You'll See
Encyclopedia
"You'll See" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna
from her ballads compilation Something to Remember
(1995). The album was released with the intention of tone down the image of Madonna, who was being heavily criticized at the time. The singer decided to work with producer David Foster
, who co-wrote and produced three songs with Madonna in September 1995. "You'll See" was released on October 30, 1995 by Maverick Records
as the first single from the album. The pop rock
ballad received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics.
"You'll See" was commercially successful, reaching the top five in Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The single managed to peak at number six on the Billboard Hot 100
, making Madonna one of the only three artists in the Hot 100 history to have a hit peak at each position from one to ten on the chart. An accompanying music video was directed by Michael Haussman
as a sequel to Madonna's previous music video for "Take a Bow
". An alternate Spanish version, written by Paz Martinez, also received a music video, and was included on the Latin American edition of Something to Remember.
For the record, Madonna revised the Marvin Gaye track, "I Want You". Other two songs were also added to the compilation album; "You'll See" and "One More Chance" were both written and produced by Madonna and musician David Foster
, on the third week of September 1995. "You'll See" was released through Maverick Records
, as the album's first single on October 30, 1995. An alternate Spanish version, written by Paz Martinez, was included on the Latin American edition of Something to Remember.
Lyrically the song talks of independence after the end of a love affair stating that Madonna will go onto greater things. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by One Four Three Music, "You'll See" is a pop rock
ballad composed in the key
of G major
and is set in time signature
of common time
with a moderately, not too fast tempo
of 120 beats per minute. Madonna's vocal range spans from G3 to C5. The song has a sequence of Em–Em–D–Em–D as its chord progression
.
said "I Want You", "You'll See" and "One More Chance" "are consumer enticements that just add to the allure", while Billboard
journalist Timothy White considered the latter two "bitter-sweet serenades". Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen of MTV
, on his review of GHV2
, noted the compilation was missing "some of Madonna's best-selling ballads" such as "You'll See".
, making Madonna one of the only three artists in the Hot 100 history to have a hit peak at each position from one to ten on the chart, alongside Aretha Franklin
and Marvin Gaye
. The song also reached number fifty-one on Billboard
s Year-End Chart for 1996. The Spanish version "Verás" reached number twenty-one on the Hot Latin Songs
component chart,, and number ten on the Latin Pop Airplay
. According to The Official Charts Company, "You'll See" is Madonna's twentieth best-selling single in the United Kingdom, with sales over 305,000 physical units.
, and premiered on November 7, 1995. The plot line is a sequel to Madonna's previous music video for "Take a Bow", and portrays the singer being mistreated by her lover, played by Spanish Torero Emilio Muñoz
. This time she walks out on him, leaving him behind in despair. She's seen on the train and later on a plane, while Emilio tries to catch up with her in vain. The video for "Verás" intercalates scenes from "You'll See" with footage of Madonna recording the Spanish version of the song. The music video for "You'll See" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography
in 1996, and was included on the DVD edition of 2009 compilation Celebration
.
Following the single's release, Madonna performed the song on British television program Top of the Pops
on November 2, 1995. "You'll See" was performed on some select U.S. venues during Madonna's Drowned World Tour
(2001). Scottish singer Susan Boyle
covered the song on her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream
(2009). Reportedly, Boyle loved the song for years, and used to sing the resolute ballad at auditions when she was cruelly turned away. At the end of the number Boyle, sometimes "reduced to tears", would assert "You'll see". The cover was included on the first episode of Brazilian telenovela Ti Ti Ti
(2010).
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 ballads compilation Something to Remember
Something to Remember
Something to Remember is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 7, 1995 by Maverick Records. It came after a controversial period of Madonna in the 1990s and at this time critics had deemed her career over...
(1995). The album was released with the intention of tone down the image of Madonna, who was being heavily criticized at the time. The singer decided to work with producer David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, who co-wrote and produced three songs with Madonna in September 1995. "You'll See" was released on October 30, 1995 by Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
as the first single from the album. The pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
ballad received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics.
