independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > The making of Madonna's Live To Tell
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 04/28/21 11:02am

automatic

avatar

The making of Madonna's Live To Tell

Live to Tell is my absolute favorite Madonna song. The melody and lyrics are so haunting and beautiful at the same time. There is a great guy on YouTube Adam Reader "The Professor of Rock" who did a sit down interview with Patrick Leonard the man who made the melody and they go into the making of the song. Madonna wrote the lyrics and did the vocals in one take according to him. Here's the link to the interview for more details https://youtu.be/YMV62hjZNJk
[Edited 4/28/21 15:01pm]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 04/28/21 11:25am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

Professor of Rock is awesome. He did a great story with Jimmy Jam about "What Have You Done For Me Lately."

There is some other video somewhere, I think, with Leonard talking about "Live To Tell." The story of that song and it's intention vs where it ended up is just as fasincating.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 04/28/21 11:47am

SoulAlive
This is the song that turned me into a Madonna fan.I liked her earlier stuff,but I was really impressed with this song.It’s one of my top 5 favorite Madonna songs.

When she started doing songs like this and “Papa Don’t Preach”,I began to view Madonna as a “serious” artist who was more than just a dance/pop princess.She had more meaningful stuff to say.”She’s thinking some serious thoughts and singing some serious songs”,a critic remarked at the time.

….
[Edited 4/28/21 16:23pm]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 04/28/21 11:52am

alphastreet
I couldn’t get into the song when it came out, I was super young and enjoyed her dance music more. I came to appreciate it when something to remember came out
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 04/28/21 2:42pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

alphastreet said:

I couldn’t get into the song when it came out, I was super young and enjoyed her dance music more. I came to appreciate it when something to remember came out


I remember it being so unique. I loved the drama of it. It was still the part of the 80s where drama and mood sold a song. There's a loooong ass version of it, too.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 04/28/21 3:10pm

automatic

avatar
I should also mention the movie the song was written for At Close Range. It's really good! I only recently watched it for the first time. I don't know why I waited so long but I was really impressed. Patrick Leonard's score is excellent and you can her the instrumental of Live to Tell at the beginning of the film. Madonna's song is played over the end credits. The movie itself really surprised me. I didn't know where it was going to go most of the time. Very unpredictable and great performances by Sean Penn, Christopher Walken and Mary Stuart Masterson.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 04/28/21 4:13pm

SoulAlive
“a man can tell a thousand lies
I’ve learned my lesson well”

the song has a haunting arrangement and amazing lyrics.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 04/28/21 4:18pm

SoulAlive
One of the greatest Madonna moments is when she performed this song on the Blond Ambition tour.It’s a very dramatic and thrilling performance.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 04/28/21 6:06pm

mnbvc

[Off topic snip - luv4u]

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 04/28/21 6:23pm

SoulAlive

automatic said:

I should also mention the movie the song was written for At Close Range. It's really good! I only recently watched it for the first time. I don't know why I waited so long but I was really impressed. Patrick Leonard's score is excellent and you can her the instrumental of Live to Tell at the beginning of the film. Madonna's song is played over the end credits. The movie itself really surprised me. I didn't know where it was going to go most of the time. Very unpredictable and great performances by Sean Penn, Christopher Walken and Mary Stuart Masterson.


I never saw the movie.I’ll have to check it out.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 04/28/21 10:18pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

mnbvc said:

SoulAlive said:

“a man can tell a thousand lies I’ve learned my lesson well” the song has a haunting arrangement and amazing lyrics.

Beyonce Knowles is [not interested in your drivel snip]


Oh shut up and stop derailing someone's thread about someone absolutely unrelated to the topic subject. You're BORING with this shit. Take your hard on for Beyonce and go rub it out already.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 04/28/21 10:30pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

SoulAlive said:

One of the greatest Madonna moments is when she performed this song on the Blond Ambition tour.It’s a very dramatic and thrilling performance.


That whole religious section is really great. The alter, Carlton acting has her dramatic foil, the candles, the arches, the cross, her chunky wood cross necklace, the sheer tunic under the robe with the M on the back. "Like A Virgin," "Like A Prayer" (with "Act of Contrition"), "Live To Tell," "Oh Father," "Papa Don't Preach."

She said in Truth or Dare, to her father and stepmother, that "you can't get to one place without going through another place." She was right. You can't get from "Where's The Party" to "Sooner or Later" without going thru the Religious section.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 04/29/21 8:19am

MickyDolenz

avatar

mnbvc said:

[Off topic snip - luv4u]

tumblr_nigjb6380k1tsadyso1_r2_400.gif

You can take a black guy to Nashville from right out of the cotton fields with bib overalls, and they will call him R&B. You can take a white guy in a pin-stripe suit who’s never seen a cotton field, and they will call him country. ~ O. B. McClinton
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 04/29/21 1:20pm

alphastreet

TrivialPursuit said:



alphastreet said:


I couldn’t get into the song when it came out, I was super young and enjoyed her dance music more. I came to appreciate it when something to remember came out


I remember it being so unique. I loved the drama of it. It was still the part of the 80s where drama and mood sold a song. There's a loooong ass version of it, too.



I miss ballads with drama and mood. Another that comes to mind is right here waiting
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 04/30/21 5:26pm

mynameisnotsus
an
A top 5 Madonna song for me - interesting to hear Pat Leonard talk about it.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 05/02/21 3:02pm

Milty2

Nice. I used to love this song. I guess I still do. I'm looking forward to watching this clip.

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > The making of Madonna's Live To Tell