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"Little Star"
Two images of Madonna, with golden flowing hair and head tilted on opposite sides, are superimposed on each other.
Single by Madonna
from the album Ray of Light
A-side"The Power of Good-Bye"
ReleasedNovember 23, 1998
Recorded1997
Studio
Genre
Length5:18
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Madonna singles chronology
"Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
(1998) 		"The Power of Good-Bye" / "Little Star"
(1998) 		"Nothing Really Matters"
(1999)

"Little Star" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998). It was written by Madonna and Rick Nowels, and was produced by the singer with Marius de Vries. It is the only track on the album not to have production credits from William Orbit. Lyrically, the track is an ode to Madonna's first child, Lourdes Leon. The ambient lullaby is driven by skittering drum and bass beats, dreamy basslines, and sweeping strings. Worldwide, "The Power of Good-Bye" was released as the fourth single from Ray of Light. In Europe, however, "Little Star" was issued as a double A-side with "The Power of Good-Bye". The double a-side was first released as the fourth single from Ray of Light in France on November 7, 1998, by Maverick Records and Warner Bros. Records.

"Little Star" received acclaim from music critics, with praise going to its instrumentation and electronic vibe, as well as Madonna's vocals which were compared to "Frozen" (1998). "Little Star" only charted as part of a double a-side single with "The Power of Good-Bye" in the United Kingdom and Scotland; in other areas where the double a-side single was issued, its charting positions were soley attributed to "The Power of Good-Bye". Nonetheless, the song attained commercial success, peaking at number 6 in the United Kingdom and at 5 in Scotland.

Background and release

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Between 1996 and the release of this song's associated album in 1998, Madonna went through a number of "life-changing experiences" including giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, interest in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah, as well as playing the title role in the film adaptation of the musical Evita (1996).[1] A year later, following the promotion of the Evita soundtrack, she started working on Ray of Light; the album would reflect her changed perspectives about life. Madonna wrote songs with William Orbit, Patrick Leonard and Rick Nowels.[1]

I was driving to the studio and played back the demo in my car. I started crying because it was so beautiful. I affected me - to be able to create a song about a child that was so moving and carefully expressed.

—Nowels talking about the experience of writing the song with Madonna.[2]

In the meantime, Madonna had written "Little Star" with Nowels; it was one of the nine songs they had written for the album. Nowels had always wanted to work with Madonna, admiring her previous work with Leonard, Stephen Bray as well as Nile Rodgers. The songwriter was in New York for the Grammy Awards, and during a shopping expedition in Barneys, he met Madonna. Nowels commended the singer on her songwriting skills, being later invited to Los Angeles for writing sessions.[3] According to Lucy O'Brien, author of Madonna: Like an Icon, "[Nowels] was struck by [Madonna's] lyric writing", admitting that, "It was deep, poetic and intelligent. When she's on and at her best she's on a par with Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon". He also stated that the singer's songwriting prowess was benefited from her "voracious reading".[2] Three songs from their sessions were selected for the final track list, "The Power of Good-Bye", "Little Star" and "To Have and Not to Hold".[3]

After issuing "Drowned World/Substitute for Love" as the third single from Ray of Light outside North America,[4] "The Power of Good-Bye" was chosen to be released as the fourth single, but in the UK, the single was distributed as a double A-side with "Little Star".[5][6] The record label promoted it as "a perfect Christmas track".

