Bedtime Stories: Album Guide, Artist and Facts

Bedtime Stories is the sixth studio album by American singer Madonna, released on October 24, 1994, by Maverick and Sire Records. In 1992, Madonna released her fifth studio album Erotica, the coffee table book Sex, and starred in the erotic thriller Body of Evidence. Due to their sexually explicit nature, all three projects were negatively received by critics and fans alike, who felt the singer had "gone too far" and that her career was over. Madonna decided that she needed to soften her image if she wanted to regain her audience. The first attempt was the ballad "I'll Remember" from the soundtrack to the 1994 film With Honors, which received positive reviews and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. For her sixth studio album, Madonna decided to incorporate R&B elements, and collaborated with Babyface, Dallas Austin, and Dave Hall. She also chose to explore the British club musical scene, where genres such as dub had been growing in popularity, and hired producer Nellee Hooper. A pop album with elements of hip hop and R&B, Bedtime Stories explores lyrical themes of love and romance, but with a toned-down, less sexual approach. In the song "Human Nature", Madonna explicitly addresses the backlash and controversy surrounding her previous projects, while the title track "Bedtime Story" saw her working with Icelandic singer Björk. To promote Bedtime Stories, Madonna performed at the 1995 American Music and Brit Awards. A concert tour was planned, but did not take place due to Madonna being cast in the title role in the 1996 musical film Evita. The album yielded two Hot 100 top-three singles, "Secret" and "Take a Bow"; the latter spent seven weeks at number one on the chart. Follow-ups "Bedtime Story" and "Human Nature" were both top-ten hits on the UK Singles Chart. Critics reacted positively to the album for moving away from Erotica's explicit content toward a smoother, more subtly seductive approach. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 38th Grammy Awards. The album debuted and peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached number one in Australia, and charted within the top five in many other countries, including Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Worldwide, Bedtime Stories has sold an estimated eight million copies. In retrospective reviews, it has been referred to as one of Madonna's most important yet underrated albums. Bedtime Stories has also been credited as the album that started the "second phase" of Madonna's career, which began in the mid-to-late 1990s. The album's influence has been noted in the work of contemporary artists. In 2025, Madonna announced a companion extended play titled Bedtime Stories: The Untold Chapter, containing songs that did not make the final cut along with reissues of the original studio album to commemorate Bedtime Stories's 30th anniversary.

Quick facts about Bedtime Stories

• Title: Bedtime Stories
• Artist: Madonna
• Released: 1994
• Type: Album
• Wikidata ID: Q478311

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