.gif)
Sorry (Madonna song)
Encyclopedia
"Sorry" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna
from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor
. It was written and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price
and released as the second single
from the album on February 28, 2006. It later appeared on Celebration
, her 2009 greatest hits album. An uptempo dance song, "Sorry" was one of the first tracks developed for the album and had numerous remix treatments before the ultimate version of the track was finalized. One of the remixes was done by the Pet Shop Boys
, featuring added lyrics by the band. The actual song features a dance groove tempo. It talks about personal empowerment and self-sufficiency.
"Sorry" received positive reviews from contemporary critics, who declared the track the strongest song on the Confessions on a Dance Floor album. Some critics also commented on the song's disco-influenced beats while comparing it to Madonna's older dance songs. It achieved commercial success: topping the singles charts in Italy, Spain, Romania and the United Kingdom, where it became Madonna's twelfth number one single. Elsewhere, the song was a top ten hit. However, in the United States, the song did not perform well due to an underplay on radio but was able to reach the top of Billboards dance charts.
The accompanying music video
was a continuation from the "Hung Up
" music video. It featured Madonna and her dancers roaming around a city in a van, dancing on roller skates and Madonna fighting with a group of men in a cage. She performed the song on her 2006 Confessions Tour
in a similar fight sequence to that shown in the video. An additional video was created as a backdrop for a remix of the song, which depicted political leaders and scenes of war and destruction.
album. The songs were developed with a remixed perspective in mind. Madonna commented that, "Whenever I make records, I often like the remixes better than the original ones. [...] So I thought, screw that. I'm going to start from that perspective". She played the song in different nightclubs, taking on the role of a DJ
. Musically, "Sorry" is an uptempo dance song containing layers of beats and strong vocal on the chorus
. It is set in common time
with a moderately fast dance groove tempo
of 132 beats per minute
. Composed in the key of C minor
, Madonna's vocal range spans from F3 to G4. It follows the chord progression of D—Cm—G—Bb during the spoken introduction
. It then changes to G—Bb—Cm in the chorus, while continuing in G—Cm—G—Fm in the intermediate verses, ultimately ending in repeated lines of "I've heard it all before".
Lyrically the song has excerpts of different languages including French, Italian, Dutch, Hindi and Japanese. In fact, the song starts with different words indicating regrets but most of all sadness in French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian, successively. In a similar intermezzo, around 2.55 min, Japanese, Polish, Hindi and Hebrew languages are used to ask for forgiveness. The song talks about personal empowerment and self-sufficiency, denoting a shift in focus of Madonna as an artist from her previous songs about supremacy like "Everybody" (1983), "Vogue" (1990) or "Music
" (2000) which was centered around the subject of music itself. Amongst the various remixes, the Pet Shop Boys
remix incorporated Whitney Houston
's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
" with a more pronounced bassline and uses a double breakdown
in the introduction. It had added lyrics sung by band member Neil Tennant
which subsequently appeared on their remix album Disco Four
. Madonna's voice hits on the first chorus which was remixed to have a masculine synth and a serious hook. A breakdown happens before the fifth minute ends, leading to the entry of programmed drum sounds after which the song ends.
Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News
wrote that "Sorry" is the "album's strongest track" and that it is a "Pet Shop Boys
-esque" song. Vineyard went on to say that it "...wistfully evokes the sounds of the '80s-era dance clubs that first lofted her toward stardom." According to a review in the BBC
's Collective
, "New single 'Sorry' states Queen Madge's unapologetic stance, and though the song is wrapped up in relationship sentiment, one cannot help but hear the subtext, perhaps directed at her more savage critics: 'there are more important things than hearing you speak'." Alan Braidwood from BBC Music
called the song "lethally catchy". Mike Pattenden of The Times
and Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine noted that the bassline of the song utilizes The Jacksons' 1980 song "Can You Feel It
". The song was noted by Slant Magazine as one of the best songs of 2006. In a review of "Sorry" from Virgin Media
, it wrote that the song's musicscape features an "infectious combo of pumping, filtered synths and disco beats". Keith Caulfield from Billboard
commented that, "[Sorry] should keep fans hung up on Madonna's ability to create instant radio and club classics." He also called the song "springy" while reviewing the album. Ben Williams of New York
magazine, wrote that the song is "propelled by a catchy bass melody". Joan Morgan of The Village Voice
, in review of Confessions on a Dance Floor, wrote: "The party continues admirably with the multilingual, kick-your-man-to-the-curb 'Sorry'." Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork Media
wrote, "The cascades of sound wash directly into 'Sorry', setting up the song's panlingual apologies and shifting bass tectonics." Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
wrote that the first half of the album consists of love songs, happy and sad, and included "Sorry" into the mix. Alexis Petridis
from The Guardian
called the song as triumphant. Kitty Empire from the same newspaper said that "'Sorry' sees Madonna taking a lover to task over an insistent dance-pop rush." Alan Light from Rolling Stone
called the song "throbbing". Thomas Inksweep from Stylus
magazine commented that "Sorry" and first single "Hung Up
" may not be as sleazy
like Madonna's initial singles "Burning Up
" (1984) or "Physical Attraction" (1984), but they have the same modus operandi
of being designed for all-night dancing.
In the United States, "Sorry" debuted at number seventy on the Billboard Hot 100
chart for the issue dated March 11, 2006 and reached a peak of fifty eight the following week. The same week it reached a peak of forty-six on the Pop 100
chart. Its low chart performance in America was attributed to limited radio airplay
. A petition was signed by about 3,300 fans at petitionline.com. Known as the "End the Madonna U.S. Radio Boycott," it was addressed to Clear Channel Communications
CEO
Mark P. Mays. Message boards at Entertainment Weekly
and VH1
, were filled with everything from support for Madonna to conspiracy theories about why she was not played on radio. The song, however, reached the top of the Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks, as well as Hot Dance Airplay
chart for five weeks. As of April 2010, the song has sold 358,000 digital units in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one on the chart dated February 26, 2006. The song became Madonna's twelfth number one single in Britain and second consecutive single from the album to peak the British chart, after "Hung Up
." This made Madonna the female artist with most number one songs in the United Kingdom, while placing her in fifth place in overall tabulation. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 195,000 digital downloads there. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at four. The song peaked at number two on the Canadian Singles Chart
and was certified platinum
by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA) on April 10, 2006 for sales of 80,000 units of paid digital downloads.
It debuted at number five in Ireland and was on the chart for twelve weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, the song became a top ten hit for Madonna reaching the top ten of countries like Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland while reaching the top of the charts in Italy, Spain and Billboard's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.
The music video
incorporated parts of the television show Pimp My Ride
, and was shot by Madonna in London in January 2006 while she was making plans for her then forthcoming Confessions Tour
. It was directed by Madonna's longtime choreographer Jamie King
and featured choreography from The Talauega Brothers. Many of the performers featured in Madonna's "Hung Up
" video were in that of "Sorry", which was shot as a continuation from the "Hung Up" video. Madonna's parts in the video were shot first, followed by the shot of the skaters. The shoot took place for over two days.
The video starts with Madonna standing in front of neon lighted screen in a purple leotard uttering "Sorry" in different languages. As the music starts she comes out from the gaming parlour of her "Hung Up" video with her dancers. They board a van where Madonna and her dancers strip of their clothes into new ones. Madonna wears a white leotard with a matching tassled corset with her hair in 70's retro inspired style and pair of knee high silver platform boots. As they move around the city in the van, they pick up different men from the streets to join them. These scenes are interspersed with the scenes of Madonna singing in front of the neon screen. The video progresses like this until the intermediate verse whence Madonna is shown standing in a cage opposite to a number of men. As the bridge
builds up, Madonna starts fighting with the men. She starts bending backwards and tying herself in knot like positions, while doing backflips and somersaults which defeats the men. The chorus starts again and Madonna and her dancers are shown skating in circles around a roller rink. The video ends with the close-up of Madonna in the purple leotard and fades into her silhouette.
