Open Your Heart (Madonna Song)
"Open Your Heart" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released as the fourth single from her third studio album True Blue on November 12, 1986, by Sire Records. It has since appeared remixed on the compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009). Written originally as a rock 'n roll song with the title "Follow Your Heart", it was written for singer Cyndi Lauper by songwriters Gardner Cole and Peter Rafelson, although it was never played to her. Since Madonna's management was looking for new songs for True Blue, she accepted it, and altered some of the lyrics, while changing the composition to suit the dance-pop genre. Lyrically "Open Your Heart" is a love song, talking about innocent feelings of boy-meets-girl romance and Madonna expressing her sexual desire.
The song was well received by critics who commended it for being a simple love song. It was also successful commercially, reaching the top-ten of the charts in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, also reaching the top of Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, thus making it Madonna's fifth US number-one single. The music video, however, portrayed a different concept of the song. Madonna played an exotic dancer in a peep-show club, who befriends a little boy and subsequently escapes. It was critically acclaimed for portraying a completely opposite perspective of "voyeuristic male gaze and object", and depicting innocence rather than sexual overtones, although the entry of a child in a strip club was negatively criticized. The video was an homage to actresses Liza Minnelli and Marlene Dietrich.
The song has been performed by Madonna in three of her world tours – 1987's Who's That Girl World Tour, 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour, where Madonna wore her infamous conical bra during the song, and 2012's MDNA Tour. The first two performances were included in the respective video release of the tour. A brief instrumental of the song was played during one of the performances in Madonna's 2001 Drowned World Tour. "Open Your Heart" has been covered a number of times by different artists, and appeared in the Britney Spears film, Crossroads (2002).
Read more about Open Your Heart (Madonna Song): Writing and Recording, Composition and Lyrics, Music Video, Live Performances, Cover Versions, Formats and Track Listing, Credits and Personnel
Famous quotes containing the words open and/or heart:
“Jesus Christ belonged to the true race of the prophets. He saw with an open eye the mystery of the soul. Drawn by its severe harmony, ravished with its beauty, he lived in it, and had his being there. Alone in all history he estimated the greatness of man.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I am primarily engaged to myself to be a public servant of all the gods, to demonstrate to all men that there is intelligence and good will at the heart of all things, and even higher and yet higher leadings. These are my engagements; how can your law further or hinder me in what I shall do to men?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)