First Time Hearing Madonna - Live To Tell

[@SuperQueenMadonna]

Fun fact... Madonna captured the vocals for this single only once. Patrick Leonard, co-writer and Producer told her she captured exactly what was needed, she disagreed and the end result was the first take. This song began in a new era. Long gone is the street wise look of Alphabet City NY... in came glamour/Marilyn Monroe influences/Old Hollywood. This song went to #1 as the first/lead single for her best selling album True Blue. I think you need to watch the blonde Ambition tour version of Live to Tell. or Confessions Tour... ASAP

[@Electricrebel001]

Well said

[@jdemd1977]

Completely agree.

[@manguy2000]

Nice cut and paste. Seen this so many times lol

[@adnap]

Ok question: If she only did one take and one version exists, is the version on The Immaculate Collection just a remaster, with the raw vocals pulled to the front and they decreased a great deal of the reverb and delay ? I absolutely love the IC version. It still holds up today and sounds so raw and in your face. That is my preferred version.

[@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward]

fun fact shut up

[@garyrowland8933]

One of my favourite songs of all time. Goosebumps upon goosebumps!

[@joasdavi693]

The most beautiful ballad of her carrer,haunting and warm,sad and epic,so deep in the lyrics and cinematic in the sound,a really masterpiece

[@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward]

one of

[@escapingboredom6958]

Hands down her best ballad ❤️

[@joaquimmarques4026]

Errr.. "Borderline"?

[@Nicool4s]

@@joaquimmarques4026 Borderline is not a ballad, is more a midtempo song

[@helgafever768]

Take a Bow, You'll See and Frozen are better

[@bluedragon4]

@@helgafever768 Frozen is not a ballad.

[@xanajak]

I would say Take a Bow is her very best ballad and this is 1A.

[@briandubois-gilbert8182]

This hit ballad was from her 1986 3rd studio album-True Blue. It is widely acclaimed to have established Madonna as a true and serious song writer. The song hints of a deep, dark traumatic secret she experienced and survived early in childhood. She would performed a spectacular and stunning live stage version of this during her 2006 Confessions tour where she called world attention and appealed for humanitarian aid to the plight of 12 million children orphaned by the then HIV AIDS epidemic that ravaged Africa. Appreciate you reacting to and covering the artistry of Madonna.

[@BeautifulMagical]

Yes! I love the Confessions Tour performance of this song. So good.

[@henriquesalgado-ks8uv]

Is Sean Penn in the vídeo?

[@briandubois-gilbert8182]

@@henriquesalgado-ks8uv this music video featured Live To Tell as the theme soundtrack for the 1986 film At Close Range that starred Sean Penn-then Madonna’s husband. The mv was directed by James Foley who also directed the movie and included clips from the film. It was intended as a promotional trailer for the movie.

[@kingcassius2586]

No autotune back in '86. That's her voice. Maybe an echo but that's it. Incredible song from the movie At Close Range featuring her soon to be husband Sean Penn.

[@conan5885]

This is fundamentally her one demo take, she sang/record once, and that's basically the vocal part that was used on the final song

[@starlightperkins330]

The song was apart of the soundtrack of the movie, "At Close Range". It's based on a true story about a young man whose father drew him into a life of crime.

[@RazorsEdge1810]

Good, underrated movie. Great performance by Christopher Walken.

[@bananashoez7873]

Definitely a good movie, dark and kinda depressing. Especially because it was based on a true story taking place out side of Philly, in the Amish county(Chester county I believe). Dad got paranoid and starting killing his son’s friends who were all teenagers at the time.

[@abinashmishra329]

@@bananashoez7873 he also raped and killed his son’s girlfriend

[@Tekarj]

She was so beautiful !!! I loved this song

[@sinansermet]

"Live To Tell" is the first major song Madonna had written that showed critics (and may be herself) such a great and consummate songwriter she really is. I read it years ago when Patrick Leonard wrote the melody of this song for the movie and it was rejected by the company he asked "what if I got Madonna to write the lyrics for the song" and he called Madonna and requested it, Madonna sat down and wrote the whole lyrics in an hour and sang it just for one time for the recording and the result was there amazing her 3rd number one single in The US Billboard Hot 100 and a global smash hit, gave Madonna the respect in music bussiness (may be for the very first time).

[@sashabertold3731]

Well said!!!!

[@kennyp9616]

One of the best bridges in music... ..love the key change in the song 🖤 - (If I Ran Away...) 👌

[@sharmisthabose243]

Easily

[@sharmisthabose243]

That bridge and the vocals thereafter . There is only one Madonna. She is timeless!

[@kalleb.2097]

See Live to Tell in the live Version from the Confessions Tour....

