Bedtime Stories (Madonna album)
Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on October 25, 1994, by Maverick and Sire Records. In 1992, Madonna released her fifth studio album Erotica, the coffee table book Sex, and starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. Due to their sexually explicit nature, all three projects were negatively received by critics and fans alike, who felt the singer had "gone too far" and that her career was over. Madonna decided that she needed to soften her image if she wanted to regain her audience. The first attempt was the ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack to the 1994 film With Honors, which gained positive critics and reached the second spot of the Billboard Hot 100. For her sixth studio album, Madonna decided to incorporate R&B elements, and collaborated with Babyface, Dallas Austin, and Dave Hall. She also chose to explore the British club musical scene, where genres such as dub had been growing in popularity, and hired producer Nellee Hooper.
Rapper Meshell Ndegeocello (pictured in 2016) played bass and provided her vocals on the album's third track, "I'd Rather Be Your Lover".
Madonna performing "Take a Bow" on one of the Taipei concerts of 2015–2016's Rebel Heart Tour. Released as Bedtime Stories' second single, it's her longest-running number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Madonna singing title track and third single "Bedtime Story" on the Celebration Tour (2023—2024). The song reached the top-five of the UK Singles Chart.
Image: Snoop dog 02
Kenneth Brian Edmonds, better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 13 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 on NME's 50 of The Greatest Producers Ever list.
Babyface in 2013
Edmonds performing in 2009