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"Live to Tell" is a song by Madonna from her third studio album True Blue. It was released as the lead single of the album on March 26, 1986. The track was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard.
Background[]
This was written for the movie At Close Range, starring Sean Penn, who Madonna was married to at the time. In 2004, Penn won an Oscar for his role in Mystic River. To this date, Madonna has never won an Oscar, not even for Swept Away. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna said, "Sometimes when I'm writing songs, I'm just channeling. I could say that 'Live To Tell' was about my childhood, my relationship with my parents, my father and my stepmother. But maybe not. It could be about something in an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel or a story that I heard once. It's true, but it's not necessarily autobiographical."
Composition[]
The song has a background instrumentation from a keyboard, a synthesizer, a funk guitar and a mix of synthesized and real drumming.
Music Video[]
| Music Video | Information | |
|---|---|---|
|
Released | Unknown |
| Length | 4:35 | |
| Director | Peter Percher | |
| Production Co | None | |
| Choreographer | N/A | |
| Filmed | N/A | |
| Location | N/A | |
| VEVO views | 13+ Million Views | |
Lyrics[]
I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned
Till then, it will burn inside of me
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside you - can't take that from me
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned
Till then, it will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You've kept it hidden well
If I live to tell the secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again?
If I'd run away
I'd never have the strength to go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart?
Will it grow cold, the secret that I hide?
Will I grow old?
How will they hear?
When will they learn?
How will they know?
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned
Till then, it will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You've kept it hidden well
If I live to tell the secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again?
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell the secret I have learned
Till then, it will burn inside of me
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