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Click here to watch a true musical genius at work – producer Patrick Leonard’s stunning solo piano performance of Live to Tell, live at the Seth Riggs Summer Vocal Program in July 2008.
It will burn inside of you!
It will burn inside of you!
"It's always been about the music"
Showing posts with label Pat Leonard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pat Leonard. Show all posts
14 May 2011
i have a tale to tell – Marc Moreau speaks
This week, 25 years ago, Live to Tell was sitting at its #2 peak on the UK pop singles chart. The song was her fourth single to narrowly miss out on the top spot – the international novelty hit, Rock Me Amadeus, by Austrian pop musician, Falco, was at #1. Incidentally, one of the four runner-ups (Warner UK’s shameless, yet genius, post-Live Aid re-release of Holiday) missed out on the top spot because Madonna’s other summer '85 anthem, Into the Groove, was implanted at #1.
Having dominated pop music in 1985, with a hyperactive rush of pure pop brilliance, Madonna’s much-anticipated, first single release of 1986 was the haunting ballad, Live to Tell – just one of many Madonna songs that would re-write the rules of pop music.
Co-written and produced with Pat Leonard, fresh off the road with Madonna on The Virgin Tour, Live to Tell sounded like nothing else being played on pop radio and nothing like what the world thought a Madonna song, or a pop song for that matter, should sound like – the first of many times that Madonna's music would defy expectation. With lyrics by Madonna, Live to Tell wiped some of the sneers off the faces of those who had mocked her earlier pop/dance hits.
I know where beauty lives
I’ve seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can’t take that from me
In 1989, Marc Moreau began working as a studio engineer at Pat Leonard’s studio in LA. On his second, or third day in the studio Marc began working as second engineer to Brian Malouf and Bill Bottrell – engineers on Madonna’s forthcoming I’m Breathless album. Marc would continue to work as a studio engineer with Pat and Madonna up until Ray of Light.
When I spoke to Marc, he spoke about Madonna’s songwriting and recalled a conversation with Pat Leonard about Live to Tell.
“Their first song broke a lot of rules. I mean, it was a ballad, it was like six minutes long, which is two minutes longer than the record company – they were screaming about that! It has this big spot in the middle, where it just breaks down to almost nothing and then comes back. I remember Pat talking about it once and he said, “It pretty much violates every rule that you have for a single!” But yet she loved it and she stuck to it and backed it all the way and they (Warner Bros Records) were starting to give this young producer, Pat, a bunch of grief about the song and she stuck to her guns on it and it was a huge, huge hit. It broke all the rules. I could see how that would cement them together from that point on to be able to make the next records that they did.
Madonna could go to that emotional place, which I think separates her from a lot of pop artists. She can dig up some stuff about herself, and it’s real stuff, and can put it out there emotionally, as well as have the fun, “Let’s go party!” songs and not a lot of artists can sort of do that and let you get in there and get real for a bit.”
Having dominated pop music in 1985, with a hyperactive rush of pure pop brilliance, Madonna’s much-anticipated, first single release of 1986 was the haunting ballad, Live to Tell – just one of many Madonna songs that would re-write the rules of pop music.
Co-written and produced with Pat Leonard, fresh off the road with Madonna on The Virgin Tour, Live to Tell sounded like nothing else being played on pop radio and nothing like what the world thought a Madonna song, or a pop song for that matter, should sound like – the first of many times that Madonna's music would defy expectation. With lyrics by Madonna, Live to Tell wiped some of the sneers off the faces of those who had mocked her earlier pop/dance hits.
I know where beauty lives
I’ve seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can’t take that from me
In 1989, Marc Moreau began working as a studio engineer at Pat Leonard’s studio in LA. On his second, or third day in the studio Marc began working as second engineer to Brian Malouf and Bill Bottrell – engineers on Madonna’s forthcoming I’m Breathless album. Marc would continue to work as a studio engineer with Pat and Madonna up until Ray of Light.
When I spoke to Marc, he spoke about Madonna’s songwriting and recalled a conversation with Pat Leonard about Live to Tell.
“Their first song broke a lot of rules. I mean, it was a ballad, it was like six minutes long, which is two minutes longer than the record company – they were screaming about that! It has this big spot in the middle, where it just breaks down to almost nothing and then comes back. I remember Pat talking about it once and he said, “It pretty much violates every rule that you have for a single!” But yet she loved it and she stuck to it and backed it all the way and they (Warner Bros Records) were starting to give this young producer, Pat, a bunch of grief about the song and she stuck to her guns on it and it was a huge, huge hit. It broke all the rules. I could see how that would cement them together from that point on to be able to make the next records that they did.
Madonna could go to that emotional place, which I think separates her from a lot of pop artists. She can dig up some stuff about herself, and it’s real stuff, and can put it out there emotionally, as well as have the fun, “Let’s go party!” songs and not a lot of artists can sort of do that and let you get in there and get real for a bit.”
7 May 2011
angels with dirty faces: Bruce Gaitsch reveals unreleased demo
When I interviewed Bruce Gaitsch, co-writer of La Isla Bonita and guitarist on True Blue and Like a Prayer, I asked him if he was involved in any of the unreleased Madonna/Pat Leonard demos, which have been reported from that era, Possessive Love and Just a Dream:
“I have a tape somewhere of some songs I had to learn parts from
and none of these songs are on it. But there is a song called
Angels with Dirty Faces on it that is killer!”
Angels With Dirty Faces is the name of 1938 film, starring Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. Cagney’s 1949 film, White Heat, also inspired the equally “killer” True Blue album track of the same name, which samples his dialogue from the film.
6 May 2011
the inspiration within
From 1986 to 1991, Smash Hits magazine was my childhood pop music “Bible”.
Any self-respecting, 30-something Madonna fan from the UK will tell you that back in the pre-Internet days of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Smash Hits was the place for all the latest Madonna news (and posters, song lyrics, stickers and badges) and the magazine helped fuel this 10 year-old’s True Blue-induced “crush” on Madonna every fortnight.
In 1989 Smash Hits featured an article about the making of the Like a Prayer album (my then-all time greatest album in the history of the universe ever – despite Smash Hits’ review that the album was “weird”) and I immediately recognised the names of Steve Bray and Pat Leonard – Madonna’s main co-writers/producers on Like a Prayer and its predecessor, True Blue.
The article by Chris Heath (who has since written books on Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys) included all sorts of revelations about Madonna as a songwriter-producer – she works super-fast, she writes all her own lyrics and melodies and co-arranges/produces the music and that there were three songs recorded during the Like a Prayer sessions that didn’t make it on to the album – Supernatural, Love Attack and First is a Kiss.
Any self-respecting, 30-something Madonna fan from the UK will tell you that back in the pre-Internet days of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Smash Hits was the place for all the latest Madonna news (and posters, song lyrics, stickers and badges) and the magazine helped fuel this 10 year-old’s True Blue-induced “crush” on Madonna every fortnight.
In 1989 Smash Hits featured an article about the making of the Like a Prayer album (my then-all time greatest album in the history of the universe ever – despite Smash Hits’ review that the album was “weird”) and I immediately recognised the names of Steve Bray and Pat Leonard – Madonna’s main co-writers/producers on Like a Prayer and its predecessor, True Blue.
The article by Chris Heath (who has since written books on Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Pet Shop Boys) included all sorts of revelations about Madonna as a songwriter-producer – she works super-fast, she writes all her own lyrics and melodies and co-arranges/produces the music and that there were three songs recorded during the Like a Prayer sessions that didn’t make it on to the album – Supernatural, Love Attack and First is a Kiss.
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