"Sorry" was performed in the promotional tour for the Confessions on a Dance Floor album and on the 2006 Confessions Tour
as part of the bedouin
themed segment. Madonna was dressed in a Jean-Paul Gaultier
kaftan
with pants and high heeled boots. As Madonna finished the performance of the song "Isaac", she took off the kaftan and wore a jacket given to her by the dancers and greets them one by one. The Pet Shop Boys
music for the song's remix start in the background. Madonna and her female dancers take to one side of a giant cage and start singing the song. As the song progresses to the intermediate verses, Madonna engages in an energetic fight with her male dancers which demonstrated her bending her body and putting her leg over her head and jumping from the cage on a dancer's back.
The song was also used as a video backdrop during the interlude between the bedouin and the glam/rock sections. The video featured images of fascists and political leaders from past and present like Adolf Hitler
and Idi Amin Dada
to George W. Bush
and Tony Blair
. Their images flashed across the screen, with text and footage of war atrocities intermingled in between. Madonna appears on the screens wearing her "Sorry" video leotard and utters the words "talk is cheap" and "don't speak", along with the music and Bush's lips stuttering. The performances of "Sorry" and the remix video was included in The Confessions Tour
CD and DVD.
The Daily Mail
called the performance "energetic". Tom Young from BBC Music
called the performance a "delight" but described the video as the "lowlight" of the tour. Ed Gonzalez from Slant Magazine wrote that the performance was not among the concert's highlights. However, he commented that the remix backdrop "feels ecstatic [...] a collage of Godardian
weight you can dance too". Thomas Inkseep from Stylus
described the song's performance and remix as "fantastic".
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
. It was written and produced by Madonna and Stuart Price
Stuart Price
Stuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...
and released as the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album on February 28, 2006. It later appeared on Celebration
Celebration (Madonna album)
Celebration is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, and the closing release under her contract with Warner Bros. Records, her record company since 1982. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, The Immaculate Collection and GHV2...
, her 2009 greatest hits album. An uptempo dance song, "Sorry" was one of the first tracks developed for the album and had numerous remix treatments before the ultimate version of the track was finalized. One of the remixes was done by the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, featuring added lyrics by the band. The actual song features a dance groove tempo. It talks about personal empowerment and self-sufficiency.
"Sorry" received positive reviews from contemporary critics, who declared the track the strongest song on the Confessions on a Dance Floor album. Some critics also commented on the song's disco-influenced beats while comparing it to Madonna's older dance songs. It achieved commercial success: topping the singles charts in Italy, Spain, Romania and the United Kingdom, where it became Madonna's twelfth number one single. Elsewhere, the song was a top ten hit. However, in the United States, the song did not perform well due to an underplay on radio but was able to reach the top of Billboards dance charts.
The accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was a continuation from the "Hung Up
Hung Up
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was...
" music video. It featured Madonna and her dancers roaming around a city in a van, dancing on roller skates and Madonna fighting with a group of men in a cage. She performed the song on her 2006 Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
in a similar fight sequence to that shown in the video. An additional video was created as a backdrop for a remix of the song, which depicted political leaders and scenes of war and destruction.
Background and composition
"Sorry" was one of the first tracks developed for the Confessions on a Dance FloorConfessions on a Dance Floor
Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 15, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was a complete departure from her last studio album, American Life . It included influences of 70s and 80s disco as well as...
album. The songs were developed with a remixed perspective in mind. Madonna commented that, "Whenever I make records, I often like the remixes better than the original ones. [...] So I thought, screw that. I'm going to start from that perspective". She played the song in different nightclubs, taking on the role of a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. Musically, "Sorry" is an uptempo dance song containing layers of beats and strong vocal on the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. It is set in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a moderately fast dance groove tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 132 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. Composed in the key of C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
, Madonna's vocal range spans from F3 to G4. It follows the chord progression of D—Cm—G—Bb during the spoken introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
. It then changes to G—Bb—Cm in the chorus, while continuing in G—Cm—G—Fm in the intermediate verses, ultimately ending in repeated lines of "I've heard it all before".