Recording and composition

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After the songwriting sessions ended with Nowels, Madonna started collaborating with Orbit, de Vries, and Leonard for recording the tracks.[7] Around June 1997, the singer entered the Larrabee North Studio, Universal City, California to record the album.[1] Marius de Vries's contributions to the album were sequenced using ProTools.[8] Marius de Vries described the song: "It's a delicate tune. I knew it had to be handled with butterfly-like delicacy, but also knew it needed an engine room to it, an energy, so it didn't become mawkish. That's why I did something with this skittery, unsettled, never quite resolving beat to counteract the warmth and coziness of the central idea."[2]

"Little Star" is the only track on the album not to have production credits from William Orbit, instead being soley produced by Madonna and Marius de Vries. Orbit noted: "I had nothing to do with this track, apart from being around when it was done. [...] I walked by, loved it and gave them the thumbs up."[1] Steve Sidelnyk was responsible for additional drum programming.[9] It was written in the time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of F minor with a moderate tempo of 80 beats per minute. Madonna's vocals range from G3 to C5 and the song follows a basic sequence of Fm–D♭–A♭–E♭ as its chord progression.[10]

It is an ambient electronica lullaby, with its arrangement being "an understated affair that combines skittering drum and bass beats with dreamy fretless basslines and strings that soar like a songbird".[11][1] Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, compared "Little Star" to Madonna's previous single "Dear Jessie", but called it "not as inventive". They described it as having a "lighter touch" than other songs on the album. They highlighted the "high-pitched electric piano chords" and a "drum-beat that remains a rapid rustling rather than a dance beat".[12] Johnny Black of Q described it as "the most ambient track" with "restrained beats and complex effects held back by sweeping strings."[1]

Lyrically, "The Power of Good-Bye" talks the strength that comes in letting go,[13] and it was considered "a sort of sonic sister to 'Frozen'", since both deal with themes of a heart closed towards love.[14] This is emphasized in the lyrics, "Your heart is not open so I must go" as well as "Freedom comes when you learn to let go, Creation comes when you learn to say no".[15][16] The idea for using detachment as the inspiration for the song stemmed from Madonna's interest in Buddhist philosophy, as well as practicing Yoga.[17] Nowels described the lyrics as "stunning" and commended its confessional nature.[14] He also described the track as a "meditation" and "a beautiful poem". Australian music critic and friend of Madonna, Molly Meldrum, claimed the lyrics were about the singer's former husband Sean Penn. The lyrical content was also compared to literary works of William Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.[2]

Critical reception

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"Madonna imitating Jennifer Rush and Belinda Carlisle in a power ballad that will always give you the feeling that she could have done much better, but ['The Power of Good-Bye'] is so well built and is so epic that we firmly believe that it would sound good even with Katy Perry."

—Guillermo Alonso from Vanity Fair during a ranking of Madonna's singles.[18]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked "The Power of Good-Bye" as one of Ray of Light's highlights,[19] while Amy Pettifer of The Quietus called it "one of [the singer]'s finest moments".[20] Larry Flick of Billboard praised the fact that "[Madonna] brilliantly nestles a dewy love ballad within a cutting-edge electronic pop framework." He noted that "[one] can listen to this track a dozen times and still pluck something new from the richly layered arrangement", while highlighting Madonna's vocals, writing that she "performs with a confidence that allows her to flawlessly merge a widened vocal range with a considerable dose of raw emotion and soul."[6] Daily Record said it is "brilliant".[21] Bryan Lark of The Michigan Daily picked the song and "Frozen" as "the album's best two tracks", noting that both proved that "[Madonna] still likes to get into the groove, explaining why this a techno album and not part of the 'Mood' series."[15] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune felt that the "rapturous sweep of '[The] Power of Good-Bye' [proves that] Madonna has succeeded where all of her pop peers have failed: She's made not just street-smart disco, but smart pop."[22] Authors Allen Metz and Carol Benson wrote in The Madonna Companion that the track, along with "Frozen" and "To Have and Not to Hold" from the album, formed a "dream trilogy" during which Madonna does a monologue with herself, talking about divinity.[23]

