Bedtime Stories by Madonna

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on October 25, 1994, by Maverick and Sire Records. In order to move into a more mainstream sound, Madonna collaborated with Dallas Austin, Babyface, Dave "Jam" Hall and Nellee Hooper, wanting to soften her image following the critical and commercial backlash she faced after releasing sexually explicit projects in the previous two years, notably the Erotica album and the Sex book. This image transformation was preceded by the ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack to the 1994 film With Honors. A pop and R&B album, Bedtime Stories explores lyrical themes of love, sorrow and romance, but with a toned-down, less sexual approach. Critics described the album as "autobiographical", as the song "Human Nature" addresses the controversy surrounding her previous projects. Madonna also worked with Icelandic singer Björk on the track "Bedtime Story", as she wanted to explore the British club musical scene, where genres such as dub had been growing in popularity. Bedtime Stories received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its candid lyrics and production, and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 38th Grammy Awards. Commercially, it was an improvement over Erotica, debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 and was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also became her fifth number-one album in Australia, and peaked within the top-five in several other countries. Bedtime Stories has sold an estimated eight million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "Secret", gave Madonna her record-setting 35th consecutive top-ten single on the UK Singles Chart, while "Take a Bow" spent seven weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; however, its other singles "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature" did not match their predecessors' success. In order to further promote Bedtime Stories, Madonna performed songs from the album at the American Music Awards of 1995 and the 1995 Brit Awards. A tour was also planned, but did not take place due to Madonna acquiring the title role in the 1996 musical film Evita.