Wash All Over Me

When beginning recording sessions for her then-upcoming thirteenth studio album, Madonna enlisted a large team of songwriters and producers for the project. In mid 2014, she uploaded a photo to her Instagram account, which revealed her playing the guitar alongside Swedish electronic musician Avicii.{{cite news|last1=Middleton|first1=Ryan|title=Madonna 'Rebel Heart' & 'Wash Over Me' Leak Online|url=http://www.musictimes.com/articles/17876/20141129/madonna-rebel-heart-wash-over-me-leak-online-avicii.htm|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Music Time|date=November 29, 2014}} During November 2014, a demo of the unfinished "Wash All Over Me" leaked onto the internet,{{cite web|last1=Stern|first1=Bradley|title='Rebel Heart': Madonna's Unapologetic Pop Conquest (Album Review)|url=http://www.muumuse.com/2015/03/rebel-heart-madonna-album-review.html/|website=MuuMuse|access-date=July 31, 2016|date=March 10, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Daw|first1=Robbie|title=Madonna Springs More Leaks: Listen To Avicii Collaboration 'Wash All Over Me' & A Longer Clip Of 'Rebel Heart'|url=http://www.idolator.com/7572278/madonna-listen-wash-all-over-me-rebel-heart|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141220031628/http://www.idolator.com/7572278/madonna-listen-wash-all-over-me-rebel-heart|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 20, 2014|access-date=July 31, 2016|publisher=Idolator|date=November 28, 2014}} resulting in Madonna taking to her Instagram account once again, where she described the situation as "terrorism" and a form of "artistic rape".{{cite magazine|last1=D'Addario|first1=Daniel|title=Madonna on Leaked Demos of New Album: 'This Is Artistic Rape'|url=https://time.com/3638291/madonna-leaked-demos-iconic-artistic-rape/|access-date=July 31, 2016|magazine=Time|date=December 17, 2014}} The unintended leaks led the singer to release six completed tracks through iTunes as a pre-order for the album on December 20, 2014.{{cite magazine|author1=Rolling Stone staff|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/madonna-responds-to-rebel-heart-leak-by-releasing-six-songs-20141220|title=Madonna Responds to 'Rebel Heart' Leak by Releasing Six Songs|date=December 20, 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 20, 2014}} Following this, Avicii was rumored to have produced twelve additional recordings that subsequently leaked.{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-12-17/madonna-new-album-leak/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218024724/http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-12-17/madonna-new-album-leak/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 18, 2014|title=Madonna's New Album + Tracklist Leak, Includes Song Called 'B*tch, I'm Madonna'|author=Cho, Diane|date=December 17, 2014|publisher=VH1 Online|access-date=July 31, 2016}}

The demo version of "Wash All Over Me" was considerably different from the reworked version, with Robbie Daw of Idolator finding the leak to have a "disco/house vibe" with "the constant presence of an acoustic guitar". In the album's early development stages, Madonna played a handful of unfinished demos to Kanye West,{{cite magazine|last1=Ganz|first1=Caryn|title='Rebel Heart': Madonna Reveals the Story Behind Six Surprise Songs| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/rebel-heart-madonna-reveals-the-story-behind-six-surprise-songs-20141221?page=3| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225013650/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/rebel-heart-madonna-reveals-the-story-behind-six-surprise-songs-20141221?page=3| url-status=dead| archive-date=December 25, 2014| access-date=July 31, 2016| magazine=Rolling Stone| date=December 21, 2014}} who later agreed to work with the singer on several tracks, including "Wash All Over Me".{{cite news|last1=Farber|first1=Jim|title=Exclusive: Madonna talks new album 'Rebel Heart,' Kanye West, nostalgia — and continuing to push the envelope|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/exclusive-madonna-talks-new-album-rebel-heart-kanye-west-article-1.2141150|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=March 7, 2015}} Rebel Heart was leaked online in its entirety on February 3, 2015, more than a month in advance to its scheduled release.{{cite news|last1=Daw|first1=Robbie|title=Madonna's Final Version Of 'Rebel Heart' Album Leaks In Full, A Month Ahead Of Release|url=http://www.idolator.com/7579393/madonna-final-version-rebel-heart-leak|access-date=July 31, 2016|publisher=Idolator|date=February 3, 2015|archive-date=October 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014063250/https://www.idolator.com/7579393/madonna-final-version-rebel-heart-leak|url-status=dead}} The final mix of "Wash All Over Me" was subsequently released with its parent record on March 6, 2015.{{cite web|title=Rebel Heart|website=Amazon Germany |access-date=February 15, 2015|url=https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00S2T3WOW|language=de}}

{{multiple image

| image1 = Avicii 2014 003.jpg

| alt1 = Portrait photo of Avicii smiling

| width1 = 140

| image2 = VincentPontare.jpg

| alt2 = Vincent Pontare in a blue shirt against a white background

| width2 = 135

| footer = Two of the songwriters included Avicii (left) and Vincent Pontare (right).