Rachel Brodsky of Spin remarked that both "The Power of Good-Bye" and "Frozen" were able to "cement the mainstream crossover of a dance culture once relegated to illegal basement parties".[24] Elysa Gardner of the Los Angeles Times perceived that "Madonna's enduring knack for incorporating hip and exotic textures into accessible pop tunes is evident on avant-leaning dance tracks such as 'Nothing Really Matters' and 'The Power of Good-bye'."[25] Charlotte Robinson of PopMatters praised the inclusion of the recording and other Orbit tracks on Madonna's 2001 compilation album GHV2, for representing "a testament to [the producer's] ability to use gadgets and electronic wizardry not to alienate listeners, but to draw them in".[26] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave an A− grade to the song for its composition, writing that it was "[s]tructured like your average adult contemporary ballad with enough electronic sheen to sound edgy, 'The Power of Goodbye' was the ultimate in electronica-lite."[27] While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardian's Jude Rogers placed the track at number 29, calling it one of Ray of Light's "many powerful sub-aquatic electronic" ballads.[28] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Arnold listed "The Power of Good-Bye" as the singer's 41st best single, writing that "a knowing reference to the wide-eyed plea of her earlier hit 'Open Your Heart', this gorgeous goodbye almost makes the heartache worth it".[29] Medium's Richard LaBeau deemed it "one of the most underrated songs of Madonna’s career, this melancholy electronica ballad is one of her most deeply affecting".[30]

Billboard's Jon O'Brien wrote that despite the track not having production from William Orbit like the other songs on Ray of Light, the "enchanting alt-lullaby still fits in seamlessly."[11]

Chart performance

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In the United Kingdom, the A-side with "The Power of Good-Bye" debuted at number six on the UK Singles Chart, and was present for a total of 11 weeks, selling 175,095 copies as of August 2008, according to the Official Charts Company.[31][32] It became Madonna's 36th best-selling single in that country and in May 2018 was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[33][34] In Scotland, the release peaked at number 5.[35]

Live performances

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Madonna performed "Little Star" on The Oprah Winfrey Show on May 29, 1998; she also performed "Ray of Light".[36] The "Little Star" performance was initially reported to have been selected for inclusion on the "The Power of Good-Bye" single in the United States, but it was ultimately excluded from the release.

Track listings and formats

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  • European and UK CD single[37]
  1. "The Power Of Good-Bye" – 4:10
  2. "Little Star" – 5:18
  1. "The Power of Good-Bye" – 4:10
  2. "Little Star" – 5:18
  3. "The Power of Good-Bye" (Dallas' Low End Mix) – 4:34

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Ray of Light.[9]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "The Power of Good-Bye"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "The Power of Good-Bye"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 1, 1998 Contemporary hit radio Warner Bros.
[40]
September 29, 1998
[41][42][43]
Canada October 27, 1998 Maxi CD Warner Music
[44]
France November 7, 1998
Maverick
[45][46][47]
Germany November 9, 1998 Maxi CD[a] Warner Music
[48][49]
France November 20, 1998 CD Maverick
[50]
United Kingdom November 23, 1998
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • maxi CD[a]
  • Maverick
  • Warner Bros.
[5]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c In Europe, "The Power of Good-Bye" was made available in two maxi CD variants, with one including remixes alongside the original version, and the other including "Little Star".

