Secret (Madonna song)
Encyclopedia
"Secret" is a song by Madonna
, released as the first single from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories
. It was released in September 1994 and became a top ten hit around the world, including reaching number three in the United States and five in the UK. It was later included on her greatest hits compilations GHV2
(2001) and Celebration
(2009).
, who she had collaborated with on the 1992 album Erotica. On release, the song was credited to Madonna
and Dallas Austin
. Pettibone was not acknowledged as co-writer until the release of a 2001 remix compilation album GHV2 Remixed: The Best of 1991-2001.
Musically, "Secret" is in the key of E-flat minor. According to The Official Charts Company, "Secret" has sold 117,957 copies in the United Kingdom, as of August 2008.
Unusual for the mid-90's, Madonna promoted this song on the Internet
, with a 30-second sample of "Secret" and the cover image of the then-unreleased Bedtime Stories. She also left a message with the following words:
The last part of her message referred to a brief trend of AOL
chatroom users impersonating her; this was confirmed by MTV News
.
The song was performed on tour for the first time during her 2001 Drowned World Tour
. It was later performed at the Houston stop of her Sticky and Sweet Tour in November, 2008, as a fan request. Slant Magazine
listed "Secret" as the 42nd "Best Singles of the '90s".
was directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel and was filmed on September 9, 10, 11, 1994 at the Lenox Lounge
an on location on Lenox Avenue in Harlem
, New York
. The video starts with Madonna singing in a club. As the song progresses, she walks down a street and ultimately reaches her home to her boyfriend or husband and a child. Scenes of Madonna are interspersed with scenes of transvestites getting ready, and religious iconography such as rebirth and damnation.
An official remix video was edited by Dan-O-Rama and is known as "Secret (Dan-O-Rama Remix)" - it includes the remix "Junior's Luscious Club Edit" by Junior Vasquez
.
U.S. CD Maxi-Single (9 41772-2)
(Released: October 19, 1994)
Australian/European CD Maxi-Single (9362-41785-2)
(Released: September 28, 1994)
U.S. 2-Track Single (2-18035)
(Released: September 14, 1994)
Japanese CD Maxi-Single (WPCR-170)
(Released: 1994)
European CD Maxi-Single (9362-41806-2)
(Released:October,1994)
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, released as the first single from her 1994 album Bedtime Stories
Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on October 25, 1994 by Maverick Records. Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave "Jam" Hall and Nellee Hooper, deciding to move into a more R&B direction...
. It was released in September 1994 and became a top ten hit around the world, including reaching number three in the United States and five in the UK. It was later included on her greatest hits compilations GHV2
GHV2
GHV2 is the second greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 2001, by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. It contains the most popular songs from the 1990s up until 2001. It is the follow-up to the 1990 release, The...
(2001) and Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
(2009).
Song information
"Secret" was originally written and produced by Madonna with Shep PettiboneShep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
, who she had collaborated with on the 1992 album Erotica. On release, the song was credited to Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
. Pettibone was not acknowledged as co-writer until the release of a 2001 remix compilation album GHV2 Remixed: The Best of 1991-2001.
Musically, "Secret" is in the key of E-flat minor. According to The Official Charts Company, "Secret" has sold 117,957 copies in the United Kingdom, as of August 2008.
Unusual for the mid-90's, Madonna promoted this song on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, with a 30-second sample of "Secret" and the cover image of the then-unreleased Bedtime Stories. She also left a message with the following words:
The last part of her message referred to a brief trend of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
chatroom users impersonating her; this was confirmed by MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
.
The song was performed on tour for the first time during her 2001 Drowned World Tour
Drowned World Tour
The Drowned World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums Ray of Light and Music. It was also her first tour in eight years, following The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993...
. It was later performed at the Houston stop of her Sticky and Sweet Tour in November, 2008, as a fan request. Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
listed "Secret" as the 42nd "Best Singles of the '90s".
Music video
The black and white music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by photographer Melodie McDaniel and was filmed on September 9, 10, 11, 1994 at the Lenox Lounge
Lenox Lounge
Lenox Lounge is a long-standing bar in Harlem, New York City. It is located in Lenox Avenue, between 124th and 125th. The bar was founded in 1939 and served as venue for performances by many great jazz artists, including Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane...
an on location on Lenox Avenue in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The video starts with Madonna singing in a club. As the song progresses, she walks down a street and ultimately reaches her home to her boyfriend or husband and a child. Scenes of Madonna are interspersed with scenes of transvestites getting ready, and religious iconography such as rebirth and damnation.
An official remix video was edited by Dan-O-Rama and is known as "Secret (Dan-O-Rama Remix)" - it includes the remix "Junior's Luscious Club Edit" by Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
.
- Director: Melodie McDanielMelodie McDanielMelodie McDaniel is a still life, celebrity, and advertising photographer and film director.- Biography :Melodie McDaniel graduated in 1992 from Art Center School of Design with a major in Photography and a minor in Fine Art...
- Producer: Tim Harbert
- Director of Photography: Pascal Lebègue
- Editor: ?
- Production Company: Palomar Pictures Inc.
Track listings and versions
Major formats released for "Secret":U.S. CD Maxi-Single (9 41772-2)
(Released: October 19, 1994)
- "Secret" (Radio Edit) — 4:28
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) — 4:16
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Club Mix) — 6:17
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Factory Mix) — 10:17
- "Secret" (Some Bizarre Mix) — 9:48
- "Secret" (Allstar Mix) — 5:10
Australian/European CD Maxi-Single (9362-41785-2)
(Released: September 28, 1994)
- "Secret" (Radio Edit) — 4:30
- "Let Down Your Guard" (Rough Mix Edit) — 4:33
- "Secret" (Instrumental) — 5:03
- "Secret" (LP Version) — 5:04
U.S. 2-Track Single (2-18035)
(Released: September 14, 1994)
- "Secret" (Album Version) — 5:05
- "Secret" (Instrumental) — 5:05
Japanese CD Maxi-Single (WPCR-170)
(Released: 1994)
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) — 4:16
- "Secret" (Junior's Extended Luscious Club Mix) — 7:57
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Dub) — 6:21
- "Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) — 10:18
- "Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Dub) — 7:58
- "Secret" (Some Bizarre Mix) — 9:48
- "Secret" (Allstar Mix) — 5:10
- "Secret" (Radio Edit) — 4:30
European CD Maxi-Single (9362-41806-2)
(Released:October,1994)
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Single Mix) — 4:16
- "Secret" (Junior's Extended Luscious Club Mix) — 7:57
- "Secret" (Junior's Luscious Dub) — 6:21
- "Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Mix) — 10:18
- "Secret" (Junior's Sound Factory Dub) — 7:58
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| United Kingdom |
Peak positions
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Singles Chart |
5 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
15 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 11 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
20 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
2 |
| German Singles Chart | 29 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
16 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Japanese Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Weekly Singles Chart |
98 |
| Japanese Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... International Singles |
2 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 5 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 4 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 12 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 2 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 84 |
| Australia ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Singles Chart |
46 |
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 71 |