Lyrically the song has excerpts of different languages including French, Italian, Dutch, Hindi and Japanese. In fact, the song starts with different words indicating regrets but most of all sadness in French, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian, successively. In a similar intermezzo, around 2.55 min, Japanese, Polish, Hindi and Hebrew languages are used to ask for forgiveness. The song talks about personal empowerment and self-sufficiency, denoting a shift in focus of Madonna as an artist from her previous songs about supremacy like "Everybody" (1983), "Vogue" (1990) or "Music
Music (Madonna song)
"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000, by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2001, for Record of the Year...
" (2000) which was centered around the subject of music itself. Amongst the various remixes, the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
remix incorporated Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody " is the first single from Whitney Houston's second studio album Whitney. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously written the number-one Whitney Houston hit "How Will I...
" with a more pronounced bassline and uses a double breakdown
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
in the introduction. It had added lyrics sung by band member Neil Tennant
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer and songwriter, who, with bandmate Chris Lowe, makes up the successful electronic dance music duo Pet Shop Boys.-Childhood:...
which subsequently appeared on their remix album Disco Four
Disco 4
Disco 4 also known as Disco Four is the eighteenth album by the UK electronic music duo Pet Shop Boys and the fourth in the band's "Disco" series. It was released on October 8, 2007, on compact disc and vinyl...
. Madonna's voice hits on the first chorus which was remixed to have a masculine synth and a serious hook. A breakdown happens before the fifth minute ends, leading to the entry of programmed drum sounds after which the song ends.
Critical response
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
wrote that "Sorry" is the "album's strongest track" and that it is a "Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
-esque" song. Vineyard went on to say that it "...wistfully evokes the sounds of the '80s-era dance clubs that first lofted her toward stardom." According to a review in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Collective
Collective (BBC)
Collective was an "interactive culture magazine" hosted by the BBC's website, bbc.co.uk. Collective was launched in May 2002, becoming interactive in September of the same year. Collective editors included Rowan Kerek, Jonathan Carter, Alastair Lee, James Cowdery and Matt Walton who had the...
, "New single 'Sorry' states Queen Madge's unapologetic stance, and though the song is wrapped up in relationship sentiment, one cannot help but hear the subtext, perhaps directed at her more savage critics: 'there are more important things than hearing you speak'." Alan Braidwood from BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
called the song "lethally catchy". Mike Pattenden of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine noted that the bassline of the song utilizes The Jacksons' 1980 song "Can You Feel It
Can You Feel It
"Can You Feel It" is a recording by funk and soul group The Jacksons, recorded in March 1980 and released on September 22, 1980 as the first track on their album Triumph....
". The song was noted by Slant Magazine as one of the best songs of 2006. In a review of "Sorry" from Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
, it wrote that the song's musicscape features an "infectious combo of pumping, filtered synths and disco beats". Keith Caulfield from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
commented that, "[Sorry] should keep fans hung up on Madonna's ability to create instant radio and club classics." He also called the song "springy" while reviewing the album. Ben Williams of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, wrote that the song is "propelled by a catchy bass melody". Joan Morgan of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, in review of Confessions on a Dance Floor, wrote: "The party continues admirably with the multilingual, kick-your-man-to-the-curb 'Sorry'." Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
wrote, "The cascades of sound wash directly into 'Sorry', setting up the song's panlingual apologies and shifting bass tectonics." Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that the first half of the album consists of love songs, happy and sad, and included "Sorry" into the mix. Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular and contributor to the magazine GQ.Petridis began his career writing for Varsity whilst a student at the University of Cambridge...
from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the song as triumphant. Kitty Empire from the same newspaper said that "'Sorry' sees Madonna taking a lover to task over an insistent dance-pop rush." Alan Light from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called the song "throbbing". Thomas Inksweep from Stylus
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
magazine commented that "Sorry" and first single "Hung Up
Hung Up
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was...
" may not be as sleazy
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
like Madonna's initial singles "Burning Up
Burning Up
"Burning Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's second single on March 9, 1983, in some countries as a AA side single with "Physical Attraction"...
" (1984) or "Physical Attraction" (1984), but they have the same modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
of being designed for all-night dancing.
