Jump to content

This Used to Be My Playground

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 76.246.7.214 (talk) at 23:45, 27 September 2013 (→‎Background). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"This Used to Be My Playground"
Song
B-side"This Used to Be My Playground" (long version)
"This Used to Be My Playground"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"This Used to Be My Playground" is a song performed by Madonna. It is the theme for the film A League of Their Own, which starred Madonna as well as Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell. Though featured in the film, it is not available on the soundtrack album, due to licensing restrictions that prohibited Madonna material from being mixed or compiled with other singers on albums. It was originally available on the Olympics-inspired Barcelona Gold compilation album released that summer, but in a shorter edit than any of the versions on the commercial singles. It would later be featured on Madonna's 1995 ballads compilation, Something to Remember. The song was written and produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone, and recorded prior to final sessions for her 1992 studio album Erotica.[1]

Released in the summer of 1992, the single was a worldwide hit. It spent one week at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Madonna's tenth chart-topping single, breaking her tie with Whitney Houston to become the female artist with the most number one singles at that time. It entered the charts in the UK top five, peaking at number three for two weeks, and was another top five hit for Madonna in numerous other markets. The song earned Madonna a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song.[2]

Even though the song was commercially successful, Madonna has never performed it in any of her concerts or media appearances. It did not appear on succeeding greatest hits albums GHV2 (2001) and Celebration (2009) either.

Background

In 1991, Madonna starred in the movie A League of Their Own which was released during the following year. After finishing filming the movie, the recording sessions for her fifth studio album Erotica began. Prior to the final sessions of the album, she wrote and recorded a song for A League of Their Own that became "This Used to Be My Playground".[1] The song was written by Madonna and Pettibone and is a pop ballad. It was released as a single in summer 1992.

Official versions

Different versions of the song are available with different lengths, each one serving for different purposes:

  • Album version (4:42) - This version has two verses and was not available as a single, but can be found on the 1992 Barcelona Gold compilation
  • Single version (5:06) - This version also has two verses like the album version.
  • Video version/Single edit (4:58) - This version is similar to the single version, but the intro is shorter. It was used for the song's official music video.
  • Long version (6:03) - This version has three verses.
  • Movie version (With sound effects)/Film version (6:42) - This version has four verses and was used for the credits of A League of Their Own. It has a shorter intro like in the video version.
  • Movie version (Without sound effects) (6:56) - This version is similar to the film version, but does not include the sound effects. Never officially released.
  • Instrumental (6:54) - This is the instrumental version of the movie version without sound effects.

Chart performance

"This Used to Be My Playground" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of July 4, 1992 at number thirty-five. Five weeks later, on August 8, 1992, it topped the chart for one week, becoming Madonna's tenth number one single, breaking her tie with Whitney Houston to become the female artist with the most number one singles at that time. It eventually charted for a total of 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number two on the Hot 100 Airplay and at number four on the Adult Contemporary chart, and went on to become the 21st biggest single of 1992, according to Billboard's year-end chart. On September 10, 1992 it was certified gold by the RIAA.

The song also achieved great success outside of the United States, hitting number one in various countries including Canada, Italy, Finland, and Sweden and charting within the top ten in other countries. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number five. The next week it rose to its peak of number three, where it stayed for two weeks.[3] It charted for a total of nine weeks on the U.K. charts and was certified silver by the BPI on September 1, 1992. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 275,000 copies in the UK.[4]

Music video

The music video, directed by Alek Keshishian, was filmed in June 1992 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California and Malibu Beach and world premiered on MTV on June 30, 1992, 1 day before the release of A League of Their Own. The video was commercially released in 2004 as a bonus feature on the 2-disc special edition DVD of the film. It shows a young man viewing a photo album, as Madonna sings in different settings from within the various pictures inside the album. Scenes from A League of Their Own also appear on the album during the song's instrumental break. As the video ends, the viewer having reached the end of the album, then scrolls backwards through the previous photo album pages.

  • Director: Alek Keshishian
  • Producer: unknown
  • Director of Photography: unknown
  • Editor: Jim Haygood
  • Production Company: Propaganda Films

The video has been compared to Boy George's video for his 1987 single, "To Be Reborn", released less than five years before "This Used to Be My Playground", in which the singer also appears on pages of a photo album, performing his song. Similarities have been noticed on numerous internet blogs, some claiming that Madonna had copied George's idea.[5][6] Boy George himself stated in his autobiography that he was "furious" after watching Madonna's video and renamed it "This Used to Be My Video".[7][8]

British electronic musician Andi Fraggs has used the same concept for the backdrop video of "Life Follows You" in 2012.[9][10]

Track listing

Worldwide 7" vinyl, Cassette single / Japanese 3" CD single
  1. "This Used to Be My Playground" (single version)
  2. "This Used to Be My Playground" (long version)
European 12" vinyl / Worldwide CD single
  1. "This Used to Be My Playground" (single version) – 5:06
  2. "This Used to Be My Playground" (instrumental version) – 6:54
  3. "This Used to Be My Playground" (long version) – 6:03
Notes
  • In the US, the single was not released on 12" vinyl, instead it was only available on 7" vinyl, CD and cassette formats.

Charts

Preceded by U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
August 8, 1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single
August 15, 1992 - August 29, 1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Rhythm Is a Dancer" by Snap!
"Hanno Ucciso l'Uomo Ragno" by 883
 Italian Singles Chart number-one single
August 15, 1992 – September 5, 1992 (first run)
September 26, 1992 – October 10, 1992 (second run) 		Succeeded by
"Hanno Ucciso L'Uomo Ragno" by 883
"It's Probably Me" by Sting and Eric Clapton
Preceded by Swedish Singles Chart number-one single
September 30, 1992 - October 7, 1992 		Succeeded by
"Om du Var Min" by Mauro Scocco

Cover versions

See also: List of Madonna tribute albums

The 2006 compilation The World's Greatest 80s Tribute to Madonna features a cover by British New Wave/synthpop band A Flock of Seagulls.

References

  1. ^ a b "Shep Pettibone's "The Erotica Diaries"".
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive".
  4. ^ "Madonna: The Official Top 40". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
  5. ^ "This Used to Be My Video. Boy George and Madonna. The Two Greats". madonnascrapbook.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  6. ^ "Madonna Ripped Off Boy George". aishamusic.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  7. ^ George, Boy (1995). Take It Like a Man. Pan Books. p. 521.
  8. ^ "Interview: Boy George on Lady Gaga, Madonna, Adele and Much More!". www.afterelton.com. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  9. ^ "LIFE FOLLOWS YOU (PIANO VERSION) - ANDI FRAGGS (LIVE) 02/02/13". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  10. ^ "Andi Fraggs - "Life Follows You" Live at the Comedy Pub". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  11. ^ Volume 56, No. 7, August 15 1992
  12. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  13. ^ "Madonna: Discografia Italiana" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. 1984–1999. Retrieved 2010-01-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  14. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  15. ^ http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/pettruciani/232/singles-1992.html
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl - Jaaroverzichten - Single 1992" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  17. ^ http://ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~topsi/deu1992/deu_1992t.html
  18. ^ "Top Annuale Singles: 1992" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
  19. ^ http://www.dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1992&cat=s
  20. ^ http://swisscharts.com/year.asp?key=1992
  21. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  22. ^ "BPI Searchable Database". British Phonographic Industry.
  23. ^ "Madonna-This Used To Be My Playground-Single Certification". Recording Industry Association of America.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_Used_to_Be_My_Playground&oldid=574805699"