Take a Bow (Madonna song)

File:KennethBabyfaceEdmondsHWOFMay2013.jpg co-wrote and co-produced "Take a Bow" with Madonna.|alt=Babyface smiling, wearing black sunglasses]]

Following the release of Madonna's first book publication, Sex, the erotic thriller, Body of Evidence, her fifth studio album, Erotica, as well as her infamous TV interview with David Letterman in the early-to-mid 1990s, the media and public's backlash against Madonna's overtly sexual image was at a peak.{{harvnb|Feldman|2000|p=255}}{{cite magazine|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2009/02/13/top-10-disastrous-letterman-interviews/slide/dont-f___-with-madonna/|title=Top 10 Disastrous Letterman Interviews: Don't F___ with Madonna|magazine=Time|date=February 12, 2009|access-date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=November 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102115755/http://entertainment.time.com/2009/02/13/top-10-disastrous-letterman-interviews/slide/dont-f___-with-madonna/|url-status=live}} Madonna wanted to tone down her explicit image. Her first attempt was to release the tender ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack of the film With Honors. Musically, she wanted to move in a new musical direction and started exploring new-jack R&B styles with a generally mainstream, radio-friendly sound. This would eventually become her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories, released in October 1994.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1994/10/28/album-review-bedtime-stories|title=Album Review: 'Bedtime Stories' (1994)|last=Farber|first=Jim|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=October 28, 1994|access-date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=September 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923093548/https://ew.com/article/1994/10/28/album-review-bedtime-stories/|url-status=live}} In author Fred Bronson's The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, Madonna explained:

The idea going in was to juxtapose my singing style with a hardcore hip-hop sensibility and have the finished product still sound like a Madonna record. I began the process by meeting with the hip-hop producers whose work I most admired. It was important, if I were to use a variety of collaborators, that the end product sound cohesive and thematically whole. I wasn't interested in the variety pack approach.{{harvnb|Bronson|2003|p=834}}

After searching for prospective collaborators, Madonna chose to work with Babyface, whose previous work with artists like Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, and Toni Braxton had resulted in successful smooth R&B songs.{{harvnb|Sullivan|2013|p=648}} She was also fond of Babyface's song, "When Can I See You" from his third studio album For the Cool in You (1994). The singer's management called Babyface to set up a meeting and see if they wanted to work together. Once met, both were surprised by their camaraderie and wanted to write songs. Madonna came over to Babyface's house and after a couple of days they came up with two songs. One of them was based on a piece of music composed by Babyface, but he was not sure about its musical direction. He made Madonna listen to the composition, and she found a way to take the song forward. Babyface clarified that "[i]t was just a beat and the chords. From there we collaborated and built it up... I was living in Beverly Hills and I created a little studio in my house, so she came over there to write."{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6274138/madonna-bedtime-stories-20-babyface-donna-de-lory-retrospective|title=Madonna's 'Bedtime Stories' Turns 20: Babyface & Donna De Lory Look Back|last=Lynch|first=Joe|date=October 6, 2014|access-date=April 15, 2016|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=October 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008120802/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6274138/madonna-bedtime-stories-20-babyface-donna-de-lory-retrospective|url-status=live}} Together they agreed that the first line of the song should be its title, and "Take a Bow" was written. The words were never repeated in the track again.

"Take a Bow" was released as the second single from Bedtime Stories on December 6, 1994, following "Secret". The maxi single release of the song included two remixes. According to Jose F. Promis of AllMusic, the first remix, known as the "In Da Soul" mix, gives the ballad a funkier, more urban feel while the second remix, known as the "Silky Soul Mix", is a little more "quiet storm" and "melancholy" than the first.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/take-a-bow-mw0000122007|title=Madonna: Take a Bow|website=AllMusic|last=Promis|first=Jose F.|access-date=February 17, 2014|archive-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123215155/http://www.allmusic.com/album/take-a-bow-mw0000122007|url-status=live}} On December 17, 2021, Madonna released the "Take a Bow" EP to all digital and streaming outlets.{{cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/66jiacwY9wcCQEvxGWDUO3?si=M2jIuyVxRHWe5bcgIlR1gQ|title=Madonna – Take a Bow (EP)|website=Spotify|date=December 17, 2021|access-date=December 22, 2021|archive-date=December 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222210606/https://open.spotify.com/album/66jiacwY9wcCQEvxGWDUO3?si=M2jIuyVxRHWe5bcgIlR1gQ|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/take-a-bow/1599391050|title=Madonna – Take a Bow (EP)|website=Apple Music|date=December 17, 2021|access-date=December 22, 2021|archive-date=December 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219125333/https://music.apple.com/gb/album/take-a-bow/1599391050|url-status=live}}

"Take a Bow" was recorded at The Hit Factory studios, New York, and was mastered and mixed at Sterling Sound Studios, New York. Babyface recalled that he was nervous about recording with Madonna, since he feared that Madonna was a "perfectionist" in the studio, and that would ultimately be time-consuming for the whole process. However, it was one of the fastest recording and mixing, each brought lyrics and melodies, singing them back and forth.{{cite web|title=Babyface on his favorite collaborations with women, from Madonna to Whitney to Kehlani|url=https://ew.com/music/babyface-girls-night-out-favorite-female-collaborations-madonna-whitney-houston/|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 28, 2022|access-date=September 30, 2022}} The song was backed by full orchestral strings and was also the first time that Babyface had worked with live strings. He recalled that using strings in the song was "[Madonna's] suggestion, and it was Nellee Hooper who actually [arranged the strings]. She had worked with them before but for me it was a new experience". Along with Hooper, Jessie Leavey, Craig Armstrong and Suzie Katayama also worked on the strings and conducting.

{{listen

|pos=left

| filename = TakeABowSample.ogg

| title="Take a Bow"

| description = A 27 second sample of the song, featuring Madonna singing the opening verses. The sample presents the orchestra used in the background, as well as Babyface's vocals during the second verse.

| format = Ogg

}}

"Take a Bow" was written and produced by Madonna and Babyface, and is a midtempo pop, R&B,{{cite magazine|author=Billboard Staff|url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-madonna-songs/take-a-bow-bedtime-stories-1994/|date=August 16, 2023|title=Madonna's 100 Greatest Songs (Critics' Picks)|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923065721/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-madonna-songs/take-a-bow-bedtime-stories-1994/|url-status=live|archive-date=September 23, 2023|quote=an R&B slow jam accessible enough to crossover just about everywhere...}} and soul ballad with Japanese musical influences, like that of Kyu Sakamoto's 1961 song, "Sukiyaki".{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2QEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA84|title=Music Virginesque: Madonna Bedtime Stories Review|last=Calvin|first=Peter|publisher=The Advocate|date=November 15, 1994|access-date=February 17, 2014|page=84|issn=0001-8996|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820024326/https://books.google.com/books?id=y2QEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA84|url-status=live}} It begins with sounds of oriental pentatonic strings, giving the impression of Chinese or Japanese opera. The verses consist of a descending chord sequence, containing twists at the end. Madonna's vocals are in a "sleepy languid mood" that is characteristic of the songs from Bedtime Stories. The lyrics during the chorus talk about Madonna saying goodbye to a lover, who had taken her for granted. The title plays upon the verse in the song "all the world is a stage and everyone has their part", a reference to a line by William Shakespeare in his play As You Like It, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women mere players".{{harvnb|Rooksby|2004|pp=49–50}}