}}

"Wash All Over Me" was written by Madonna, Avicii, Arash Pournouri, Salem Al Fakir, Magnus Lidehäll, Vincent Pontare, Mike Dean, Kanye West and Tommy Brown, while being produced by Madonna, Avicii, Dean and West; furthermore, Charlie Heat serves as a co-producer. Dean further contributed to the drum programming, engineering, mixing, guitars and keyboards, while Demacio "Demo" Castellon provided the engineering and mixing. Pontare also recorded additional vocals for the track. The song is a ballad{{cite news|last1=Haynes|first1=Gavin|title=Madonna – 'Rebel Heart'|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/madonna/15961|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=NME|date=March 9, 2015}} which according to Saeed Saeed of The National, features "baroque piano".{{cite news|last1=Saeed|first1=Saeed|title=Track-by-track review: Rebel Heart – Madonna|url=http://www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle/music/track-by-track-review-rebel-heart---madonna|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=The National|date=March 2, 2015}} The song has a thoughtful melody consisting of a melancholic structure.{{cite news|last1=Pettifer|first1=Amy|title=Madonna's Rebel Heart: A Track By Track Review|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/17298-madonna-m-track-by-track-review|access-date=July 30, 2016|work=The Quietus|date=February 25, 2015}} In regards to Avicii's contributions, Kitty Empire, writing for The Guardian, commented that he "play[s] Andrew Lloyd Webber to [Madonna's] Tim Rice".{{cite news|author-link=Kitty Empire|last=Empire|first=Kitty|title=Madonna: Rebel Heart review – bring on the basqued polemicist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/08/madonna-rebel-heart-review-observer-basqued-polemicist|access-date=July 30, 2016|work=The Guardian|date=March 8, 2015}}

Lyrically, "Wash All Over Me" addresses "insecurity and the release that comes in admitting it". Jim Farber from New York Daily News opined that Madonna "ponders either running from, or accepting the end of, her career",{{cite news|last1=Farber|first1=Jim|title='Rebel Heart' review: Madonna's album bares her soul in a way she never has before|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/rebel-heart-review-madonna-latest-intensely-personal-article-1.2131124|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=February 27, 2015}} whereas Adam R. Holz of Plugged In found Madonna "confront[ing] confusion, fear and change".{{cite web|last1=Holz|first1=Adam R.|title=Madonna – Rebel Heart |url=http://www.pluggedin.com/music-reviews/album/madonna-rebel-heart/|website=Plugged In|access-date=July 31, 2016}} Regarding the lyrics "I walk this razor's edge / Will I stand or will I fall?", Sasha Geffen of Consequence of Sound expressed that: "When the world that you made goes onto change without you, keeping up becomes a bigger and bigger risk. If you're Madonna, you take that risk no matter how likely you are to come out the other side without stumbling."{{cite news|last1=Geffen|first1=Sasha|title=Madonna – Rebel Heart|url=https://consequence.net/2015/03/album-review-madonna-rebel-heart/|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Consequence of Sound|date=March 25, 2015}}

The track's second verse portrays Madonna singing: "Gonna watch the sun going down / I'm not gonna run from all this madness", where "she surveys her present condition but vows to keep on moving". The singer further makes a reference to the Tower of Babylon and calls attention to changes in the music industry: "In a world that's changing, I'm a stranger in a strange land / There's a contradiction and I'm stuck here in between". She later concludes that: "Life is like a desert, an oasis to confuse me".{{cite web|last1=Stern|first1=Bradley|title=Madonna's 'Rebel Heart' And 'Wash All Over Me' Have Leaked In Full|url=http://www.muumuse.com/2014/11/madonna-rebel-heart-and-wash-all-over-me-have-leaked-in-full.html/|website=MuuMuse|access-date=July 31, 2016|date=November 29, 2014}}

