| "Oh Father"
continued the string of remarkable singles from
the "Like A Prayer"
album, as it was yet another deeply moving song
with yet another thoroughly amazing video.
Unfortunately, it also became Madonna's least
successful single since "Burning Up,"
and her first to miss the top 5 in five years. It's
perhaps not all that surprising to learn that
"Oh Father" did not do so well on the
charts, because the song does have a rather
unique structure that doesn't sound much like
most of what's on the radio. Also, the gravity of
the track may have turned off some pop fans,
since "Oh Father" deals with child
abuse, domestic abuse, and doubting one's faith.
The video handles these issues quite beautifully,
as Madonna teamed with David Fincher
for a second time. We see Madonna as a little
child, playing in the snow while her mother is on
her deathbed. The video also includes an image
that was burned into Madonna's own memory -- when
the young girl looks into her mother's coffin,
she sees that her lips are sewn together to keep
them shut. Much of the rest of the video handles
the relationships between Madonna and her father,
as well as her lover as an adult.
"Oh Father" was not released in the
UK until 1996, to coincide with the "Something
to Remember" album. Its peak of #16
ties it with "Take A Bow"
as her least successful UK single. Although the
song was not included on "The
Immaculate Collection," its video
is on "The Immaculate Collection" video
and DVD.
|
)
)
)
)
)