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Black, Johnny (August 2002). "Making of Ray of Light". Q. 17 (8). ISSN 0955-4955.
  2. ^ a b c d O'Brien 2008, p. 237
  3. ^ a b Kawashima, Dale (June 11, 2015). "Hit Writer/Producer Rick Nowels Talks About His Great Career, Working With Lana Del Rey, John Legend, Madonna and Santana". Songwriter Universe. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  4. ^ Bronson, Fred (September 26, 1998). "Chart Beat: All Around the World". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 39. p. 156. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "New Releases" (PDF). Music Week. November 21, 1998. p. 23. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ a b Flick, Larry (September 12, 1998). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 37. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Walters, Barry (April 1998). "Madonna: The 'Ray of Light' Cover Story, 'Madonna Chooses Dare'". Spin. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  8. ^ Kot, Greg (July 1998). "The Methods and Machinery Behind Madonna's Ray of Light". Keyboard. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Ray of Light (LP, Vinyl, CD). Madonna. Maverick Records. Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362-46882.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Ciccone, Madonna; Nowels, Rick (1998). "Madonna 'The Power of Good-Bye' Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  11. ^ a b O'Brien, Jon (February 22, 2023). "Madonna's 'Ray of Light' Turns 25: Songs Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Rooksby 2004, p. 54
  13. ^ Taraborrelli 2008, p. 178
  14. ^ a b Sears, Stephen (March 4, 2013). "Madonna's 'Ray Of Light' Turns 15: Backtracking". Idolator. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Lark, Bryan (March 10, 1998). "Madonna Opens Heart and Soul on 'Light'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  16. ^ Jeanrod & Theobald 2001, p. 90
  17. ^ Hvidfeldt, Anders (May 7, 1998). "Leonardo DiCaprio går i kloster" [Leonardo DiCaprio is in monasteries]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  18. ^ Alonso, Guillermo (August 6, 2015). "Todos los singles de Madonna, ordenados de peor a mejor". Vanity Fair (in Spanish). Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  19. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Madonna: Ray of Light". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  20. ^ Pettifer, Amy (February 25, 2015). "Madonna's Rebel Heart: A Track By Track Review". The Quietus. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  21. ^ "Chartslot". Daily Record. December 4, 1998. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  22. ^ Kot, Greg (March 1, 1998). "New-material Girl". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  23. ^ Metz & Benson 1999, p. 26
  24. ^ "Express Yourself: What Is Madonna's Greatest Era?". Spin. March 9, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  25. ^ Gardner, Elysa (March 1, 1998). "Album Review: Madonna 'Ray of Light'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  26. ^ Robinson, Charlotte (November 12, 2001). "Madonna: Greatest Hits Volume 2". PopMatters. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  27. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (November 8, 2001). "Madonna: GHV2". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  28. ^ Rogers, Jude (August 16, 2018). "Every one of Madonna's 78 singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  29. ^ Arnold, Chuck (August 15, 2018). "Madonna's 60 best singles, ranked". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  30. ^ LeBeau, Richard (August 16, 2018). "Ranking All 57 of Madonna's Billboard Hits in Honor of Her 60th(!) Birthday". Medium. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  31. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  32. ^ Jones, Alan (August 19, 2008). "The immaculate guide to 50 years of Madonna". Music Week. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  33. ^ Myers, Justin (August 16, 2016). "Madonna's Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  34. ^ a b "British single certifications – Madonna – The Power of Good-bye". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference aria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ "Madonna Steps Into The Media "Light" With Oprah, Firms Up Film Work". MTV News. May 27, 1998. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  37. ^ The Power of Good-Bye (EU CD single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 17121 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ The Power of Good-Bye (Maxi CD single liner notes). Madonna. Maverick Records; Warner Bros. Records. 1998. 9362 44598 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  40. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1263. August 28, 1998. p. 37. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  41. ^ Madonna (1998). The Power of Good-Bye (7-inch single). Maverick Records, Warner Bros. Records. 7-17160.
  42. ^ Madonna (1998). The Power of Good-Bye (cassette single). Maverick Records, Warner Bros. Records. 9-17160-4.
  43. ^ Madonna (1998). The Power of Good-Bye (CD single). Maverick Records, Warner Bros. Records. 9-17160-2.
  44. ^ "Album Releases: October 1998". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  45. ^ "The power of goodbye" (in French). Maverick Records. November 7, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Fnac.
  46. ^ "The power of goodbye" (in French). Maverick Records. November 7, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Fnac.
  47. ^ "The power of goodbye" (in French). Maverick Records. November 7, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Fnac.
  48. ^ "Power of Goodbye" (in German). Warner Music Group. November 9, 1998. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Amazon.
  49. ^ "Power of Goodbye" (in German). Warner Music Group. November 9, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Amazon.
  50. ^ "The power of goodbye" (in French). Maverick Records. November 20, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2024 – via Fnac.

Bibliography

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