"Wash All Over Me" was received positively by music critics. Amy Pettifer of The Quietus praised the track for "ha[ving] all the melancholy pleasure of 'The Power of Good-Bye'"; she later stated that "it's older, wiser and more accepting of endings". Sal Cinquemani, writing for Slant Magazine, noted that the song "return[s] to the lush, spiritual introspection of Ray of Light," further called it "exquisite".{{cite news|last1=Cinquemani|first1=Sal|title=Madonna – Rebel Heart|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/madonna-rebel-heart|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Slant Magazine|date=February 26, 2015}} Likewise, Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph agreed, stating it "recall[s] [...] rich depths".{{cite news|last1=McCormick|first1=Neil|title=Madonna, Rebel Heart, review: 'she's in the game again'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/11431568/Madonna-Rebel-Heart-review-shes-in-the-game-again.html|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=March 9, 2015}} Geffen labeled it an "essential track" from Rebel Heart, writing that it "arrives like a vivid counterpoint to 'Living for Love'". Saeed Saeed of The National congratulated the singer for "another addition to [her] underrated collection of ballads", explaining that "this century has been unkind to Madonna, who has had her share of heartbreak." Andy Gill, writing for The Independent, felt it was a "most welcome reminder" that "recall[s] the career-apex achievements of Like a Prayer".{{cite news|last1=Gill|first1=Andy|title=Madonna, Rebel Heart — album review: A confirmation of Madonna's sustained musical relevance|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/madonna-rebel-heart-album-review-a-confirmation-of-madonnas-sustained-musical-relevance-10090878.html|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=The Independent|date=March 6, 2015}}

Jeff Nelson from People found that "Wash All Over Me" serves as a reminder that "she's still a person". Nelson went on stating that "it's tracks like the aforementioned 'Wash All Over Me' [...] that showcase the megastar's vulnerable, relatable side".{{cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Jeff|title=13 Reasons to Listen to Rebel Heart, Madonna's 13th Album|url=http://www.people.com/article/madonna-reasons-to-listen-to-rebel-heart|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=People|date=March 10, 2015}} Brad Stern, an editor and publisher for MuuMuse, commented that "Wash All Over Me" was "very Confessions-esque", further calling it "a truly curious concoction of sound". In response to a fan of the singer, Stern agreed that it was "fabulous and very emotional", and opined that "the lyrics are much more intriguing than, say, taking shots of Tanqueray like a girl gone wild." Nouse{{'}}s Jack Elliott applauded "Wash All Over Me", describing it as "a lyrically powerful, yet vulnerable ending to the album that could be interpreted as a track celebrating triumph or defeat. It is up to you to interpret it as you wish."{{cite news|last1=Elliott|first1=Jack|title=Album Review: Madonna – Rebel Heart|url=http://www.nouse.co.uk/2015/03/26/album-review-madonna-rebel-heart/|access-date=July 31, 2016|work=Nouse|date=March 26, 2015}}

Credits and personnel adapted from Madonna's official website.{{cite web|url=http://www.madonna.com/newalbum|title=Rebel Heart – Credits|access-date=June 21, 2015|publisher=Madonna.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621042110/http://www.madonna.com/newalbum|archive-date=June 21, 2015}}

• Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP)
• EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI) o/b/o EMI Music Publishing Scandinavia AB (STIM)
• Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI) o/b/o Sony/ATV Music Publishing Scandinavia AB (STIM)
• Universal Polygram International (ASCAP) o/b/o Universal Music Publishing AB (STIM)
• Warner-Tamerlane Pub Corp. o/b/o itself and Papa George Music (BMI)
• Please Gimme My Publishing c/o EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI)/Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI).

{{div col}}

• Madonna – vocals, songwriter, producer
• Tim Bergling – songwriter, producer
• Tommy Brown – songwriter
• Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineer, audio mixer
• Mike Dean – songwriter, producer, keyboards, drum programming, engineer, mixer, guitar
• Salem Al Fakir – songwriter
• Noah Goldstein – engineer, audio mixer
• Charlie Heat – co-producer
• Magnus Lidehäll – songwriter
• Zeke Mishanec – additional recording
• Vincent Pontare – songwriter, additional backing vocals
• Ron Taylor – additional PT editing
• Kanye West – songwriter, producer

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://www.slantmagazine.com/house/article/madonnas-rebel-heart-leaks-in-full Madonna's "Rebel Heart" & "Wash All Over Me" Leak in Full] on Slant Magazine

{{Madonna songs}}

Category:2015 songs

Category:2010s ballads

Category:Madonna songs

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Songs written by Arash Pournouri

Category:Songs written by Avicii

Category:Songs written by Kanye West

Category:Songs written by Madonna

Category:Songs written by Magnus Lidehäll

Category:Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)

Category:Songs written by Salem Al Fakir

Category:Songs written by Vincent Pontare

Category:Songs written by Tommy Brown (record producer)

Category:Song recordings produced by Avicii

Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)

Category:Song recordings produced by Madonna

Category:Song recordings produced by Kanye West