Get Together (Madonna song)

"Get Together"
Upper half of the picture displays greyscale image of a group of people enjoying themselves. Lower half shows a black background with dark blue circles on it. The word "Madonna" is written in pink and white lines in the lower half. Beneath it, on the left side, the word "Get Together" is written in white flowing scripts.
Single by Madonna
from the album Confessions on a Dance Floor
B-side "I Love New York"
Released June 6, 2006
Format
Recorded 2005
Genre
Length 5:31
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Madonna
  • Stuart Price
Madonna singles chronology
"Sorry"
(2006)		 "Get Together"
(2006)		 "Jump"
(2006)
Music video
"Get Together" on YouTube

"Get Together" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). Produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, the song was released as the third single from the album by Warner Bros. Records on June 6, 2006. The decision was spurred by the fact that "Get Together" was the third most downloaded song from the album. It was also released to coincide with the start of Madonna's Confessions Tour. Inspired by Stardust's single "Music Sounds Better with You", "Get Together" portrays an anthem-like picture with its lyrics, about the different possibilities of finding love on the dance floor.

Contemporary critics appreciated the song, calling it fluid in nature and a wonderful dance track. They complimented Madonna's ability to turn cliché comments into pop slogans with the song. After its worldwide release, the song became a success on the dance charts of the United States but failed to enter the official Billboard Hot 100 chart, only peaked at six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It reached the top ten in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy and topped the chart in Spain.

The accompanying music video incorporated Madonna's performance of the song at London's Koko Club, but it was animated to make it different visually. The video showed Madonna singing the song amongst graphical visuals portraying volcanoes erupting and a cityscape. Madonna performed the song on her Confessions Tour where she was accompanied by two dancers wearing horse reins around their head. In 2007, the song was nominated in the category of Best Dance Recording at the 49th Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake's 2006 single "SexyBack".

Background

"Get Together" is written by Madonna, Anders Bagge, Peer Åström and Stuart Price with production credits from Madonna and Price.[1] It was inspired by the 1998 dance hit "Music Sounds Better with You" by Stardust.[2] Initially the song "Jump" was to be released as the third single from the album. However, "Get Together" was chosen as the third single to coincide with the start of Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour.[2] The decision was also spurred by the fact that "Get Together" was the third best-selling digital single from the Confessions on a Dance Floor album. Its digital sales stood at 20,000 at that time, whereas digital sales for "Jump" were only 9,000. Hence, "Get Together" was finally chosen as the third single.[3] The cover artwork for the single features Madonna and her Confessions Tour crew members, including the song's producer Stuart Price. The photo alternatively can also be found on the inlay cover of the I'm Going to Tell You a Secret DVD.[4]

Composition
'Get Together'
A 30 second sample of "Get Together", where Madonna sings the line "Do you believe in love at first sight? It's an illusion, I don't care."
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Get Together" incorporates elements from Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You"[2] which also contain samples of Chaka Khan's song "Fate".[5] It also refers to Madonna's own songs like "Holiday" (1983) and "Secret" (1994).[6] The song is set in common time with moderately fast dance groove tempo and a metronome of 126 beats per minute.[7] It is set in the key of A minor. Madonna's voice spans from A3 to A4.[7] It follows in the chord progression of Em–F–G-Am throughout.[7] The song's lyrics portray an anthem-like picture about the different possibilities of finding love on the dance floor. It includes an allusion to The SOS Band's 1980 single "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in the line "Baby we can do it, we can do it all right." The lyrics comes off as a conversation or an internal dialogue taking place between the listener and the singer.[5]

Critical reception

Keith Caulfield from Billboard complimented the song's "enlightment" theme.[8] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commented that the song turned cliché comments like "Love at first sight" into a pop slogan.[6] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly said that it was fluid in nature and called Madonna as a "restless soul aching to connect" in the song.[9] Jason Shawhan from About.com also complimented the song by describing it as a "weird and wonderful number."[5] Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork Media wrote: "On 'Get Together', as Price's synths ebb and flow moodily, Madonna asks the eternal question, 'Do you believe in love at first sight?', over a tripping vocal melody."[10] Joan Morgan of The Village Voice wrote: "The momentum builds rapidly with a seamless transition into the wicked alchemy of 'Get Together', where Madge and Price offer up an irresistible manipulation of rather sweet vocals laced over thumping percussion, seductive synthesizers, and a few subtle soul-claps thrown in for good measure."[11]

