father father song american singer madonna fourth studio album like prayer released fourth single album october song released single european territories december appeared ballads compilation remember written produced madonna father presence male authoritative figures madonna life prominently father madonna relationship father mother death years later developing like prayer album madonna emotional state mind personal problems reflected songwriting father musically father pop song ballad recorded studio new_york_city different types chord progression created basic outline melody madonna shaped wrote lyrics fit melody contrast singing song featured instrumentation strings piano violin drum machine father received positive reviews critics authors commercially successful madonna previous singles countries released song failed attain positions finland italy peaked number ended madonna string consecutive singles united_states music video song madonna attempt embrace accept mother death directed shot black white shows little girl playing snow mother dies grown madonna follows child sings song child runs away abusive father described reviewers autobiographical video listed rolling_stone music videos scholars noted madonna persona split child adult video writer described scene involving dead mother shown wake lips shut disturbing scenes history mainstream music videos scene inspired madonna memory mother funeral father performed madonna portrayed woman trying find religion battle background madonna years old mother died breast cancer age months madonna noticed changes mother behavior personality understand reasons loss explain dire medical condition begin cry questioned madonna point madonna respond wrapping arms mother remember feeling stronger madonna recalled little felt like child madonna later acknowledged concept mother dying left unresolved emotions remorse guilt loss anger confusion saw mother looking beautiful lying asleep open noticed mother mouth looked funny took time realize awful moment began understand lost forever final image mother peaceful today madonna eventually learned care siblings turned paternal grandmother hope finding form mother siblings resented invariably rebelled brought home ostensibly place beloved mother interview vanity_fair madonna commented saw youth lonely girl searching wasn rebellious certain way cared good didn didn wear like normal girls studied got good grades wanted somebody terrified father taken madonna unable sleep near years mother death father married family point madonna began express unresolved feelings anger father lasted decades developed rebellious attitude explained issue interview magazine rebellious attitude came think father remarried years married like going like young girls love father didn want lose lost mother mother father got taken away married said don need anybody going break heart going need anybody stand person belong writing inspiration madonna started work fourth studio album like prayer emotional state mind following divorce husband birthday unfavorable reviews acting endeavors certain personal matters mind thought musical direction album writing songs like prayer madonna acted broadway production called speed play portrayed karen secretary movie producer bet friends karen later gets revenge depicted men bet exploited madonna frustrated role negative reception lyrics result set songs till death promise try father sought purge personal paranoia demons written producer father singer wanted pain confusion characterized relationship father generally accepted critics academics love letter indictment madonna inspiration father saying song father tribute favorite band time added song listener thinks open interpretation wrote song interpret mean want mean singer mentioned physical abuse family mentioned father hard author brien wrote book madonna like icon song stemmed emotional neglect madonna faced father locked grief died married new wife wrapped children older kids left devices brien believed reason madonna joy father potent example singer imagination escape troubled childhood blaming father tony later said maybe greatest father world life wasn easy madonna nickname knows recording composition madonna went record father troubled role speed mind result emotions recording song string arrangement songs like prayer including father recalled madonna worked song awful little studio new_york dirty cramped came according madonna moved singing song theme suggested controversial topic closet childhood showed vocal performance said madonna note sang flat certain spot consistently like vary voice change tone madonna recalled thought melody song mixing complimented madonna saying strongest vocal performance interview billboard celebrating 25th anniversary like prayer explained recording process song favorite thing recorded wrote father knew way kind real thing song record button pressed times real wanted kind let try easy song baroque pop ballad madonna uses contrast higher voice lower song begins sound violins seconds drum machine string arrangement piano violins madonna sings chorus line hurt got away thought violins drum beats drop chorus come bridge madonna sings verse father violins change pitch higher second chorus instrumental break sings realization father want hurt ran away song ends guitar violins fading madonna voice interview madonna commented father refer tony god authorities life critical reception critical response father generally positive author madonna commented track madonna exposed transforming personal experience art making clear felt relationship tony believed phrases feeling good oneself song extremely popular early added father generous moment madonna musical career track inspired exploration childhood music contemporary artists like particular bush song fog studio album sensual world winter effort author wrote book embodied voices autobiographical nature song brought forth new madonna sharing view authors madonna declared father powerful statement father daughter relationships author