In his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography, author J. Randy Taraborrelli describes the song as a "somber, sarcastic, all-the-world's-a-stage song about unrequited love... [about a subject] whose phoniness might have fooled everyone else, but not her." He goes on to say that in the song Madonna tells the subject of her unrequited love to take a bow for "rendering a great, transparent performance in life and love."{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2008|p=246}} Alongside the betrayal of her lover, the lyrics also talk about Madonna trying to understand the reasons behind adultery. As the song progresses, the listener realizes that through the lyrics the singer was talking about herself—"One lonely star and you don't know who you are". According to the sheet music published by Alfred Music at Musicnotes.com, the song has a moderate calypso feel and is set in the time signature of common time and progresses in 80 beats per minute. This song is in the key of A{{flat}} major with Madonna's vocal ranging from E{{flat}}₃ to C₅. "Take a Bow" contains a basic sequence of A{{flat}}–B{{flat}}m₇/E{{flat}}–A{{flat}}–F{{flat}}maj₇ during the opening strings, and A{{flat}}–A{{flat}}/G{{flat}}–Fm₇ during the verses as its chord progression.{{cite news|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0018728&ref=google|title=Madonna Ciccone 'Take a Bow' Sheet Music|access-date=January 31, 2014|publisher=Musicnotes.com. Alfred Music|last1=Ciccone|first1=Madonna|last2=Edmunds|first2=Kenneth "Babyface"|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305152730/http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0018728&ref=google|url-status=live}}

{{quote box|width=25%|quote=A gorgeous melancholy ballad of unrequitted love, with the object of the singer's affection being someone who hides behind a role playing mask which only she can see... [Babyface] makes [the song] virtually a duet with Madonna, echoing her words with his high tenor wafting dreamily behind her, and the song's minimalist arrangement is impeccably elegant.|source=—Author Steve Sullivan's review of "Take a Bow" in Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2}}

Upon release, "Take a Bow" received general acclaim from critics. Peter Calvin from The Advocate praised the lyrical flow of the song, saying that the "effect is truly heartbreaking. The song... shows that ultimately Madonna... is just like you and me". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic referred to "Take a Bow" as "tremendous", listing it as one of the best songs from Bedtime Stories and stating that it "slowly works its melodies into the subconscious as the bass pulses". He goes on to say that it "offer[s] an antidote to Erotica, which was filled with deep but cold grooves".{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Madonna > Bedtime Stories|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bedtime-stories-mw0000119241|website=AllMusic|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=October 25, 1994|archive-date=June 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602072238/http://www.allmusic.com/album/bedtime-stories-mw0000119241|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Erlewine|first1=Stephen Thomas|title=Madonna > GHV2|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/ghv2-mw0001777679|website=AllMusic|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=December 31, 2008|archive-date=February 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208065716/https://www.allmusic.com/album/ghv2-mw0001777679|url-status=live}} Louis Virtel, from The Backlot, placed "Take a Bow" at number 27 of his list "The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs". He wrote, "Madonna's most successful single to date is a melancholic evisceration of a lover's artifice, and its hopeless plain-spokenness makes it one of the finest examples of 90s balladry".{{cite web |last1=Virtel |first1=Louis |author-link=Louis Virtel |date=February 3, 2012 |title=The 100 Greatest Madonna Songs |url=http://www.newnownext.com/the-100-greatest-madonna-songs/02/2012/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020234731/http://www.newnownext.com/the-100-greatest-madonna-songs/02/2012/ |archive-date=October 20, 2015 |access-date=March 1, 2016 |publisher=The Backlot}} J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun stated that the song, about "innocent romance" has a "gently cascading melody".{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/10/25/madonnas-latest-lets-her-talent-do-most-of-the-talking-the-secret-of-success/|title=Madonna's latest lets her talent do most of the talking The 'Secret' of Success|date=October 25, 1994|access-date=February 27, 2014|author-link=J. D. Considine|last=Considine|first=J. D.|work=The Baltimore Sun|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092746/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-10-25/features/1994298132_1_madonna-bedtime-stories-album|url-status=live}} In his review of Bedtime Stories, Billboard{{'}}s Paul Verna called it a "holiday feast for Top 40, rhythm crossover, and AC".{{cite magazine|last1=Verna|first1=Paul|title=Album Revies: Madonna – Bedtime Stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA74|magazine=Billboard|date=October 29, 1994|volume=106|issue=44|page=74|access-date=March 1, 2016|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=March 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312140143/https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA74|url-status=live}} Reviewing the single, Billboard gave the single a particularly positive review; "The follow-up to the top five smash 'Secret' [...] is as perfect as top 40 fare gets. This single has a delightful, immediately memorable melody and chorus, engaging romance-novel lyrics and a lead vocal that is both sweet and quietly soulful. A lovely way for [Madonna] to kick out '95".{{cite magazine|last1=Larry|first1=Flick|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=December 10, 1994|volume=106|issue=50|page=79|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQgEAAAAMBAJ|access-date=March 1, 2016|issn=0006-2510|author-link=Larry Flick|archive-date=October 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024103501/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQgEAAAAMBAJ|url-status=live|quote=The follow-up to the top five smash "Secret" is a plush pop ballad....}}