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian admitted that the chorus of the song is triumphant.[12] Chris Norris of Blender wrote that the song "evokes both early-'80s dance giants the S.O.S. Band and early-'80s dance giant Madonna."[13] Matt Zabosek of The Chicago Maroon wrote: "...'Get Together' is probably the best, but it's hard not to feel that Madonna's computerized voice is a cheat (perhaps to cover for the high notes she can no longer reach?)"[14] Diego Costa of The UWM Post in review of the song, wrote: "In this one-step-up-from-lounge-track, Madonna is a teen again, wondering if there is such a thing as love at first sight. But in the end, as a wise woman, she realizes that whether it exists or not, she doesn't care, since 'all is just an illusion.' Yeah, we heard it all before, she will even admit it in the following track, but it doesn't mean we don't want to hear it again."[15] In 2007, the song was nominated in the category of Best Dance Recording at the 49th Grammy Awards but lost to Justin Timberlake's 2006 single "SexyBack".[16]

Chart performance

In the United States, the song failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.[17] Its low chart performance in America was attributed to limited radio airplay. A petition was signed by about 3,300 fans at petitiononline.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.[18] It also reached a peak of number 84 on the Pop 100 chart.[19] The song was a success on Billboard's dance charts, topping the Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Airplay charts.[19] It reached a peak of 19 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart.[20]

In Canada, the song debuted and peaked at four on the Canadian Singles Chart.[21] In Spain, the song debuted at the top of the chart in the issue dated June 25, 2006 and was on the top for one week.[22] In Australia, "Get Together" debuted at number 13 which became its final peak.[23] In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at seven in the issue dated July 23, 2006.[24] In mainland Europe, the song reached the top ten of the Finnish and Italian charts and the top 40 in countries like Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.[25][26]

Music video

Bust of a woman with curls singing into a microphone. The outlined image has reddish backdrop and pink wavy illustrations on it.
An animated two-dimensional Madonna singing on a microphone in the "Get Together" music video.

The music video featured Madonna's live performance at the Koko Club in London on November 15, 2005 during her promotional tour for the album. It was directed by Logan and his production team.[27] The animations and designs were done by artist Nathaniel Howe.[28] Howe was contacted by Logan Studios executive producer Kevin Shapiro and booked as a 3D/2D animator. The conceptualization and work on the video began on May 1, 2006.[28] It was inspired by the work of Italian comic-book artist Milo Manara and retro science fiction. Different software like Maya, After Effects and RealFlow were used to bring out the different environments in the video.[28] Howe explained further about the creative process in an interview with the Madonna fansite "Drowned Madonna". He said,

"During the initial phases of the video we focused on testing different looks in 3D to see how the color, environment and cinematography complemented the song. While this was happening the edit of the raw footage was being assembled. As the edit evolved we narrowed down the techniques and look of the worlds. Before we even had picture lock we were dropping in rendered 3D shots; this really allowed us to fine tune both the edit and the effects to work together with the song. As this progressed we regularly sent tests to Warner Bros. and the Madonna camp."[28]

Madonna was involved with watching the previews of the work done and passed her comments through Shapiro to the development team.[28] After the fluid effects in the video were completed, Logan and Howe fine-tuned and revisited the shots and eliminated any discrepancies while incorporating Madonna's comments.[28]

The video starts with showing the world evolving from its genesis. Images of volcanoes erupting, dinosaurs and tidal waves flash by to show Madonna and her two backup dancers singing the song while standing on a hill.[27] It continues in this fluid motion up to the intermediate verse when Madonna is shown crawling under the waves and spirals.[27] As the song moves towards the bridge again, the scene changes from the mountains to a cityscape. Madonna and her dancers are shown dancing and singing the song on a skyscraper. The video ends with Madonna standing on the building and the camera autofocusing out of the panel.[27]

Live performances

Refer to caption.
Madonna singing "Get Together" on the Confessions Tour while caressing her dancer, who poses like a horse on the stage.

