After the huge success of what is arguably Madonna's most commercial song ever, Take A Bow, one might argue that it was the worst time to release Madonna's most experimental single ever, Bedtime Story. Written by Bjork, who has yet to have a hit single in the United States, the track was based in techno music and introduced a radical idea: let's communicate only through our dreams. The video, directed by Mark Romanek and considered Madonna's best by many, featured Madonna in a variety of dreamscapes -- in front of a giant rotating flower, surrounding by floating lights, giving birth to doves, and many other scenarios. At the time, its rumored $2 million price tag made it the most expensive video ever. That record now goes to Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream." While "Bedtime Story"'s chart performance may have been incredibly underwhelming (it was off the Hot 100 in just seven weeks), its video received a month of extensive positive exposure. The clip debuted on an MTV special "Madonna's Pajama Party," where Madonna read a story to an audience of fans inside a club. The remixes helped boost the track to the #1 spot on the Dance / Club Play chart, and its unusually long 16-week run helped push the track to the #3 spot for that chart's year-end tally.

From a personal standpoint, I believe this song is perhaps my favorite song ever. The combination of my two favorite artists -- Madonna and Bjork -- along with my favorite producer, Nellee Hooper, is quite amazing. I stumble when I try to put my feelings about a favorite song or movie into words, but perhaps quoting Madonna herself is the easiest way to describe it: the song is "astonishing."

TRIVIA: "Bedtime Story" was Madonna's first single in 11 years to miss the top 40. Since then, three more singles have shared that dubious fate -- follow-up "Human Nature," plus "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "Nothing Really Matters." By contrast, "Bedtime Story" is Madonna's longest-running Club Play hit since the chart was changed in 1984 to include only 50 instead of 80 tracks. Only "Holiday/Lucky Star," with 17 weeks under the older chart, has spent longer on that chart. Note that the success of "Bedtime Story" is due mainly to the issuing of a second set of mixes to clubs, which made the track the #3 club hit of 1995. Also, many have wondered if Bjork has recorded a version of the song, since she wrote it -- the answer is yes, sort of. She has two B-sides "Sweet Intuition" and "Sweet Sweet Intuition" which use several lyric snippets from the song.