In his 2011 review of Bedtime Stories, Brett Callwood of the Detroit Metro Times called the song "spectacular".{{cite web|url=http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2014/04/24/city-slang-bedtime-stories-revisited|title=City Slang: "Bedtime Stories" revisited|work=Detroit Metro Times|date=August 17, 2011|access-date=February 14, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910074229/http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2014/04/24/city-slang-bedtime-stories-revisited|archive-date=September 10, 2015|df=mdy-all}} Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Chuck Arnold called it "one of the most elegant, most un-Madonna-sounding things she’s ever done".{{cite magazine |last1=Arnold |first1=Chuck |title=Madonna's 60 best singles, ranked |url=https://ew.com/music/2018/08/15/madonnas-60-best-singles-ranked/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=28 September 2018 |date=August 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815230537/https://ew.com/music/2018/08/15/madonnas-60-best-singles-ranked/ |url-status=live }} While ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, Jude Rogers from The Guardian placed the track at number 38, calling it a "compellingly cinematic orchestral drama".{{cite web |last1=Rogers |first1=Jude |title=Every one of Madonna's 78 singles – ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/16/every-one-of-madonnas-78-singles-ranked |work=The Guardian |access-date=26 August 2018 |date=August 16, 2018 |archive-date=August 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816144826/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/16/every-one-of-madonnas-78-singles-ranked |url-status=live }} Matthew Jacobs, from The Huffington Post, placed it at number 19 of his list "The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles", calling it her "most poetic ballad".{{cite web|last1=Jacobs|first1=Matthew|title=The Definitive Ranking Of Madonna Singles|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/the-definitive-ranking-of-madonna-singles_n_5078934.html|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=March 10, 2015|archive-date=March 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327133855/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/the-definitive-ranking-of-madonna-singles_n_5078934.html|url-status=live}} Bianca Gracie from Idolator noted it as a "timeless ballad", adding that it "has warm strings and soaring harmonies with a hint of tragedy from Madonna’s somber vocals, which makes the end result all the more beautiful."{{cite web|author=Gracie, Bianca|title=The 50 Best Pop Singles Of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews With Ace Of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)|work=Idolator|date=November 20, 2014|access-date=April 7, 2020|url=https://www.idolator.com/7569924/50-best-pop-singles-1994-interview-ace-of-base-tlc-lisa-loeb-real-mccoy-haddaway|archive-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925070810/https://www.idolator.com/7569924/50-best-pop-singles-1994-interview-ace-of-base-tlc-lisa-loeb-real-mccoy-haddaway|url-status=live}} Music writer James Masterton said it is "arguably one of Madonna's best records for ages".{{cite web|last=Masterton|first=James|title=Week Ending December 24th 1994|url=https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1994/week-ending-december-24th-1994|website=Chart Watch UK|date=December 18, 1994|access-date=September 9, 2021|author-link=James Masterton|archive-date=July 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724232716/https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1994/week-ending-december-24th-1994|url-status=live}} Pan-European magazine Music & Media deemed it "an elegant ballad, a perfect alternative to prosaic lullabies." They added, "The intro could be mistaken for jingle bells and fits in well with the season."{{cite magazine |first= |last= |title= New Releases: Singles |magazine= Music & Media |date= December 17, 1994 |page= 7 |access-date= March 16, 2021 |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-12-17.pdf |archive-date= March 8, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210308064214/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-12-17.pdf |url-status= live }} A reviewer from Music Week gave it five out of five, calling it "an old-fashioned ballad, full of sweeping violin and vaguely oriental sounds. A natural single for Christmas."{{cite magazine |first= |last= |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-11-19.pdf |title= Reviews: Singles |magazine= Music Week |date= November 19, 1994 |page= 12 |access-date= April 22, 2021 |archive-date= April 22, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210422031758/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-11-19.pdf |url-status= live }} John Kilgo from The Network Forty described it as "sexy and smooth".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Network-40/94/Network-40-1994-11-25.pdf|first=John|last=Kilgo|title=Mainstream: Music Meeting|magazine=The Network Forty|date=November 25, 1995|page=20|access-date=March 29, 2020}} Stuart Bailie from NME viewed it as "a return to the True Blue era of boss tunes, a swooning, goose-feather production that's clearly in awe of KD Lang's Ingenue. Maddy paraphrases Shakespeare and rewrite 'Send In the Clowns'; another curtain call beckons."{{cite magazine|first=Stuart|last=Bailie|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53345198868/|title=Singles|magazine=NME|date=December 10, 1994|page=41|access-date=November 28, 2023}} Another NME editor, Alex Needham, opined it was a "gorgeously constructed song by any standards".{{cite web|last1=Needham|first1=Alex|title=Madonna – GHV2: Far from immaculate, this is still quite a collection|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/madonna/5825|work=NME|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=September 12, 2005|archive-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925144028/http://www.nme.com/reviews/madonna/5825|url-status=live}}

NPR Multimedia senior producer Keith Jenkins gave a positive review of the song, stating that it "washes over you and gets your blood boiling. You may not walk on water after hearing it, but you may want to get your focus back by walking on broken glass".{{cite web|last1=Jenkins|first1=Keith|title=Madonna: Songs We Love|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/29/113092530/madonna-songs-we-love|publisher=NPR Music|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=August 16, 2011|archive-date=July 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705092201/http://www.npr.org/2011/03/29/113092530/madonna-songs-we-love|url-status=live}} Enio Chiola of PopMatters, included the song on his list of "Top 15 Madonna Singles of All Time". He opined that "['Take a Bow'] features a more demure Madonna, confident in her termination of a doomed relationship, and the music is accented by characteristically Asian orchestration and lovely poetic lyrics", concluding that "[Madonna] quickly learned that the way back into the public's collective hearts was to focus more attention on the music than on the frankness of her sexual image".{{cite web|last1=Chola|first1=Enio|title=The Top 15 Madonna Singles of All Time|url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/154220-the-top-15-madonna-singles-of-all-time/|work=PopMatters|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=February 8, 2012|archive-date=February 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227214914/http://www.popmatters.com/post/154220-the-top-15-madonna-singles-of-all-time/|url-status=live}} Encyclopedia Madonnica writer Matthew Rettenmund called it a "sentimental ballad with showbiz theme" while finding similarities in the song to that of "Superstar" by The Carpenters.{{harvnb|Rettenmund|2016|p=504}} Rikky Rooksby, author of The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna, was less impressed with the track. Although he felt that it sounded "shockingly normal" after the "ambient 'Bedtime Story'", he found the song's length as over-long and deduced it to be "communica[ting] no sense whatsoever of the pain of a real goodbye." Slant Magazine{{'}}s Sal Cinquemani, called it "syrupy and bittersweet".{{cite web|last1=Cinquemani|first1=Sal|title=Madonna: Bedtime Stories|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/madonna-bedtime-stories|work=Slant Magazine|access-date=March 1, 2016|date=March 9, 2003|archive-date=February 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229214216/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/madonna-bedtime-stories|url-status=live}} In his book, Madonna: An Intimate Biography, J. Randy Taraborrelli called it a "melancholy and beautifully executed ballad". James Hunter from Vibe deemed it "a New Soul masterpiece".{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA155|title=New Soul-For Real|last=Hunter|first=James|date=September 1998|work=Vibe|volume=6|issue=7|page=155|issn=1070-4701|access-date=December 4, 2015|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819143340/https://books.google.com/books?id=lywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA155|url-status=dead}} Author Chris Wade wrote in his book The Music of Madonna that "Take a Bow" was a standout from the album. He complimented Madonna and Babyface's vocals, while calling the music "stunning". He declared it as one of the singer's "purest songs, totally free of any gimmicks, self-consciousness or knowing sexual references; a graceful end to the album."{{harvnb|Wade|2016|p=80}}

File:CaroleKingHWOFDec2012.jpg as the woman who had written the most number-one songs.]]