Chart performance
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart for the issue dated March 11, 2006 and reached a peak of fifty eight the following week. The same week it reached a peak of forty-six on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart. Its low chart performance in America was attributed to limited radio airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
. A petition was signed by about 3,300 fans at petitionline.com. Known as the "End the Madonna U.S. Radio Boycott," it was addressed to Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Mark P. Mays. Message boards at Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, were filled with everything from support for Madonna to conspiracy theories about why she was not played on radio. The song, however, reached the top of the Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks, as well as Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart for five weeks. As of April 2010, the song has sold 358,000 digital units in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one on the chart dated February 26, 2006. The song became Madonna's twelfth number one single in Britain and second consecutive single from the album to peak the British chart, after "Hung Up
Hung Up
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was...
." This made Madonna the female artist with most number one songs in the United Kingdom, while placing her in fifth place in overall tabulation. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 195,000 digital downloads there. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at four. The song peaked at number two on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
and was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA) on April 10, 2006 for sales of 80,000 units of paid digital downloads.
It debuted at number five in Ireland and was on the chart for twelve weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, the song became a top ten hit for Madonna reaching the top ten of countries like Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland while reaching the top of the charts in Italy, Spain and Billboard's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.
Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
incorporated parts of the television show Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
, and was shot by Madonna in London in January 2006 while she was making plans for her then forthcoming Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
. It was directed by Madonna's longtime choreographer Jamie King
Jamie King
Jamie King is a creative director and choreographer whose work directing concert tours for pop stars has grossed over two billion dollars...
and featured choreography from The Talauega Brothers. Many of the performers featured in Madonna's "Hung Up
Hung Up
"Hung Up" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was...
" video were in that of "Sorry", which was shot as a continuation from the "Hung Up" video. Madonna's parts in the video were shot first, followed by the shot of the skaters. The shoot took place for over two days.
The video starts with Madonna standing in front of neon lighted screen in a purple leotard uttering "Sorry" in different languages. As the music starts she comes out from the gaming parlour of her "Hung Up" video with her dancers. They board a van where Madonna and her dancers strip of their clothes into new ones. Madonna wears a white leotard with a matching tassled corset with her hair in 70's retro inspired style and pair of knee high silver platform boots. As they move around the city in the van, they pick up different men from the streets to join them. These scenes are interspersed with the scenes of Madonna singing in front of the neon screen. The video progresses like this until the intermediate verse whence Madonna is shown standing in a cage opposite to a number of men. As the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
builds up, Madonna starts fighting with the men. She starts bending backwards and tying herself in knot like positions, while doing backflips and somersaults which defeats the men. The chorus starts again and Madonna and her dancers are shown skating in circles around a roller rink. The video ends with the close-up of Madonna in the purple leotard and fades into her silhouette.
Live performances
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
as part of the bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
themed segment. Madonna was dressed in a Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
kaftan
Kaftan
A kaftan is a man's coat usually reaching to the ankles with long sleeves, and which buttons down the front. It can be made of wool, cashmere, silk, or cotton. It is often worn with a sash....
with pants and high heeled boots. As Madonna finished the performance of the song "Isaac", she took off the kaftan and wore a jacket given to her by the dancers and greets them one by one. The Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
music for the song's remix start in the background. Madonna and her female dancers take to one side of a giant cage and start singing the song. As the song progresses to the intermediate verses, Madonna engages in an energetic fight with her male dancers which demonstrated her bending her body and putting her leg over her head and jumping from the cage on a dancer's back.
The song was also used as a video backdrop during the interlude between the bedouin and the glam/rock sections. The video featured images of fascists and political leaders from past and present like Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Idi Amin Dada
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
to George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
. Their images flashed across the screen, with text and footage of war atrocities intermingled in between. Madonna appears on the screens wearing her "Sorry" video leotard and utters the words "talk is cheap" and "don't speak", along with the music and Bush's lips stuttering. The performances of "Sorry" and the remix video was included in The Confessions Tour
The Confessions Tour (album)
The Confessions Tour is the second live album by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on January 26, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the album chronicles Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour. It was recorded at Wembley Arena during the London dates of the tour,...
