| Of all of Madonna's singles to
be held back at #2, "I'll Remember"
is the one that most deserved to go to #1. Lodged
at #2 for a whopping four weeks behind one hit
wonder All-4-One's "I
Swear," the single was one of the
biggest hits of 1994. With ten weeks in the top
ten and a full half-year on the Hot 100 chart, it
is also one of Madonna's longest-running singles.
Promoted from the soundtrack to the film "With
Honors," the song only became
available on a Madonna album with the release of
"Something To Remember."
The video is not very notable. It is simply
Madonna with a short black haircut singing in the
studio. Film clips appear behind her, and the
video adds an interesting twist at the end where
it shows Madonna watching herself singing in the
studio.
The release of "I'll Remember" was a
big step in bringing Madonna out from the shadow
of "Sex," pushing
forward her newfound adult contemporary success
after "Rain" broke the
ice.
TRIVIA: William Orbit made
two remixes of "I'll Remember," after
remixing both "Erotica"
and "Justify My Love."
This would be his last work with Madonna until
she "re-discovered" him in 1997, asking
him to produce her "Ray of Light"
album. Madonna now makes a point of seeking
relatively unknown producers to work with her
(i.e., Mirwais). Also,
"I'll Remember" is Madonna's only
maxi-single to miss the top 20 on its respective
chart, and the only other maxi-singles to miss
the top 10 are both for ballads without dance
mixes -- "Rain" and "You'll
See." Finally, "I'll
Remember" is one of Madonna's three singles
most cursed by the #2 plague -- just like "Causing
A Commotion" and "Cherish,"
it peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, Airplay, and
Sales.
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