"Take a Bow" was a commercial success in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was Madonna's second number-one single since Billboard started using Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen BDS data to tabulate its charts; the first being "This Used to Be My Playground". Topping the chart for seven weeks, it is her longest-running number-one on this chart. It was her 11th single to top the Billboard Hot 100 and her 23rd top five entry; both records for a female artist. With the song reaching number one, she ranked fourth on the list of artists with the most number ones on the chart, behind the Beatles, Elvis Presley and the jointly ranked Michael Jackson and the Supremes.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4gsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA154|title=Madonna 'Takes a Bow' At Number 1|last=Bronson|first=Fred|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 4, 2014|date=February 25, 1995|page=154|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818180328/https://books.google.com/books?id=4gsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA154|url-status=live}} With a writing credit in nine chart-toppers, Madonna became the female songwriter with the most number-one songs at that time, overtaking Carole King, who had held the record for more than 30 years.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT109|title=Oh! Carole: Madonna Sets New Record|first=Fred|last=Bronson|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 10, 2020|date=March 11, 1995|page=109|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818175423/https://books.google.com/books?id=3QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT109|url-status=live}} It charted for a total of 30 weeks, tying with "Borderline" as Madonna's longest-running song on the Hot 100.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|title=Madonna Takes The 35th with 'Nature'|last=Bronson|first=Fred|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 4, 2014|date=July 15, 1995|page=98|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=March 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304173156/https://books.google.com/books?id=ygsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98|url-status=live}} In 2013, Billboard allocated "Take a Bow" the number four spot on its list of "Madonna's Biggest Billboard Hits", declaring it her second most successful single of the 1990s after "Vogue".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/499398/madonnas-40-biggest-billboard-hits?list_page=3|title=Madonna's 40 Biggest Billboard Hits|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Promethus Global Media|access-date=December 13, 2013|archive-date=August 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819004821/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/499398/madonnas-40-biggest-billboard-hits?list_page=3|url-status=live}}

"Take a Bow" became Madonna's fifth number-one on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, following "Live to Tell", "La Isla Bonita", "Cherish", and "I'll Remember". It was number one for nine weeks. The song is also notable as Madonna's last single to make the top 40 of the US R&B chart until 2023 when her collaboration with The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, "Popular", peaked at #14. It also topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart, and reached number four on the Rhythmic chart. On February 27, 1995, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and according to Billboard, it was one of the best selling singles of 1995, selling 500,000 copies that year.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3g4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|title=Best-Selling Records of 1995|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 4, 2014|date=January 20, 1996|page=56|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905223300/https://books.google.com/books?id=3g4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|url-status=live}} With "Take a Bow"'s certification, Madonna ranked with Janet Jackson as the female artists with the most gold certified singles.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT42|title=RIAA Certifications|magazine=Billboard|access-date=February 4, 2014|date=March 11, 1995|page=42|issn=0006-2510|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818175424/https://books.google.com/books?id=3QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT42|url-status=live}} In Canada the song debuted at number 85 on the RPM Singles Chart, and reached the top after 11 weeks, becoming Madonna's 12th number-one single in that country.{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.7983&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.7983.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.7983|title=Top RPM Singles: Issue 7983|work=RPM|date=July 17, 2013|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925070811/https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.7983&URLjpg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2Fobj%2F028020%2Ff4%2Fnlc008388.7983.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.7983|url-status=live}} "Take a Bow" charted for 25 weeks and placed at number three on the RPM year-end ranking.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.9220.pdf|title=Top RPM Singles: Issue 9220|work=RPM|publisher=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925070809/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.9220.pdf|url-status=live}} It also reached number one on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.

"Take a Bow" peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. This ended Madonna's record-holding string of 35 consecutive top-ten singles on the chart, from "Like a Virgin" (1984) to "Secret" (1994).{{harvnb|Roberts|2004|p=342}} According to the Official Charts Company, the single has sold 102,739 copies in the United Kingdom, as of August 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=22&storycode=1035210|last=Jones|first=Alan|title=The Immaculate Guide To 50 Years Of Madonna|date=August 19, 2008|access-date=June 11, 2011|work=Music Week|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821231048/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=22&storycode=1035210|archive-date=August 21, 2008}} "It should be a source of shame akin to Britain's poisonous beef and pathetic railways that the dreadful 'Hanky Panky' was purchased in such droves that it reached Number 2"," grumbled Stuart Maconie, "whilst only buying sufficient of the wonderful 'Take a Bow' to propel it to a measly Number 16."{{cite journal|first= Stuart |last= Maconie |title= Expressing herself |journal= Q |date= April 1998 |page= 105}} In Australia, "Take a Bow" debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 21 on December 25, 1994, eventually peaking at number 15. It remained on the chart for 17 weeks. The song peaked at number two on the Italian Singles Chart; number eight on the Swiss Singles Chart; and number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart, spending 13 weeks on the latter chart.

File:Personal Photograph of Michael Haussman.jpg directed the video.]]

The music video for "Take a Bow" was directed by Michael Haussman and is a lavish period-style piece, filmed November 3–8, 1994, in Ronda and in the bullring of Antequera, Spain. In the video, Madonna wore a fitted, classic suit by British fashion designer John Galliano.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1471601.stm|title=Madonna's Bras Fetch Big Bucks|work=BBC News|last=Savage|first=Mark|date=August 3, 2001|access-date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=September 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925070812/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1471601.stm|url-status=live}} The costumes worn by Madonna in the video were created by stylist Lori Goldstein, who received the VH1 Fashion and Media Award for best styling. Other designers who provided clothing included Donatella Versace and a then-unknown Christian Louboutin. Madonna had a 1940s style on her, with tight corset, silk dresses and a black-veiled hat. The plot of the video was set in the 1940s, depicting Madonna as a neglected lover of a bullfighter, played by real-life Spanish actor and bullfighter Emilio Muñoz.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1586853/madonna-gets-her-way-as-usual-in-1994-in-the-loder-files/|title=Madonna Gets Her Way—As Usual—In 1994, In The Loder Files|publisher=MTV News|date=May 6, 2008|access-date=February 17, 2014|last=Loder|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Loder|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307143745/http://www.mtv.com/news/1586853/madonna-gets-her-way-as-usual-in-1994-in-the-loder-files/|url-status=dead}} Madonna's character yearns for the bullfighter's presence, with erotic heartbreak.{{harvnb|Taraborrelli|2008|p=871}} In an interview with MTV's Kurt Loder on the set of the music video, Madonna said that when she was initially writing "Take a Bow" the inspiration for the song was an actor, but she wanted the male character in the video to be a matador instead because she wanted the video to be about an "obsessive, tragic love story that doesn't work out in the end" and a matador would be more visually effective in expressing the emotion of the song.{{harvnb|Fouz-Hernández|Jerman-Ivens|2004|p=149}}

File:Plaza de Toros de Ronda Spain - Les arènes de Ronda Espagne - Picture Image Photography (14749877019).jpg, where the bullfighting scenes were shot]]