In November 2005, Madonna first performed "Get Together" on TV shows such as Parkinson in England and Star Academy in France, as well as during the Children in Need 2005 telethon in London.[29][30][31] Another performances came during concerts at Koko and G-A-Y nightclub in London, respectively on November 15 and 18, and Studio Coast in Tokyo, Japan on December 7.[32][33][34] During the performances, Madonna emerged from a glitter ball while wearing a purple jacket, velvet pedal pushers and knee-high boots.[35]

In the Confessions Tour, the song was the second performance of the evening and was part of the equine segment of the show.[36] Madonna wore a skin-tight, full body black leotard. She opened her hat from the previous performance of "Future Lovers", as the background changed from the video of the horses to a red, geometric patterned kaleidoscope shot by Steven Klein.[37] Madonna started singing the song. Two male backup dancers appeared behind her wearing horse reins around their heads to convey the feeling of oppression.[38] The song continued in their choreographed performance, with Madonna sometimes pulling the harness around her dancers as if they were horses.[37] During the intermediate musical interlude, Madonna moved to the front of the stage and lay down on the screen attached to it. As she continued singing the music increased and she started to twirl in the center of the stage.[37] The performance continued with Madonna and her dancers moving to the back of the stage singing the words "get together" repeatedly. It ended with the music of the next song "Like a Virgin" starting.[37]

Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine, while reviewing The Confessions Tour video album, commented that, "A great song like 'Get Together' is splendidly sung (whoever tweaks the levels on her mic is a genius), but its celebratory, keep-it-together message is compromised by the contradictory feelings of bondage (oppression) conveyed by having two backup dancers equipped with reins around their heads."[39] In the live video album release, "Get Together" was excluded from the CD package but was included in the track listing of the DVD.[40]

Track listings and formats

  1. "Get Together" (Radio Edit) – 3:54
  2. "Get Together" (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – 6:18
  3. "Get Together" (Tiefschwarz Remix) – 7:34
  • UK 12" promo vinyl[43]
  1. "Get Together" (Tiefschwarz Remix) – 7:34
  2. "Get Together" (James Holden Remix) – 8:00
  1. "Get Together" (Radio Edit) – 3:54
  2. "Get Together" (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – 6:18
  1. "Get Together" (Album Version) – 5:15
  2. "Get Together" (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – 6:18
  3. "Get Together" (The Danny Howells Funk Mix) – 9:13
  4. "Get Together" (Tiefschwarz Remix) – 7:34
  5. "Get Together" (James Holden Remix) – 8:00
  6. "I Love New York" (Thin White Duke Mix) – 7:43
  • UK promo CD single[48]
  1. "Get Together" (Radio Edit) – 3:54
  2. "Get Together" (Jaques Lu Cont Vocal Edit) – 4:22
  3. "Get Together" (The Danny Howells Funk Mix) – 9:13
  1. "Get Together" (Album Version) – 5:15
  2. "Get Together" (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – 6:18
  3. "Get Together" (The Danny Howells Funk Mix) – 9:13
  4. "Get Together" (Tiefschwarz Remix) – 7:34
  5. "Get Together" (James Holden Remix) – 8:00
  • US 2× 12" vinyl[50]
  1. "Get Together" (Album Version) – 5:15
  2. "Get Together" (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – 6:18
  3. "Get Together" (Tiefschwarz Remix) – 7:34
  4. "I Love New York" (Thin White Duke Mix) – 7:43
  5. "Get Together" (James Holden Remix) – 8:00
  6. "Get Together" (The Danny Howells Funk Mix) – 9:13

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[51] 35
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 22
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[52] 33
Canadian Singles Chart (Nielsen)[21] 4
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[53] 31
Denmark (Tracklisten)[54] 12
European Hot 100 (Billboard)[20] 19
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[55] 6
France (SNEP)[56] 26
Germany (Official German Charts)[26] 28
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[57] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[58] 17
Italy (FIMI)[59] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[60] 13
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[61] 14
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[62] 9
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 24
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 7
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[65] 6
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[66] 1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[67] 1
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[19] 2
US Pop 100 (Billboard)[19] 84
Venezuela Pop Rock (Record Report)[68] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2006) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[69] 158
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[70] 9
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[70] 6
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[70] 21

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Sweden (GLF)[71] Gold 10,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References