madonna companion described song stark ballad string arrangement brien felt strings dramatic described madonna singing consisting love style adding madonna attacks song personal passion dallas morning news felt great sense hurt present father far madonna song called strongest shocking song like prayer new_york_times wrote orchestration song describing madonna delivery lines angry triumph allmusic shared opinion described father madonna finest ballad performance added upward chorus accompanied overdubbed self harmonies feature controlled effective use madonna highest register sheer brilliance giving song resolve removes self pity verses music journalist reviewing like prayer rolling stone believed despite song lush string arrangement lyrics contain degree pain guardian commented nature lyrics father appealed song negative reception song given author films called madonna weakest efforts verses sounding like musical theater pop song chart performance united_states father released october debuted number billboard hot week november song madonna single holiday enter united_states peaking number week december ended streak consecutive singles consecutive singles present hot total weeks canada father debuted number november weeks song reached peak number chart present total weeks single madonna lowest charting single australia time peaked number breaking run consecutive singles father released single european territories december appeared madonna compilation album remember single released different track listing artwork included photography music video song debuted peaked number singles chart january single career miss position united_kingdom bow according official_charts_company father sold copies august song appeared irish_singles_chart week number january song commercially successful finland italy reached number national charts european hot singles song debuted number january week reached peak position number lowest charting single chart point music video music video filmed week october california directed worked madonna video express described author autobiographical video shot entirely black white death scene young woman exploring relationship husband daughter left begins young girl playing backyard snow falls ground scene shifts young woman died lies husband covers white sheet priest madonna wearing long black coat sings song underneath snow covered dead tree young girl plays dead mother jewelry husband comes shouts girl tearing away woman pearl necklace drop little girl feet adult madonna shown lying man singing song little girl visits mother grave man gets madonna face little girl cries grave taken away graveyard father interspersed scenes girl kissed mother trying reach door madonna mark face singer walks forest father shown drinking grief funeral scene follows showing girl walking mother wake sees mother lips sealed thread runs away wake madonna walks house shadows girl shouted father ultimately walks graveyard stands old man implying little girl portrayed video ends little girl dancing mother grave snow falls madonna later said end video attempt embrace accept mother death according feminist writer video said taken stylistic inspiration film described video typical adolescent story western cultural terms madonna catholic upbringing conflicted relationship literal father video symbolic holy father law author felt video drew madonna childhood experiences efforts relationships daily interactions lover father relation catholicism singer referred line father noticed like commercial shot earlier single like prayer madonna persona split child adult repeatedly fuse separate commented narrative developed child shown singing adult madonna voice heard adult madonna appears hallway shadow child madonna responded observations saying think biggest reason able express intimidated having mother moved scene funeral child seeing mother lips shut described shots mainstream music videos scene inspired madonna memory mother lying wake singer recalled interview vanity_fair remembered mother lips looked funny funeral got closer saw lips image mother haunted madonna years led comment resolve complex singer explained deal loss mother deal guilt gone deal loss father married angry abandoned girl angry goes saying fuck fuck covering saying hurt guess came video mtv special hosted titled breakfast madonna described video amazing asked madonna father seen madonna responded tell truth don know seen sort afraid ask mtv world premiered video november wanted pull broadcast scene lips shut removed madonna disagreed told cancel future deals channel prompting mtv air video music video honored rolling_stone music videos placed number video received nomination 33rd grammy awards category madonna vision reconciliation music videos father single don preach later included level controversial development field media studies 1990s music video father commercially available madonna dvd vhs compilation live performance covers madonna performed father blond ambition world tour live tell second segment performance like prayer ended madonna dressed clergyman neck veil head church nave started singing live tell confession bench roman columns platform candles background middle song started singing father dancer black played role priest dancer recalled performance required lot rehearsal time dance portrayed madonna woman trying find religion explained knew needed resistant dance represented battle inside end performance pushed madonna head pulling portraying role priest trying wake madonna importance religion different performances taped released video taped japan april taped nice france august british alternative band released rock version song album cover version folk rock style included madonna tribute compilation wilderness covered song album born allmusic praised version saying voice sounded recalled number tortured 90s rock rolling_stone said cover finds sweetness original song closer track listing formats credits personnel credits personnel adapted like prayer album liner notes charts
Oh Father