Madonna arrived in Ronda in November 1994 with a team of 60 people and wanted to shoot at the bullrings in the city. However, her request was rejected by the Real Maestranza de Caballería of Ronda (Royal Cavalry Brotherhood of Ronda), who considered it as a desecration of the arenas if Madonna would have filmed there, since her name at that time was associated with provocative imagery. Also, Madonna had to give up shooting around the city's square due to high economic demands of its owner, former bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez who demanded ₧17 million ({{Currency|122302|USD}} in 1994). Later it was clarified that Madonna was refused due to unknown moral reasons from the Brotherhood, who accused the media of making free publicity on the singer's behalf. The refusal generated controversy in Ronda, whose political groups believed that allowing the video to be shot within its precipices would be great promotion for the city. Madonna later obtained permit to shoot inside the palace of the Marquis of Salvatierra. Bullfighting scenes were shot at the Plaza de Toros de Ronda (The Toros Plaza of Ronda), where Muñoz acted alongside three fighting bulls. The actor was paid ₧7 million ({{Currency|50360|USD}} in 1994) for participating in the video.{{cite news|last=Narváez|first=Diego|url=http://elpais.com/diario/1994/11/02/ultima/783730801_850215.html|title=Madonna, torea en Ronda|newspaper=El País|date=November 2, 1994|access-date=July 27, 2012|trans-title=Madonna, fighting in Ronda|language=es|archive-date=April 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406183812/http://elpais.com/diario/1994/11/02/ultima/783730801_850215.html|url-status=live}}

The music video was released on November 22, 1994, on MTV. It was also part of VH1's relaunching promotional campaigns, where the channel used the video in its trio of 30 second commercials titled "The New VH1". The commercial showed a couple in a vintage porsche pulling in front of an ATM cash machine. The man makes a transaction while the woman looks at VH1 playing at a store, showing "Take a Bow". When the man turns back to the car, the woman is gone and can be seen inside the video alongside Madonna, while the singer appears in the car, and utters the tagline: "The new VH1... It'll suck you in". According to Abbey Konowitch, who worked at Madonna's Maverick Records, the singer had a long history with MTV and VH1, and hence was eager to participate in the campaign when asked by VH1 president John Sykes. For filming the commercial, the clothes worn in the video had to be flown in from the different designers. Madonna was also impressed by the technology used in the commercial for transposing the woman and herself together.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA103|title=VH1 Spots Aim To Lure Viewers To Its New Image|last=Russell|first=Deborah|date=April 22, 1995|access-date=April 15, 2016|magazine=Billboard|volume=107|issue=16|issn=0006-2510|page=103|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818182635/https://books.google.com/books?id=5QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA103|url-status=live}}

File:Takeabowmusicvideo.jpg

The music video begins showing Madonna, the torero (Muñoz), and the townspeople preparing for, then attending, a bullfight. A secondary staging in the video presents Madonna standing or sitting near a television set in a room (lit by a single light source from above), while a third staging depicts Madonna writhing around on a bed in her underwear as she watches Muñoz on the television. In the bullring, the torero kills the bull and then comes home and physically and emotionally abuses Madonna. The video can be viewed as a statement on classism, supposing the bullfighter feels threatened and angered by the aristocrat's station, resulting in his physically abusing and then coldly abandoning her.

The style of the music video has been compared to Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's 1986 film Matador, starring Antonio Banderas.{{harvnb|Fouz-Hernández|Jerman-Ivens|2004|p=147}} Madonna requested that Haussman give the video a Spanish theme because, at the time, she was lobbying for the role of Eva Perón in the film version of Evita. She subsequently sent a copy of the video to director Alan Parker as a way of "auditioning" for the role. Madonna eventually won the role of Perón.{{cite web|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1996/9/26/ilustrada/13.html|title=MTV mostra Madonna nos bastidores do filme 'Evita'|last=Palomino|first=Erika|date=September 26, 1996|access-date=April 22, 2016|work=Folha de S.Paulo|language=pt|trans-title=MTV shows Madonna behind the scenes of the film 'Evita'|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114902/http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1996/9/26/ilustrada/13.html|url-status=live}} The music video for Madonna's 1995 single "You'll See" is considered a follow-up to the "Take a Bow" music video, as Madonna and Emilio Muñoz reprise their roles. In that video Madonna's character walks out on Munoz's (bullfighter) character, leaving him behind in despair. Madonna's character is then seen on the train and later on a plane, while Munoz's character tries to catch up with her in vain.{{harvnb|Fouz-Hernández|Jerman-Ivens|2004|p=150}}

The video generated controversy with animal rights activists who accused the singer of glorifying bullfighting. In Australia, music video program Video Hits ran a ticker along the bottom of the screen when the video was playing, stating that the producers of the program did not endorse the glorification of the sport portrayed in the video, while ABC TV video program Rage simply refused to play the video at all during their G-rated Top 50 program. Madonna won Best Female Video honors at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards for the "Take a Bow" music video. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction in a Video, but lost to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson's "Scream". The video also came in at number 27 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Video Moments.{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/the-greatest?episodeID=65466|title=50 Sexiest Video Moments (50-1) (2 Hours)|publisher=VH1|access-date=July 27, 2012|archive-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013064619/http://www.vh1.com/shows/the-greatest?episodeID=65466|url-status=dead}} In 2012, the television program Extra included "Take a Bow" on their list of "The 10 Sexiest Madonna Music Videos."{{cite web|url=http://www.extratv.com/2012/02/01/the-10-sexiest-madonna-music-videos/#take_a_bow|title=The 10 Sexiest Madonna Music Videos|publisher=Extra|date=February 3, 2012|access-date=February 17, 2014|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222130553/http://www.extratv.com/2012/02/01/the-10-sexiest-madonna-music-videos/#take_a_bow|url-status=live}} It can also be found on the Madonna compilations, The Video Collection 93:99 (1999) and Celebration: The Video Collection (2009).{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1431573/madonna-offers-up-new-video-compilation/|title=Madonna Offers Up New Video Compilation|date=October 8, 1999|access-date=April 7, 2016|last=Basham|first=David|publisher=MTV News|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601084644/http://www.mtv.com/news/1431573/madonna-offers-up-new-video-compilation/|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2009/08/26/madonna-celebration-track-list|title=Madonna's 'Celebration' track list revealed: Are the greatest hits all there?|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|date=August 26, 2009|access-date=July 6, 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-date=January 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135156/http://www.ew.com/article/2009/08/26/madonna-celebration-track-list/|url-status=live}}

Like some of Madonna's previous music videos, such as "La Isla Bonita" and "Like a Prayer", religious imagery plays a big role in the music video. In the book Madonna's Drowned Worlds the use of Catholic imagery in the video is discussed. Author Santiago Fouz-Hernández points out that unlike Madonna's previous music videos, much of the religious imagery is associated with the torero, not Madonna, due to the fact that religious images are a strong part of the bullfighting ritual. It has also been argued that in the video Madonna "subverts the gender structure and masculine subjectivity implicit in traditional bullfighting." This is achieved through the "feminization of the matador and the emphasis on Madonna's character" and also through Madonna's "dominant gaze" as she watches the matador perform."{{harvnb|Fouz-Hernández|Jerman-Ivens|2004|p=148}}

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| footer = The music video for "Take a Bow" inspired Justin Timberlake's video for "SexyBack" (2006) and was later tributed by Britney Spears' video for "Radar" (2009).

