Cherish (Madonna song)
"Cherish" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and was released by Sire Records as the album's third single on August 1, 1989. "Cherish" was built around the themes of love and relationships, with William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet being one of the major inspirations. The track also included a line from "Cherish" by the 1960s band the Association. Musically constructed as a doo-wop-style pop song, it is regarded as a light-hearted track by critics and includes instruments such as a drum machine, percussions, keyboards and a saxophone. Lyrically, it speaks of Madonna's devotion to her lover, and her promise to be always by his side. "Cherish" was included on Madonna's greatest hits compilations The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009).
"Cherish"
"Supernatural"
August 1, 1989
1988
5:03 (album version) 4:03 (single version)
- Madonna
- Patrick Leonard
- Madonna
- Patrick Leonard
After its release, the song received positive feedback from reviewers, who were surprised by the change of content and the lighter image of Madonna's music in contrast to her previous singles from Like a Prayer, which incorporated themes such as religion and sexuality. They compared certain lyrics of the song to Juliet's lines in Romeo and Juliet. "Cherish" was a commercial success, topping the Canadian music chart and reaching the top ten of the charts in Australia, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the combined European chart. In the United States, "Cherish" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cash BoxTop 100, giving Madonna the record for the most consecutive top-five singles by any act with 16.
A black-and-white music video for the song was directed by photographer Herb Ritts at the Paradise Cove Beach in Malibu, California. In the video, Madonna plays herself, while three co-actors dressed as mermen swim in and out of the sea. Academics noted that the mermen became symbols for the homosexual community and the oppression it faced. Madonna performed "Cherish" on her Blond Ambition World Tour (1990), where the performance included her dancers dressed up as mermen. Its symbolism was seen to de-sexualize men, relegating them to objects of desire.
Background[edit]
"Cherish" was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and released as the third single from Like a Prayer (1989). The song is built around the themes of love and relationships, with William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet one of its major inspirations.[1] Madonna was reading Romeo and Juliet during the breaks during rehearsals for Speed the Plow, a Broadway show in which she was starring in 1988. On the third day of the Like a Prayer recording sessions, she presented Leonard with the lyrics of "Cherish", and explained that she had written the song "one sunny afternoon by the beach", but later confessed that it was actually written in her make-up room.[2] "I wrote it in a superhyper-positive state of mind that I knew was not going to last", the singer recalled.[3] Leonard introduced one line from the similar titled song by the 1960s band the Association, "Cherish is the word I use", after which Madonna decided to include it on Like a Prayer.[4] The B-side of the single release of "Cherish" was a previously unreleased track called "Supernatural", initially composed during the recording sessions of her third studio album, True Blue and later completed in 1989.[5] In 2009, during an interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna confessed that she had never been able to predict if her songs would be successful, irrespective of her personal opinion of them. As an example, she cited "Cherish" as one of the most "retarded" songs she had written, but noted it became a commercial success.[6] The song was also included on the 1990 compilation album The Immaculate Collection and the two-disc edition of her 2009 compilation Celebration.[7][8]
Composition[edit]
"Cherish" is a doo-wop style pop shuffle song and opened the second side of Like a Prayer.[5][9] It begins with the sound of synths and keyboard and Madonna repeatedly singing the words "cherish, cherish". This is followed by the sound from drum machine, as percussion and guitars accompany her voice.[5] During the bridge, Madonna sings the line "Cupid please take your aim at me", as the keyboard sound becomes pronounced. The drum changes its rhythm and Madonna moves into the chorus, "Cherish the joy/of always having you here by my side", accompanied by background vocals and a bass guitar.[5] The second verse continues in the same way, with Madonna singing the line "Romeo and Juliet/they never felt this way I bet/So don't underestimate my point of view."[10]
As the second chorus ends, a saxophone starts playing as Madonna softly asks the listener, "Who? You! Can't get away, I won't let you", followed by Leonard's Association-inspired line.[5] Background vocals continue repeating words over a horn, playing in B♭ minor. The drums and the percussion start again and the chorus is sung twice, before fading out.[5] According to the sheet music published by Alfred Publishing Co. Inc., "Cherish" is composed in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 130 beats per minute. Set in the key of D major, "Cherish" has Madonna singing between the tonal nodes of A3 to D5. The song follows the sequence of G/D–D–Em7–D in the beginning as its chord progression, which changes to D–Dm–C–Em7 during the verses and shifts to G–D/G–A–D/F♯ in the chorus.[11]
The lyrics of "Cherish" makes it a simple love song, where Madonna talks about devotion and having her lover by her side, whom she would never leave.[12] According to semiotician Thomas Sebeok, the backbone of "Cherish" is constructed by incorporating titles of previous romantic pop hits.
Songs such as "Cupid" (Sam Cooke), "You Are My Destiny" (Paul Anka) and "I Can't Let Go" (The Hollies) are used within the first verse, while other verses use the words of such song titles as "Burning Love" (Elvis Presley) and "Two Hearts" (Bruce Springsteen). Other instances include the Association song reference and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.[13] Richard Burt, author of Shakespeare After Mass Media, deduced that the lines on Romeo and Juliet and "I Can't Let Go" makes the speaker alternate between assertiveness and dependency.[10] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine felt that although "Cherish" was a "radiant" song invoking the pop music of the 60s, "in the grand pop scheme, [it] pales only in comparison to their glorious counterparts, making Like a Prayer one of the quintessential pop albums of all time."[14]
Credits and personnel adapted from Like a Prayer album liner notes.[68]