"You'll See" was commercially successful, reaching the top five in Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The single managed to peak at number six on the 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...
, making Madonna one of the only three artists in the Hot 100 history to have a hit peak at each position from one to ten on the chart. An accompanying music video was directed by Michael Haussman
Michael Haussman
Michael Haussman is an American music video, motion picture and television advertisement director, writer and producer.Michael Haussman is a director, writer and artist, whose internationally acclaimed commercials have won numerous awards and are featured in advertising books and trade journals...
as a sequel to Madonna's previous music video for "Take a Bow
Take a Bow
"Take a Bow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1994 studio album Bedtime Stories. It has since also appeared on her compilation albums Something to Remember , GHV2 and Celebration . Released as a single in December 1994, it became her longest-running number-one hit in the...
". An alternate Spanish version, written by Paz Martinez, also received a music video, and was included on the Latin American edition of Something to Remember.
Background
After a controversy fueled period, Madonna's personal life had started to dominate over her musical career, "She knew it was time to make a change" as said by one anonymous member of her management team who claimed that she wanted to prove there was more to her than the constant media circus surrounding her. J. Randy Taraborrelli author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography noted that Madonna had previously stated that many of her songs have been overlooked in response to current trends with her long time friend and producer Mirwais Ahmadzai stating "she hasn't shouted about her musical abilities". Taraborrelli explained "So, whether Madonna released Something to Remember, a collection of previously released love songs, because she had a point to prove or simply to keep a contractual obligation, the fourteen track recording did make a statement." On the album notes, Madonna said,"So much controversy has swirled around my career this past decade that very little attention ever gets paid to my music. The songs are all but forgotten. While I have no regrets regarding the choices I've made artistically, I've learned to appreciate the idea of doing things in a simpler way. So without a lot of fanfare, without any distractions, I present to you this collection of ballads. Some are old, some are new. All of them are from my heart."
For the record, Madonna revised the Marvin Gaye track, "I Want You". Other two songs were also added to the compilation album; "You'll See" and "One More Chance" were both written and produced by Madonna and musician David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, on the third week of September 1995. "You'll See" was released through Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
, as the album's first single on October 30, 1995. An alternate Spanish version, written by Paz Martinez, was included on the Latin American edition of Something to Remember.
Composition
"You'll See" is a low bass track featuring wind chimes and at points a Spanish guitar. Throughout the chord changes progression to give Madonna's vocals dominance in the song, and after a minute the percussion starts with a tremolo guitar added later. String synths and drums build the track further with the second verse seeing Madonna harmonize with herself, Madonna was asked whether the track was about revenge to which she replied "No, it's about empowering yourself".Lyrically the song talks of independence after the end of a love affair stating that Madonna will go onto greater things. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by One Four Three Music, "You'll See" is a pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
ballad composed in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
and is set in time signature
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....
of common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a moderately, not too fast 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 120 beats per minute. Madonna's vocal range spans from G3 to C5. The song has a sequence of Em–Em–D–Em–D as its chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
.
Critical reception
The song received generally favorable reviews from contemporary critics. While reviewing Something to Remember, Ken Tucker of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment 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...
said "I Want You", "You'll See" and "One More Chance" "are consumer enticements that just add to the allure", while 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...
journalist Timothy White considered the latter two "bitter-sweet serenades". Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen of MTV
MTV
MTV, 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....
, on his review of GHV2
GHV2
GHV2 is the second greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 2001, by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. It contains the most popular songs from the 1990s up until 2001. It is the follow-up to the 1990 release, The...
, noted the compilation was missing "some of Madonna's best-selling ballads" such as "You'll See".