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Roger Beebe, one of the authors of Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones, noted that the video was an example of "how music, image, and lyrics of a song possesses their own temporality". He explained that the "graceful" nature of the song was contrast to the repetitive scenes in the video, which he felt indicated that the protagonist has long been engaging in the activities, including the "demoralizing sex scenes".{{harvnb|Beebe|Middleton|2007|p=118}} In Madonna as Postmodern Myth, author Georges-Claude Guilbert felt the video "defied feminists of the Marilyn Frye and Adrienne Rich variety, who see in the video a disgusting example of passé female submissiveness", and Madonna responded by stating "I don't believe that any organization should dictate to me what I can and cannot do artistically."{{harvnb|Guilbert|2002|p=175}} Guilbert also noted the usage of religious iconography in the video, especially dubious representation of the Virgin. He explained that most of the times Madonna and the torero make love through the television screen, implying that "one of their purity had to be maintained always".{{harvnb|Guilbert|2002|p=92}}

When discussing "Take a Bow", NPR Multimedia senior producer Keith Jenkins said the music video, with its "rich, sensually framed sepia tones", doesn't leave much to the imagination but rather, it becomes your imagination, with Madonna's vision "drill[ed] into your brain, unlocking your waking eye." Carol Vernallis, author of Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context, noted that the video exemplified the lyrics of the song. She clarified that the scenes featuring Madonna and Muñoz dressing up and putting on their gloves pointed to storyline and lyrics that appeared later, the lyrics being "all the world loves a clown". During that line Muñoz as the torero is seen with a fatuous expression, which Vernallis deduced as "the beginning of the story of possession and fame" in the video. When Madonna sings "I've always been in love with you", she appeared in the video as sometimes adolescent and sometimes middle-aged. For Vernallis it was not clear if the imagery was literal or figurative of the lyrics, "embodying a lasting affection, as separate parts of Madonna's psyche, or as the exaggerated claims of a groupie." The author also noted that the scene where Madonna pricks her hand with a needle makes her relationship with the torero as more ambiguous.{{harvnb|Vernallis|2004|p=149}} The costumes and melody in the video reminded Vernallis of the 1904 opera Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini although with an inverted plotline. The scenes showing Madonna in an enclosed room with a single light bulb also drew comparisons to Glenn Close's character Alex Forrest in the 1987 psychological thriller film, Fatal Attraction.{{harvnb|Vernallis|2004|p=157}} Another observation by Vernallis was about the power struggle it showed in the video, with Madonna gradually losing and relegated to one corner of the room.{{harvnb|Vernallis|2004|p=161}}

The "Take a Bow" video was a source of inspiration for Justin Timberlake's music video for his 2006 single, "SexyBack". According to Timberlake, he decided to work with director Michael Haussman on his "SexyBack" video because "Take a Bow" is one of his favorite Madonna videos. He went on to say "Even today, I still remember the visuals, the images, how he captured her. A lot of times, Madonna seems like she's the person in control, and in that video, she seemed vulnerable. It was a cool thing to see."{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1535791/back-in-style-justin-timberlake-mixes-funk-rock-on-new-single/|title='Back' In Style: Justin Timberlake Mixes Funk, Rock On New Single|last=Vineyard|first=Jennifer|date=July 6, 2006|publisher=MTV News|access-date=February 4, 2014|archive-date=October 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028143141/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1535791/20060706/timberlake_justin.jhtml|url-status=dead}} According to director Dave Meyers, the music video for Britney Spears' 2009 single "Radar" is a "tribute" to Madonna's "Take a Bow" video. When speaking of Spears and the "Radar" video, Meyers explained, "[we were] looking for a way to take her into a contemporary, classy environment. I felt empowered by referencing Madonna's ['Take a Bow'] video. Britney hasn't done anything like that."{{cite web|author=Vena, Jocelyn|title=Britney Spears Channeled 'Classy' Madonna In 'Radar' Video|publisher=MTV News|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1627052/britney-spears-channeled-classy-madonna-in-radar-video/|date=November 24, 2009|access-date=February 4, 2014|archive-date=March 11, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160311140005/http://www.mtv.com/news/1627052/britney-spears-channeled-classy-madonna-in-radar-video/|url-status=dead}}

{{See also|List of cover versions of Madonna songs|List of Madonna tribute albums}}

File:Taipei madonna concert-240 (25921494073).jpg stop of her Rebel Heart Tour on February 6, 2016]]

On January 30, 1995, Madonna performed "Take a Bow" in a cheongsam on the American Music Awards of 1995, accompanied by Babyface and full orchestral strings.{{Cite web | url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/madonna-babyface-best-american-music-awards-performances-1995-8030023/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427213214/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/madonna-babyface-best-american-music-awards-performances-1995-8030023/ | title=Best American Music Awards Performances No. 8: Madonna and Babyface 'Take a Bow' at 1995 AMAs | author=Caitlin Kelley | website=Billboard Magazine | date=2017-11-08 | accessdate=2023-11-17 | archivedate=2023-04-27 | quote=Madonna and Babyface's duet at the AMAs...presence of a live orchestra...Madonna’s sartorial decision...wearing a cheongsam (a Chinese dress)...the song’s pentatonic strings were intended to evoke Chinese opera... | url-status=live}} Babyface said the performance was terrifying for him: "I was nervous as hell. But you couldn't actually see my legs shaking under the suit. When we finished, she told me she had never been that nervous before. That was crazy to me -- I was thinking, 'You're Madonna, you're on stage all the time!'".{{cite magazine|last=Lipshutz|first=Jason|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/amas/474126/top-10-american-music-awards-moments-past-amas-video-highlights|title=Top 10 American Music Awards Moments: Past AMAs' Video Highlights|date=November 20, 2013|access-date=January 7, 2016|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|archive-date=November 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111084120/http://www.billboard.com/articles/events/amas/474126/top-10-american-music-awards-moments-past-amas-video-highlights|url-status=live}} On February 18, 1995, Madonna arrived in Europe to promote Bedtime Stories; that same day, she appeared on German TV show Wetten, dass..?, where she was interviewed and performed "Secret" and "Take a Bow".{{cite web|url=http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-performs-take-a-bow-on-the-german-wetten-dass-tv-show|title=Madonna Performs 'Take A Bow' on the German Wetten Dass TV show|date=February 18, 1995|access-date=April 14, 2016|publisher=Madonna.com|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031617/http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-performs-take-a-bow-on-the-german-wetten-dass-tv-show|url-status=live}} On February 22, 1995, Madonna and Babyface sang the song at the Sanremo Music Festival 1995 in Sanremo, Italy. At the end of the performance, she thanked the audience in Italian, and received a standing ovation.{{cite web|url=http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-and-babyface-perform-take-a-bow-at-the-san-remo-festival|title=Madonna and Babyface perform 'Take A Bow' at the San Remo Festival|date=February 2, 1995|access-date=April 14, 2016|publisher=Madonna.com|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111157/http://www.madonna.com/news/title/madonna-and-babyface-perform-take-a-bow-at-the-san-remo-festival|url-status=live}} Madonna did rehearse the song for 2004's Re-Invention World Tour, but it was ultimately cut from the setlist and not included in the show.{{harvnb|Timmerman|2007|p=30}}