  1. ↑ Madonna Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) liner notes Warner Music
  2. 1 2 3 Reporter, Staff (April 27, 2006). "For The Record: Quick News On Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shyne, Jennifer Lopez, 50 Cent & More". MTV. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  3. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (April 4, 2006). "Ask Billboard: Sorry Get Together". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  4. ↑ Madonna (2005). I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (DVD+CD). Warner Home Video.
  5. 1 2 3 Shawhan, Jason (November 15, 2005). "Madonna – Confessions on a Dancefloor". About.com. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (November 4, 2005). "Madonna: Confessions on a Dance Floor music review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 "Get Together: Madonna Digital Sheet Music". Music Notes. Alfred Publishing. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  8. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (November 19, 2005). "Album review: Confessions on a Dance Floor". Billboard. New York. 117 (47): 72. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  9. ↑ Browne, David (November 11, 2005). "Confessions on a Dance Floor music review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  10. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (November 14, 2005). "Madonna: Confessions on a Dance Floor". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ Morgan, Joan (December 6, 2005). "Madge's House". The Village Voice. New Times Media. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  12. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (November 11, 2005). "Madonna, Confessions on a Dancefloor". The Guardian. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  13. ↑ Norris, Chris (November 15, 2005). "Confessions on a Dance Floor". Blender.
  14. ↑ Zabosek, Matt (November 21, 2005). "Madonna's Confession: My New Album Could Be So Much More". The Chicago Maroon. University of Chicago. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  15. ↑ Costa, Diego (November 23, 2005). "Past sounds of things to come". The UWM Post. University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  16. ↑ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  17. ↑ Trust, Gary (February 19, 2012). "Ask Billboard: The Whitney Houston, Madonna Edition". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  18. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (June 29, 2006). "U.S. Radio Hangs Up on Madonna". Billboard. New York. 118 (30): 76. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Pietroluongo, Silvio (June 24, 2006). "Aguilera Nails Career-Best Bow". Billboard. New York. 118 (25): 84. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  20. 1 2 "Eurochart Hot 100". Music & Media. July 10, 2006.
  21. 1 2 "Canadian Top 50 Singles". Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original on December 10, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Spanishcharts.com – Madonna – Get Together" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  23. 1 2 "Australian-charts.com – Madonna – Get Together". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  24. 1 2 "Madonna: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  25. 1 2 "Ultratop.be – Madonna – Get Together" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  26. 1 2 "Musicline.de – Madonna Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Madonna Get Together Music Video on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Interviews: Nathaniel Howe". Drowned Madonna. August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on July 20, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  29. ↑ Madonna makes an appearance on the Parkinson TV show (UK)
  30. ↑ Madonna appears on the "Star Academy" French TV show and performs 2 songs live.
  31. ↑ £17m raised by BBC Children in Need so far.
  32. ↑ Hand, John (November 16, 2005). "Entertainment | Madonna's intimate night with her fans". BBC News. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  33. ↑ "News > Madonna performs live from the G-A-Y Astoria in London". Madonna.com. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  34. ↑ "News > Madonna performs live from the Studio Coast club in Tokyo". Madonna.com. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  35. ↑ Reporter, Daily Mail (November 16, 2005). "Madonna sends London wild". Daily Mail. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  36. ↑ Inksweep, Thomas (February 2, 2007). "Stylus: The Confessions Tour". Stylus. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Timmerman, Dirk (2007). Madonna Live! Secret Re-inventions and Confessions on Tour. Maklu. ISBN 90-8595-002-3. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  38. ↑ Bellafonte, Ginia (November 24, 2006). "Listen for the Music, Look for the Muscles". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  39. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (December 12, 2006). "Madonna: Confessions Tour". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  40. ↑ Madonna (2006). The Confessions Tour (CD+DVD). Warner Home Video.
  41. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – European CD Single". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – Australian CD Single". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  43. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – UK 12" vinyl". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  44. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – UK 12" vinyl". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  45. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – European Maxi CD". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  46. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – US Maxi CD". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  47. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – Canadian Maxi CD". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  48. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – UK Promo CD". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  49. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – UK CD single". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  50. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together – US 12" vinyl". discogs. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  51. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Madonna – Get Together" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  52. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Madonna – Get Together" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  53. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200631 into search. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Madonna – Get Together". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  55. ↑ "Madonna: Get Together" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  56. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Madonna – Get Together" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  57. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  58. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 30, 2006". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  59. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Madonna – Get Together". Top Digital Download. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  60. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Madonna search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  61. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Madonna – Get Together" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  62. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200636 into search. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  63. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Madonna – Get Together". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Madonna – Get Together". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  65. ↑ "Madonna – Get Together: Billboard history". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  66. ↑ "Madonna – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Madonna. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  67. ↑ "Madonna – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Madonna. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  68. ↑ "Pop Rock" (in Spanish). Record Report. July 15, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006.
  69. ↑ "2006 Year-End UK Singles Chart" (PDF). UKChartsplus. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  70. 1 2 3 "2006 Year-End Charts" (PDF). Billboard. 118 (51): YE-76. December 23, 2006. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  71. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
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