributed to the addition of “Vogue.” While that bop sounds out of place on the album, it makes complete sense from a marketing perspective.
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Albumism: Madonna’s ‘I’m Breathless’ Turns 30 | Anniversary Retrospective

QUOTE
1990 was most definitely a defining year in Madonna’s career. In fact, it may just be her most definitive. Fresh out of the career resplendent ‘80s and hot off the heels of the success of Like A Prayer (1989), Madonna entered 1990 with a massive bang by releasing “Vogue,” a song that remains synonymous with the singer until this very day. Paying homage to ballroom culture and with thumping house beats, “Vogue” was the epitome of what a classic dance track should and could be.

After the release of “Vogue" and its incomparable success, Madonna embarked on the now infamous Blonde Ambition Tour causing controversy wherever she went. The show had a heady focus on Religion, her Like A Prayer album and of course “Vogue,” but it also included three songs from her then upcoming film, Dick Tracy. Honoring her character, night club singer Breathless Mahoney, she wore a green showgirl outfit as she sang “Sooner Or Later,” “Hanky Panky” and “Now I’m Following You.” Both the stage and choreography were inspired by the classic movie performances of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and were an interesting departure from the rest of the show.

Given the high profile Madonna had at the time, coupled with the controversy surrounding her on stage performance of “Like A Virgin,” it not only seemed like a logical extension to hock her latest film and accompanying album, but it was also an incredibly smart business move. Dick Tracy was set in the 1930s and Madonna—who at the time had a hyper-sexualized, religious angst-riddled persona—seemed to be the furthest thing from the somewhat brassy, but gentle character of night club singer Breathless Mahoney. Whilst the film adaption of Mahoney was different from the original comic strip, Madonna again managed the unimaginable and brought not only a new dimension to Mahoney, but essentially also brought the character to life.

It’s true that I’m Breathless is a collection of big band pop songs that make up a film soundtrack, but more than this, the album finds Madonna taking on music by the legendary Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim, who is arguably one of the most important figures in musical theatre, contributed three tracks to the album; the sultry “Sooner Or Later,” the jazzy “More” and the beautiful duet with Mandy Patinkin, “What Can You Lose.” Madonna took to these songs like a duck to water and showed that pop was not her only repertoire. Her singing is given great range and she not only tackles genres like Jazz and Big Band, but conquers them with great aplomb.

As per usual, Madonna had an immense amount of input on the album, co-writing six of the album’s twelve songs and co-producing every track. Joined by (then) long time collaborators Patrick Leonard and Shep Pettibone, Madonna also managed to bring a playful vibe to the album. The seductiveness of the album opener “He’s A Man” also has a devilish element that allows for songs like “Hanky Panky,” a cheeky double entendre, to breathe life amongst its peers.

“I’m Going Bananas” provides a fun, lighthearted, almost Carmen Miranda-like energy with its latin flavored sound. The impassioned “Something To Remember” played to a conversation on self-love, a topic that Madonna would go on to explore more later in her career. Never one to sit in the “comfort zone,” as the album draws to a close, Madonna and then boyfriend and co-star Warren Beatty duet on the two-part “Now I’m Following You.” Part one continues the album’s big band theme before segueing into a ‘90s dance track for part two. Complete with background tap dancers, Madonna breathily quoting Socrates (“An unexamined life is not worth living”), another double entendre with Tracy’s first name (Dick) and a line from “Hanky Panky” (“My bottom just hurts thinking about it”) being morphed into a sexual mashup, Madonna again manages to get her exposition to the forefront.

Let’s be brutally honest here. Give or take one other legend (Diana Ross), not many other artists would tackle something like I’m Breathless—then or now. Madonna moved into unknown territory on this album and she delivered. Her vocal prowess may be at its finest on this album, but she also wasn’t afraid to venture into the serious and silly, even giving us a little camp, all things that made and make I’m Breathless a truly breathless exercise in sonic beauty.
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Liam.k.
post Mar 25 2021, 07:54 PM
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30 years since Madonna performed 'Sooner or Later' at the Oscars and won Best Original Song! Her date for the evening was none other than Michael Jackson!


This is among my favourite Madonna looks! She's like Hollywood royalty! Also adore the performance; you can tell she was extremely nervous but she absolutely sold it.
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Hotlady
post Mar 25 2021, 08:04 PM
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I really love this album it's just fantastic. My favouirte song would have to be Back in Business. It's just amazing song.
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Dante77
post Mar 30 2021, 10:39 AM
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God, I love this album. I've also read so many times, that this is one of M's favorites too. It's just so much fun, her singing is strong and the Sondheim songs are sublime. It's smoldering, coquettish, and evokes great memories. My favorite tracks in order are:

1. Vogue
2. Back In Business
3. Sooner or Later
4. He's A Man
5. More
6. Cry Baby
7. Now I'm Following You (Part 1)
8. Something To Remember
9. Hanky Panky
10. What Can You Lose
11. Now I'm Following You (Pt. 2)
12. I'm Going Bananas


This post has been edited by Dante77: Mar 30 2021, 01:53 PM
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dandy*
post Mar 30 2021, 01:11 PM
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I love this album too. It's my nostalgic album, the first I ever owned by her and one that has a lot of memories attached to it. I wouldn't really choose to listen to anything on its own (aside from Vogue, obvs) but within the context of listening to a tongue in cheek musical soundtrack, I pretty much like everything. I particularly like side 2 and agree that Back In Business is a cracking track.
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slowdown73
post Apr 3 2021, 11:00 PM
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Not my favourite Madonna album. I never felt vogue fitted with the style of the album in general.
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