Madonna had never performed "Take a Bow" on any of her concert tours until February 4, 2016, when she performed the song during the Taipei stop of her Rebel Heart Tour.{{cite news|last=Brodsky|first=Rachel|url=http://www.spin.com/2016/02/madonna-take-a-bow-live-watch/|title=Madonna Performed 'Take a Bow' Live For the First Time|work=Spin|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=February 4, 2016|archive-date=February 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205010301/http://www.spin.com/2016/02/madonna-take-a-bow-live-watch/|url-status=live}} After the performance, she exclaimed "That was fun! First time ever. Hit a few bad notes, but it felt good to sing it."{{cite magazine|last1=Blistein|first1=Jon|title=Watch Madonna Perform 'Take a Bow' in Concert for First Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-madonna-perform-take-a-bow-in-concert-for-first-time-20160204|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 14, 2016|date=February 4, 2016|archive-date=February 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205093358/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-madonna-perform-take-a-bow-in-concert-for-first-time-20160204|url-status=live}} The singer subsequently performed the song in the other cities during the Asian and Oceanian legs of the Rebel Heart Tour.{{cite web|url=http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/spoiler-alert-madonnas-rebel-heart-setlist-revealed/|title=Madonna's 'Rebel Heart' setlist revealed|publisher=News5|date=February 23, 2016|first=Edwin P.|last=Sallan|access-date=May 21, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517224619/http://www.interaksyon.com/entertainment/spoiler-alert-madonnas-rebel-heart-setlist-revealed/|archive-date=May 17, 2016|df=mdy-all}}{{cite news|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/showbiz/madonna-cranks-it-bangkok-concert|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212171722/http://news.asiaone.com/news/showbiz/madonna-cranks-it-bangkok-concert|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2016|title=Madonna cranks it up in Bangkok concert|work=AsiaOne|date=February 11, 2016|access-date=May 21, 2016}}{{cite news|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/culture/showbiz/music/2016/03/13/madonna-launches-australian-tour.html|title=Madonna launches Australian tour|publisher=Sky News Australia|date=March 13, 2016|access-date=May 21, 2016|archive-date=May 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528202830/http://www.skynews.com.au/culture/showbiz/music/2016/03/13/madonna-launches-australian-tour.html|url-status=dead}} The live performance of the song was released as a bonus track on the Japanese DVD/Blu-ray edition of Rebel Heart Tour (2017).{{cite video|people=Madonna|title=Rebel Heart Tour|medium=DVD/Blu-ray|publisher=Universal Music Japan|date=2017|id=UIXO-1001}} An acoustic version of "Take a Bow" was performed on Madonna's one-off concert in Melbourne, Madonna: Tears of a Clown.{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/madonna-tears-of-a-clown-intimate-concert-for-fans-at-the-forum-in-melbourne/news-story/c42664cdd548419736bc51b3e062e525 |title=Madonna at Forum in Melbourne for Tears of a Clown Show |work=News.com.au |last=Adams |first=Cameron |date=March 9, 2016 |access-date=April 14, 2016 |archive-date=April 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413123758/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/tours/madonna-tears-of-a-clown-intimate-concert-for-fans-at-the-forum-in-melbourne/news-story/c42664cdd548419736bc51b3e062e525 |url-status=live }} Madonna also performed the song as part of the setlist of The Celebration Tour (2023-2024).{{cite web|last=Wood|first=Mikael|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-03-05/madonna-celebration-tour-kia-forum-review|title=Madonna's Celebration tour is a messy victory lap that needs more razzle-dazzle|date=March 5, 2024|access-date=March 30, 2024|work=Los Angeles Times}}

Hong Kong pop singer Sandy Lam recorded a version of the song for her 1997 English language covers album Wonderful World (美妙世界). Serbian pop singer Bebi Dol released Serbian language-cover literally titled "Pokloni se", on her 1995 album Ritam srca.{{Cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Bebi-Dol-Ritam-Srca/release/984106 |title=Ritam srca at Discogs |website=Discogs |year=1995 |access-date=June 19, 2014 |archive-date=April 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404215911/http://www.discogs.com/Bebi-Dol-Ritam-Srca/release/984106 |url-status=live }} Philippine bossa nova singer Sitti recorded a cover of this song for her second album My Bossa Nova. Korean rock band Jaurim covered the song on their album The Youth Admiration. Trisha Yearwood and Babyface covered the song on CMT Crossroads, which aired on September 21, 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/cmt-crossroads/trisha-yearwood-and-babyface-1120724/|title=CMT Crossroads: Season 6|publisher=TV.com|access-date=February 14, 2014|archive-date=August 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808215950/http://www.tv.com/shows/cmt-crossroads/trisha-yearwood-and-babyface-1120724/|url-status=dead}} Melissa Totten did a Hi-NRG cover for her 2008 dance album Forever Madonna. American pop folk singer Matt Alber plays an acoustic cover on his 2011 album Constant Crows. "Take a Bow" was featured in the final episode of the first season of Friends, "The One Where Rachel Finds Out", when Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) goes to the airport to tell Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) that she knows he is in love with her.{{cite web|title=Friends: The One Where Rachel Finds Out|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/friends/the-one-where-rachel-finds-out-368/trivia/i|publisher=TV.com|date=May 18, 1995|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-date=August 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807031546/http://www.tv.com/shows/friends/the-one-where-rachel-finds-out-368/trivia/i|url-status=dead}} "Take a Bow" was used in promos for the final season of Beverly Hills, 90210.{{cite web|title=Beverly Hills 90210: The Easter Bunny|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/beverly-hills-90210/the-easter-bunny-27720/|publisher=TV.com|date=April 5, 2000|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-date=May 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517090110/http://www.tv.com/shows/beverly-hills-90210/the-easter-bunny-27720/|url-status=live}}

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{{col 2}}

• US 7-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title="Take a Bow"|others=Madonna|year=1994|type=US 7" CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=7-18000}}

1. "Take a Bow" (Album Version) – 5:20
2. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Mix) – 4:57

• Japan (Remixes CD single){{cite AV media notes|title="Take a Bow"|others=Madonna|year=1994|type=Japan Remixes CD single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=WPCR-191}}

1. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Mix) – 4:57
2. "Take a Bow" (Album Edit) – 4:31
3. "Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:11
4. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Instrumental) – 4:56
5. "Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Instrumental) – 4:11
6. "Take a Bow" (Album Instrumental) – 5:20
7. "Bedtime Story" (Album Edit) – 4:08
8. "Bedtime Story" (Junior Wet Dream Mix) – 8:33

