| This is the forgotten Madonna
song. It's rumored that original plans for I
Want You included a full-scale release
-- Junior Vasquez even did some
nice remixes of the track -- but numerous
problems prevented this. The Inner City
Blues compilation -- a tribute to Marvin
Gaye which also featured Bono
and Boyz II Men -- bombed on the
charts. Since Inner City Blues and Something
to Remember (which featured the original
version of I Want You plus an orchestral version)
were released on different record labels, more
problems arose about the possibility of releasing
a single. A video -- one of Madonna's most
haunting and beautiful ever -- was promoted to
VH1 and MTV, but only received brief exposure on
VH1 and never appeared on the MTV monitor. Radio
stations did not add the song, as I Want You
never appeared on any Billboard charts other than
the VH1 monitor (which is why this is the only
single for which I've posted the VH1 peak).
Apparently, the cold reaction to the song was the
final nail in the coffin for a single release,
and WB quickly put its focus on You'll See, which
debuted on the airplay chart just two weeks after
I Want You first appeared on VH1. The video,
which is not on the Madonna Video
Collection 93:99, is the most atrocious
exclusion from that compilation. Madonna looks
stunning, acts superbly, and the lighting,
angles, and cinematography of the video are sheer
brilliance. The song, which is a collaboration
with Massive Attack and was
produced by Nellee Hooper, is
like the full-bodied soul sister to Bedtime
Story. Her voice is incredibly full, the
beat and vinyl crackle are exquisite. All around,
I Want You is incredible, but unfortunately it is
lost among Madonna's more high profile releases.
TRIVIA: For a song that was
not released in any country, appeared on
virtually no charts, and was essentially
un-promoted, I Want You has a remarkable number
of goodies. Junior Vasquez did several mixes of
the track, while rare promos featured nearly a
dozen slightly altered versions of the original
song. That's not to mention the video -- the only
case in Madonna's history where an un-promoted
song was given the full video treatment.
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