Customer Reviews

Drowned World / Substitute Love Pt 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the opening track on "Ray of Light", "Drowned World" evokes Annie Lennox's "Money Can't Buy It" from DIVA; "Famous Faces/Far off Places/Trinkets I can Buy/No Ferris Wheel/No Heart to Steal..." is a self-effacing take on the pitfalls of the material girl in the material world; Annie espouses," Now hear this/pay attention to me/I'm a rich white girl/let me amplify/I have diamonds/Have you heard about gold..." The presence of William Orbit's electronic background at the climax toward the song's end reenforces the effect Annie Lennox and her producer Stephen Lipson may have had on the genesis of Madonna's foray into electronica. The fade that follows after Madonna's litany on her "material world" is eerily familiar of the same fade that follows Annie's litany. In any event, this is the song that ropes you into the awesome Madonna "Ray of Light" album which takes us from the material "world" to the spiritual realms once track 5 drops. This track is the wallpaper and the departure point for the album, and it does so in this regard very effectively.Why it was never released as single in the U.S. is beyond me.

Okay, this CD only has three tracks. And one of them is the album version of "Drowned World." That notwithstanding, this CD is worth the price. The BT and Sasha remix of "Drowned World" keeps intact the hollowness and ennui of the original but, of course, makes it more danceable. The song (like the original) takes a while to get off the ground, but when it does (i.e. "famous faces, far off places . . .") the song really kicks into high gear. And the Sasha remix of "Sky Fits Heaven" is the perfect compliment. Buy if you're a hardcore fan.

Drowned World has been one of my favorite song from the Ray of Light album. No wonder why she decided to start the Drowned World Tour with this song. The Sasha Remix of this ballad is truly a great one. It perfectly fits among unreleased club mixes of Love Don't live Here Anymore by Mark Pichiotti, and I Want You Remixes by Junior Vasquez. More remixes of this song would have been great too, at least an edit version. This song is a perfect one for a REMIX VIDEO!

The third single that Madonna released from the album Ray Of Light was Drowned World/Substitute For Love. The song peaked at No.10 in the UK, and spent just five weeks on the chart. The song was - as I have just said - the third single to be released from the Ray Of Light album, but the song was never released in the US. As a result, The Power Of Goodbye was the third single to be released from the album in the US and the fourth to be released in the UK.

Drowned World/Substitute For Love begins eerily. The smooth bass runs deep and sleepily, before Madonna begins singing the first verse, "I traded fame for love. Without a second thought. It all became a silly game. Some things cannot be bought. I got exactly what I asked for. Wanted it so badly. Running, rushing back for. I suffered fools. So gladly. And now. I find. I've changed my mind." The song then slows down, and then rises as Madonna sings the chorus, "The face of you. My substitute for love. My substitute for love. Should I wait for you? My substitute for love. My substitute for love." The beat then picks up pace and Madonna begins singing the second verse, "I travelled around the world. Looking for a home. I found myself in crowded rooms. Feeling so alone. I had so many lovers. Who settled for the thrill. Basking in the spotlight. I never felt so happy." Madonna then sings the chorus once more, before the beat picks up and the song gets ready to peak with a wonderful guitar. Madonna wails, "Mmmmmm, oooooooo" before she sings the best and most flamboyant part of the song, "No famous faces, far off places. Trinkets I can't buy. No handsome stranger, heady danger. Drug that I can't try. No ferris wheel, no heart to steal. No laughter in the dark. The one night stand, no far off land. No fire that I can't spark." Madonna then wails softly "Mmmmmm" before she repeats the chorus once more. The song is now blazing and shining in all its powerful glory, and the instruments are excellent. The song then dies down and Madonna sings "Should I wait for you? My substitute for love. My substitute for love. Now I find. I've changed my mind. This is my religion." The song then dies down quietly and fades out.

The video to Drowned World/Substitute For Love is good, but not one of Madonna's best. We see Madonna in her apartment, a wildlife documentary on the television. She runs down the stairs and gets into her limousine with all the paparazzi around her. She sits in her car with her sunglasses on, even though it's night time, while motorbikes pursue her in her car. She gets out of the car and arrives at a hotel with yet more people following her. It's her case of fame and how she sees it. She sees a woman who smiles at her. Madonna smiles back, but it turns out to be another case of someone just wanting a photo. Madonna runs off into a club where everyone has distorted faces because of their obsession with fame and wealth. Madonna ignores it, and runs out and back home to her daughter - realising that's where her heart belongs. All in all, a classic Madonna tune with a thought-provoking video to match.

This single was released in the UK after the song "Ray of Light", as the third single from the album RAY OF LIGHT. However, in the US this single wasn't released at all, instead the third single was "The Power of Goodbye" (with no maxi single I might add, unless you were in Canada). Nevertheless this single, which may seem short with only three songs, is worth the bucks to shell out for. The remixes are among some of Madonna's best in her career. Take for example the Drowned World/Substitute For Love (BT and Sasha's Bucklodge Ashram Remix), which runs at 9 and a half minutes, its an excellent remix which will keep you on the dancefloor. The Sky Fits Heaven remix is another good one too, on this single it's an edit. But really if you are a Madonna fan you should get this import, or if you liked the song, its really worth the money.

I love Ray of Light Album first of all and it is my favorite album. Drowned World is a great remix and I wish she sang in it more. It talks about fame over love and and how much fame was more important to her than love until she had her first kid Lourdes! Sky Fits Heaven is a A++ song by itself and the remix is out of this world! It talks about spritualty, gospels, and wiseman, I love it!! I highley recommend this Maxi single to Madonna fans that do not have this won yet!!

I love this cd and Part 2. They are both great cds to add to your collection

1. Drowned World (Album Version): Version that appeared on Ray of Light

2. Drowned World (BT & Sasha's Bucklodge Remix): This remix is wonderful. The album version of the song is very mellow and slowed down, whereas this remix gives the song power and strength.

3. Sky Fits Heaven (Sasha Remix Edit): This is a shorter version of the remix that is on Drowned World pt 2. I personally like the longer the best, but this one is still good, for anyone who is not a fan of longer songs.

I do wish that there were more remixes of Drowned World, thoguh, but this cd is still great!

Seeing how U.S. critics have reacted to the AMERICAN LIFE lyrics makes me understand why she chose not to release this one stateside, nonetheless it's a really top notch song. This import contains the excellent album version, a really amazing club mix by BT and Sasha, as well as Sasha's take on "Sky Fits Heaven", which is less enjoyable, but still quite listen-able. For the Madge fan, it's a good choice, plus this is one of those rare occasions when a b-side also got the remix treatment (another example being the remix of "Waiting" on the U.S. "Rain" maxi back in 1993).

The lyrics for Substitute for Love and Sky Fits Heaven are AMAZING...each one only more meaningful than the next! Two of my favorite songs on Ray of Light. Any Madonna fan has to have this cd...its just amazing how the remix of Substitute for Love actually works. I loved the Sky Fits Heaven remix so much i ordered the Substitute for Love NUMBER 2 which has another remx of Sky Fits Heaven. Plus, who doesnt love the cover of this cd? One of the best pictures of Madonna EVER!

I LOVE THE REMIXES FOR DROWNED WORLD AND SKY FITS HEAVEN. THESE MIXES ARE POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL, YET VERY DANCEABLE. I JUST WISH THERE WERE MORE MIXES OF BOTH SONGS! I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS CD.