CD and DVD.
The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
called the performance "energetic". Tom Young from BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
called the performance a "delight" but described the video as the "lowlight" of the tour. Ed Gonzalez from Slant Magazine wrote that the performance was not among the concert's highlights. However, he commented that the remix backdrop "feels ecstatic [...] a collage of Godardian
Agnès Godard
Agnès Godard is a César Award-winning French cinematographer. She is most famous for her long-running collaboration with filmmaker Claire Denis.-Biography, career and collaboration with Denis:...
weight you can dance too". Thomas Inkseep from Stylus
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
described the song's performance and remix as "fantastic".
Track listings and formats
- US 2x 12" vinyl
- "Sorry" (Album Version) – 4:42
- "Sorry" (Man With Guitar Mix) – 7:25
- "Sorry" (PSB Maxi Mix) – 8:36
- "Sorry" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:15
- "Sorry" (Green Velvet Remix) – 6:06
- "Let It Will Be" (Paper Faces Remix) – 7:28
- US, AU, CA Maxi-CD
- "Sorry" (Single Edit) – 3:58
- "Sorry" (Man With Guitar Edit) – 6:04
- "Sorry" (PSB Maxi-Mix) – 8:36
- "Sorry" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:15
- "Sorry" (Green Velvet Remix) – 6:07
- "Let It Will Be" (Paper Faces Vocal Edit) – 5:24
- EU Maxi-CD
- "Sorry" (Single Edit) – 3:58
- "Sorry" (Man With Guitar Mix) – 7:25
- "Sorry" (PSB Maxi Mix) – 8:36
- "Sorry" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:15
- "Sorry" (Green Velvet Remix) – 6:06
- "Let It Will Be" (Paper Faces Vocal Edit) – 5:24
- JP CD single
- "Sorry" (Radio Version same version as Single Edit) – 3:57
- "Let It Will Be" (Paper Faces Remix) – 7:28
- "Sorry" (Man With Guitar Mix) – 7:25
- UK 12" vinyl
- "Sorry" (Album Version) – 4:42
- "Sorry" (PSB Maxi Mix) – 8:36
- "Sorry" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:15
- "Sorry" (Green Velvet Extended Remix) – 6:07
- UK CD 1
- "Sorry" (Single Edit) – 3:58
- "Let It Will Be" (Paper Faces Vocal Edit) – 5:24
- UK CD 2
- "Sorry" (Radio Version) – 3:57
- "Sorry" (Man With Guitar Mix) – 7:25
- "Sorry" (PSB Maxi Mix) – 8:34
- "Sorry" (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – 7:12
- "Sorry" (Green Velvet Remix) – 6:05
- US CD Promo/Digital Download
- "Sorry" (Radio Version) – 3:37
Credits and personnel
- Madonna – Lead vocals, producer
- Stuart Price – Producer
- Neil Tennant – Supporting vocals
- Guy OsearyGuy OsearyGuy Oseary is an Israeli-American expert businessman who began his career in entertainment at 17 at what was to become Maverick Records. He is Madonna's manager.-Maverick:...
– ManagementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively... - Goetz Botzenhardt – MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Giovanni Bianco – Graphic DesignGraphic designerA graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
, Art DirectionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games.... - Orlando Puerta – RemixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing, A&R - Angela Becker – Management
- Ian Green – Programming, Producer
- Paul Oakenfold – Remixing
- Pete Gleadall – Programming
- Steven KleinSteven KleinSteven Klein is an American photographer based in New York.-History:After studying painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, he moved into the field of photography...
– Photography - Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
– Keyboards, Producer, Remixing
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
8 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
8 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
4 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
2 |
| Czech Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... |
2 |
| Danish Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
3 |
| Dutch Top 40 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
2 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 3 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
5 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
5 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
5 |
| Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
12 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
2 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
58 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Play | 1 |
| U.S. Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
47 |
External links
- Madonna – Sorry lyrics MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- Madonna – Sorry music video MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- The Confessions Tour Madonna.com