• US and Australian maxi single{{cite AV media notes|title="Take a Bow"|others=Madonna|year=1994|type=US Maxi single liner notes|publisher=Maverick Records|id=9362-41874-2|asin=B000002M4Y}}

1. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Mix) – 4:57
2. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Instrumental) – 4:56
3. "Take a Bow" (Album Version) – 5:20
4. "Take a Bow" (Album Instrumental) – 5:20
5. "Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:11

{{col 2}}

• UK, European, and Australian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title="Take a Bow"|others=Madonna|year=1994|type=US CD single liner notes|publisher=Warner Bros.|id=9362-41874-9}}

1. "Take a Bow" (Edit) – 4:25
2. "Take a Bow" (Album Version) – 5:20
3. "Take a Bow" (Album Instrumental) – 5:20

• Digital single (2021){{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/take-a-bow/1599391050 |title=Take a Bow by Madonna on Apple Music |publisher=Apple Music |access-date=17 Dec 2021 |archive-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217231931/https://music.apple.com/gb/album/take-a-bow/1599391050 |url-status=live }}

1. "Take a Bow" (Edit) – 4:28
2. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Edit) – 4:03
3. "Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Mix) – 4:11
4. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Mix) – 4:58
5. "Take a Bow" (Album Version) – 5:21
6. "Take a Bow" (InDaSoul Instrumental) – 4:58
7. "Take a Bow" (Silky Soul Instrumental) – 4:12
8. "Take a Bow" (Instrumental) – 5:21

{{col end}}

Credits and personnel are adapted from the Bedtime Stories album disc liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Bedtime Stories |others=Madonna |year=1994|type=LP, Vinyl, CD |publisher=Maverick Records. WEA Records Pvt. Ltd|id=9362-45767-2}}

{{div col|colwidth=45em}}

• Madonna – songwriter, record producer, vocals
• Babyface – songwriter, producer, background vocals, drum programming, synthesizer
• Brad Gilderman – recording engineer
• Jon Gass – audio mixing
• Nellee Hooper – strings, conductor
• Jessie Leavey – strings, conductor
• Craig Armstrong – conductor
• Suzie Katayama – conductor
• Fabien Baron – art director
• Patrick Demarchelier – cover art photographer

{{div end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Take a Bow"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Madonna|title=Take a Bow|type=single|relyear=1995|nocert=true|salesamount=300,000|salesref={{cite journal|last=Provvedini|first=Claudia|title=Vizi e virtù di Madonna dalla A alla Z|url=http://archivio.corriere.it/Archivio/interface/view.shtml#!/MTovZXMvaXQvcmNzZGF0aS9AMTU2OTAw|date=March 15, 1995|language=it|website=Corriere della Sera|page=32|quote=... compresa l'Italia, dove l'Lp "Take a bow" ha gia raggiunto le 300.000 copie|access-date=December 23, 2020|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911212504/http://archivio.corriere.it/Archivio/interface/view.shtml#!/MTovZXMvaXQvcmNzZGF0aS9AMTU2OTAw|url-status=live}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom |nocert=yes |salesamount= 102,739 |salesref={{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1035210|title=The immaculate guide to 50 years of Madonna|last=Jones|first=Alan|date=August 19, 2008|access-date=February 21, 2013|work=Music Week|archive-date=August 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080825001206/http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1035210}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Madonna|title=Take a Bow|type=single|relyear=1995|award=Gold|access-date=October 10, 2014|salesamount=500,000|salesref=|refname="riaa"}}

{{Table end}}

• List of number-one singles of 1995 (Canada)
• List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1995
• List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1995
• List of Billboard Mainstream Top 40 number-one songs of the 1990s
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1995

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book | last1 = Beebe| first1 =Roger|last2=Middleton|first2=Jason| title =Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones| publisher = Duke University Press| year = 2007| isbn = 978-0-8223-4162-8}}
• {{cite book | last = Bronson | first = Fred | title = The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits | publisher = Billboard books | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-8230-7677-6 | author-link = Fred Bronson}}
• {{Cite book|last=Feldman|first=Christopher|title=Billboard Book of Number 2 Singles|year=2000|publisher=Watson-Guptill|isbn=0-8230-7695-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn00chri}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Fouz-Hernández|first1=Santiago|last2=Jerman-Ivens|first2=Freya|title=Madonna's Drowned Worlds|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|isbn=0-7546-3372-1|year=2004|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/madonnasdrownedw0000unse}}
• {{cite book | last = Guilbert | first = Georges-Claude | title = Madonna as Postmodern Myth | author-link = Georges Claude Guilbert | publisher = McFarland | year = 2002 | isbn = 0-7864-1408-1 }}
• {{Cite book|last = Rettenmund|first = Matthew|author-link = Matthew Rettenmund|title = Encyclopedia Madonnica 20|publisher = Boyculture Publications|year = 2016|isbn = 978-0-692-51557-0}}
• {{cite book |first=David|last=Roberts|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|year=2004|publisher=Guinness World Records|edition=17th|isbn=0-85112-199-3}}
• {{Cite book|last = Rooksby|first = Rikky|title = The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna|year = 2004|publisher = Omnibus Press|isbn = 0-7119-9883-3|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/madonnacompleteg0000rook}}
• {{cite book|last=Sullivan|first=Steve|title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8108-8296-6}}
• {{Cite book|last = Taraborrelli|first = J. Randy|author-link = J. Randy Taraborrelli|title = Madonna: An Intimate Biography|publisher = Simon & Schuster|year = 2008|isbn = 978-1-4165-8346-2}}
• {{cite book|last=Timmerman|first=Dirk|title=Madonna Live! Secret Re-inventions and Confessions on Tour|publisher=Maklu Publishers|year=2007|isbn=9789085950028}}
• {{cite book|last=Vernallis|first=Carol|title=Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0-231-50845-2}}
• {{Cite book|last = Wade|first = Chris|author-link = Chris Wade (writer)|title = The Music of Madonna|publisher = Wisdom Twins Books|year = 2016|isbn = 978-1-326-53580-3}}

{{refend}}

• {{Cite journal | last = Koch | first = Gertrud | title = Athena's armor, Medusa's scream: the audiovisual imaging of the feminine in music videos | journal = Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies | volume = 27 | issue = 1 | pages = 176–188 | publisher = Duke University Press | doi = 10.1215/10407391-3522793 | date = May 2016}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Discogs master|34863|Take a Bow|type=single}}
• {{YouTube|XzETtsTBRPw|"Take a Bow" (audio)}}

{{Madonna songs}}

{{MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1994 singles

Category:1994 songs

Category:1990s ballads

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Madonna songs

Category:MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

Category:Music video controversies

Category:Music videos shot in Spain

Category:Music videos directed by Michael Haussman

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Songs written by Madonna

Category:Songs written by Babyface (musician)

Category:Song recordings produced by Madonna

Category:Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician)

Category:Contemporary R&B ballads

Category:Soul ballads

Category:Blue-eyed soul songs

Category:Maverick Records singles

Category:Sire Records singles

Category:Warner Records singles