Keep It Together (song)
"Keep It Together" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was released as the fifth (sixth overall) and final single from the album in the United States, Canada and Japan on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records. Written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind "Keep It Together" was Madonna's relationship with her family—whom she dearly missed during her divorce from Sean Penn. The song was dedicated to the American band Sly and the Family Stone. The lyrics deal with the realization of how important Madonna's family has been to her life. A pop, funk and deep funk song consisting of an upbeat rhythm and groove, "Keep It Together" features instrumentation from percussion, banjo and a conga.
This article is about the song by Madonna. For other uses, see Keep It Together (disambiguation)."Keep It Together"
In United Kingdom and Europe, "Dear Jessie" served as the final single from Like a Prayer and "Keep It Together" was not released there. Some critics alluded that "Keep It Together" was simply Madonna's version of Sister Sledge's hit song "We Are Family". "Keep It Together" was a commercial success, reaching a peak of number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the Canada chart, while topping the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In Australia, the song reached the top of the charts as a double A-side single with "Vogue". "Keep It Together" was performed as the closing song of the 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. The performances were inspired by the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange and during the introduction, Madonna sang a verse from "Family Affair" by Sly and the Family Stone.
Recording and composition[edit]
"Keep It Together" is a pop, funk and deep funk song with an upbeat rhythm and groove.[8][9] It was produced by Madonna and Bray, and features Paulinho da Costa on percussion, brass playing by David Boruff and Steven Madaio, Bill Bottrell as the audio engineer and guitars by Chester Kamen.[10] Prince also played guitar on the song according to Madonna, though he was not credited.[11]
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that the song is influenced by the Sly and the Family Stone track "Family Affair" (1971).[12] It starts as the sound of slap bass plays along with sequenced synth bass, as Madonna sings the opening lines, "Keep, keep it together, keep people together forever and ever".[8] As the first verse starts, a guitar comes into play with Madonna's voice being backed by percussion and banjo.[8] After the second chorus comes near the end, Madonna utters the line "Brothers and sisters, They hold the key, To your heart and your soul, Don't forget that your family is gold", the percussion sound is thinned out and a mixture of the sound from a live drummer and conga comes into the picture.[8] The song ends with the main groove sound gradually fading out.[8]
According to Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, although "Keep It Together" sonically pays tribute to Sly and the Family Stone, the lyrics talk about the realization of how important Madonna's family has been as a form of stability in her life, especially in the line "Brothers and sisters, They've always been there for me, We have a connection, Home is where the heart should be".[8] The lyrics follow the course of Madonna's rise from figuratively being a "hungry sibling" ("I'm gonna leave this place, So I can forget every single hungry face") to being a superstar ("I hit the big time but I still get the blues, Everyone's a stranger, City life can get to you").[4]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Keep It Together" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 56, on the issue dated February 3, 1990.[32] The next week, "Keep It Together" jumped to number 41, becoming one of the greatest gaining songs.[33] It eventually peaked at number eight on the Hot 100, on the issue dated March 31, 1990.[34] It became Madonna's 18th top-ten hit in the United States, breaking the record previously held by Aretha Franklin as the female solo artist with the most top-ten hits in history.[35] During the next few weeks, the song fell quickly from its peak as Madonna's next single, "Vogue", began to get massive radio airplay.[36] Its final appearance on the Hot 100 was at number 83 on the issue dated April 28, 1990.[37] "Keep It Together" topped the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and peaked at number 66 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[38] Three months since its release, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of 500,000 copies of the single.[39] In Canada, the song debuted at number 85 on the RPM Singles Chart on February 10, 1990,[40] and after eight weeks, it peaked at number eight.[41] "Keep It Together" was present on the chart for 15 weeks and placed at number 86 on the RPM Year-end chart for 1990.[42][43]
In Australia, "Keep It Together" charted on the ARIA Singles Chart along with "Vogue". It debuted on the chart at number 19 and reached the top the next week, remaining there for five consecutive weeks.[44] The song was present for a total of 35 weeks on the chart and reached number three on the Australian Year-end chart for 1990.[45] It was certified double-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 140,000 copies of the single.[46] After its release in Japan, "Keep It Together" appeared for two weeks on the Oricon Singles Chart, and reached number five.[47] The single was not released in the United Kingdom, where "Dear Jessie" was the final single from Like a Prayer instead.[48]