You Must Love Me

"You Must Love Me"
Single by Madonna
from the album Evita
B-side	"Rainbow High"
Released	October 27, 1996 (U.K.), October 28, 1996 (U.S.)
Format	CD Single Cassette Single 7" Single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Pop
Length	2:50 (Album Version) 3:09 (Single Version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Tim Rice Andrew Lloyd Webber
Producer	Nigel Wright Alan Parker Andrew Lloyd Webber David Caddick
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Madonna singles chronology
"One More Chance" (1996) "You Must Love Me" (1996) "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (1996/1997)

"You Must Love Me" is a pop ballad by American singer-songwriter Madonna from the soundtrack album Evita of the motion picture of the same name. It was released in October 1996 by Warner Bros. as the first single from the album. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also composed the music for the film, and Tim Rice, the song won an Academy Award in 1997. It was seen by critics as her "new adult, matriarchal image".^[1]

Featuring a simple, elegantly arranged melody and bruised vocals by Madonna, the single sold roughly 1.5 million copies worldwide and entered the top twenty in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. The music video shows her while being eight months pregnant with her first child and scenes from the film Evita, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical.

Background

	"You Must Love Me" The song was specially written for the film version of Evita and won an Oscar for "Best Original Song in a Film" in 1997.
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The track is the only new song for the movie that was not included on the original stage version of the musical. The song reunited lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber after thirteen years of not working together on any new songs. The song was written specifically for the film (the director Alan Parker requested a rewrite of parts of the final scenes of the score) and was included in the stage production for the first time when the musical was revived in June 2006 at London's Adelphi Theatre.

The song speaks on two levels: First, the literal level of Eva Perón's discovery that her husband Juan Perón has actually loved her all along and not merely seen her as a political prop. Second, in a more political level, as Eva Peron talking to her people, notably represented in the musical by the character of Che. The B-side to the single was "Rainbow High".

Brooke White covered this song on the seventh season of American Idol, during Andrew Lloyd Webber week. She marked Idol history that night when she stopped after the first verse in the song to restart because she forgot the lyrics.

Reception

Critical

The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song From A Motion Picture at the Oscars in March 1997. Madonna also performed the song at the awards. The song also won a Golden Globe Award as Best Original Song.

Commercial

The song returned Madonna to the UK top ten, at number ten (selling 90,428 copies), and it was the beginning of an eight year run of consecutive UK top ten hits until the end of 2004 when "Love Profusion" stalled at number eleven. It also become a hit in US, reaching number eighteen, and was certified gold by the RIAA on on October 22nd, 1998.

Music video

Madonna in the music video for "You Must Love Me"

Madonna filmed the music video for "You Must Love Me" on August 31, 1996 at Culver Studios in Culver City, California while she was eight months pregnant with her daughter Lourdes. The video was produced and directed by Alan Parker, also the director of Evita. The video includes footage from the film Evita, and shows Madonna singing the song in a small room. She stands behind an acoustic piano to hide her pregnancy, and her pianist and cellist are also in the video.

• Director: Alan Parker
• Producer: Alan Parker
• Director of Photography: Darius Khondji
• Editor: Gerry Hambling
• Production Company: First Avenue Films Inc.

Live performances

Madonna performed the song on a world tour for the very first time in 2008 on the Sticky and Sweet Tour, marking one of the only acoustic, down-tempo moment in the entire show, which was dance intensive (the other down-tempo song of the tour being "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You").

Formats and tracklisting

US CD / 7" Single

1. "You Must Love Me" (Single Version) - 3:09
2. "Rainbow High" - 2:27

EU CD Single

1. "You Must Love Me" (Single Version) - 3:09
2. "Rainbow High" - 2:27
3. "You Must Love Me" (Orchestral Version) - 4:27

Official versions

This song was not remixed officially. A few unofficial remixes have been made but not released and they are not of any professional standards. A few versions of the song were made for the single release. The single version has an instrumental intro, whilst the album version begins acappella.

• Album Version (2:50)
• Single Version (3:09)
• Orchestral Version (4:27)
• Radio Edit (2:22)

Credits and personnel

• Vocals by Madonna
• Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
• Produced by Nigel Wright, Alan Parker, Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Caddick

Charts

References

External links