Chart performance
"You'll See" was commercially successful, reaching the top five in Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom. The single managed to peak at number six on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, making Madonna one of the only three artists in the Hot 100 history to have a hit peak at each position from one to ten on the chart, alongside Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
. The song also reached number fifty-one on 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...
s Year-End Chart for 1996. The Spanish version "Verás" reached number twenty-one on the Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs
Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song...
component chart,, and number ten on the Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information from pop music usually in Spanish. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994 with Mañana by Cristian Castro being the first song to reach number-one...
. According to The Official Charts Company, "You'll See" is Madonna's twentieth best-selling single in the United Kingdom, with sales over 305,000 physical units.
Promotion and cover version
The music video for "You'll See" was directed by Michael HaussmanMichael Haussman
Michael Haussman is an American music video, motion picture and television advertisement director, writer and producer.Michael Haussman is a director, writer and artist, whose internationally acclaimed commercials have won numerous awards and are featured in advertising books and trade journals...
, and premiered on November 7, 1995. The plot line is a sequel to Madonna's previous music video for "Take a Bow", and portrays the singer being mistreated by her lover, played by Spanish Torero Emilio Muñoz
Emilio Muñoz
Emilio Muñoz is a Spanish film and video actor; and bullfighter.-Acting:Muñoz has appeared in two Madonna music videos, Take a Bow and its sequel, You'll See ....
. This time she walks out on him, leaving him behind in despair. She's seen on the train and later on a plane, while Emilio tries to catch up with her in vain. The video for "Verás" intercalates scenes from "You'll See" with footage of Madonna recording the Spanish version of the song. The music video for "You'll See" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Cinematography in a Video. Madonna is the biggest Winner in this category with 3 wins....
in 1996, and was included on the DVD edition of 2009 compilation 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...
.
Following the single's release, Madonna performed the song on British television program Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
on November 2, 1995. "You'll See" was performed on some select U.S. venues during Madonna's Drowned World Tour
Drowned World Tour
The Drowned World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums Ray of Light and Music. It was also her first tour in eight years, following The Girlie Show World Tour in 1993...
(2001). Scottish singer Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
covered the song on her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream
I Dreamed a Dream (album)
I Dreamed a Dream is the debut album from Scottish singer Susan Boyle. It was released on 23 November 2009 by Syco Music in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records in the United States one day later. In the standard edition, 11 out of the 12 songs that appear on the album are cover songs, plus...
(2009). Reportedly, Boyle loved the song for years, and used to sing the resolute ballad at auditions when she was cruelly turned away. At the end of the number Boyle, sometimes "reduced to tears", would assert "You'll see". The cover was included on the first episode of Brazilian telenovela Ti Ti Ti
Ti Ti Ti (2010)
Ti Ti Ti is a Brazilian telenovela that originally aired on Rede Globo from July 19, 2010 to March 17, 2011. Based on the 1985 telenovela Ti Ti Ti, written by Cassiano Gabus Mendes, the remake is created and written by Maria Adelaide Amaral...
(2010).
Track listings
- German CD single
- "You'll See" [Edit] – 4:15
- "Rain" [LP Version] – 5:28
- "You'll See" [Instrumental] – 4:44
- UK CD single
- "You'll See" [Edit] – 4:15
- "You'll See" [Instrumental] – 4:44
- "Rain" – 5:25
- 1996 Calendar
- US CD single
- "You'll See" [Edit] – 4:15
- "Live to Tell" [Live] – 8:14
- "You'll See" [Instrumental] – 4:44
- 12" Vinyl
- "You'll See" [Edit] – 4:15
- "You'll See" [Instrumental] – 4:44
- "Verás" – 4:35
- "Live to Tell" [Live] – 8:14
Credits and personnel
Credits for "You'll See" adapted from Something to Remember liner notes.- Written by Madonna and David Foster
- Produced and arranged by Madonna and David Foster
- Keyboards by David Foster
- Synclavier programming by Simon Franglen
- Acoustic guitars by Dean Parks
- Electric guitars by Michael Thompson
Weekly charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
2 |
| Italy (FIMI 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.... ) |
5 |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Italian Singles Chart | 21 |
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 51 |