[@ExclusiveLM]

The guy in this video was Madonna's real life husband actor Sean Penn. She still says he was the love of her life.

[@claudeghanimeh1728]

A MASTERPIECE 👌 ONE OF MY FAV SONGS OF ALL TIME💜🌟👑

[@dinholondres]

Scenes from the movie At close range, which this song was the theme. I think the lyrics are about an abusive relationship as you guys discussed. Beautiful song released in 1986 and it exploded like a bomb when it came out. Madonna had a new look, a new sound and it became a number one hit all over the world. It is still a fan favourite and always requested to be played on her tours.

[@danielborges2409]

This song and precious and timeless

[@SaraShakur94]

Her ballads are so underrated. Queen of Pop

[@TheGamerClubber]

The muscular Guy in white shirt at the begining of the video...SEAN PENN... Madonna s 1st husband. Love this song 👍🏻

[@tyo1973]

I like the fact, neither of you noticed The young Sean Penn😂 , who was then her husband. This was a movie sound track which was required to incorporate the shots from the movie, At Close Range as well as the first cut single from her mega hit album True Blue in 1986. Anyway, as I said before, music videos don’t necessarily correlates with the words of the song. At some extent, they might, but a lot of times, music videos in 80s and 90s were just boosters to promote the artists in any ways.

[@StormDog12]

The video is from the movie “At Close Range” starring Sean Penn and Christopher Walken.

[@JayKhwaja]

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON, LIKE HELL 💀

[@frankjoi6403]

One of Madonna's best songs.

[@dennisdman11]

From the movie AT CLOSE RANGE starring sean penn and christopher walken . Good movie .

[@bobtrouper]

Loved this, the album version is much better. This is when I realised that Madonna was a pop force: so sophisticated and courageous, there is no way Madonna would start an album campaign with a ballad today. I’ve always thought that Madonna took the ABBA baton with the dramatic theatrical song. From her higher pitched vocals from 1985, to this deeper register, she definitely proved herself as a pop superstar with this swift change in musical direction.

[@Matuteilcapo]

One of her best ballads, she has many iconic low tempo songs, she's an impressive writer

[@hakimferdi3002]

Live to tell, Dress you up and Gambler are my favorites songs from Madonna

[@MrDemimonde]

Seriously one of her best ❤

[@francisnguyen5700]

Madonna is capable of adapting her vocal to any music genre she sung easily. Her singing voice is very smooth, flexible, and adaptive to any type of song. The mid-range vocal is her most powerful area featured with warm and robust voice culture and brighter tone.

[@joasdavi693]

The most powerful and beauty ballad of madonna Besides "you'll see"

[@giancarlo5316]

Chills and goosebumps with these too ... is not the vocal range is all about the feelings and emotion at singing ... a few female artist can do this 🤔🧏🏻‍♂️

[@taintedlife2618]

Take a Bow.

[@joasdavi693]

@@giancarlo5316 exactly,Madonna is about feelings and connection,not only about strong voices that speaks anything

[@jjhall1963]

Search "Madonna and Sean Penn" We were so lucky to see the beginnings of "Today's music and culture" You guys have no idea how amazing it was to come into the 80s. The changes in music, culture, and fashion. Madonna played such a HUGE part. It's so funny, my parents listened to Connie Francis, Pat Boone, Billy Hailey, Frankie Avalon, etc. (look them up) We were watching Madonna rolling on the floor half naked. She was pumping, humping, and grinding on stage singing "Like a Virgin" at the first MTV Awards.

[@roger1296]

This is the theme song to a film, those are clips from the film.

[@gxl5892]

Such a great song, haunting.

[@Videonod]

Definitely one the best 80s Madonna song

[@pedrocabo2180]

This is for some her best ever, and in a way I have to agree

[@Bandido894]

After Power of Goodbye her best ballad!

[@tizianotorcasio6046]

This is simply her best ballad very probably. And she has done many top quality ballads, but this has everything in it. And no effect on her voice, just her wonderful voice. This is a n.1 hit and of coure one of the greatest songs. Its sad that you can't appreciate a similar masterpiece. This is a journey and please listen to its immaculate version. It really deserves it. Live to tell a 6,5. Come on guys I'm ashamed at your place.

[@jiihoo8324]

The scenes you see on the video are from the film At Close Range. Madonna was married at the time with the actor Sean Penn who stars in the movie and can be seen in lot of the footage from that movie in this video. This song was the lead single from Madonna’s third album, which was quite a risky move. I remember reading somewhere the record label was not keen on having a ballad as a lead single. It paid off since this was a huge global hit.

[@todddepue681]

In 1986, this introduced us to Madonna as an epic storytelling balladeer, a musical style we'd never heard from her before. The video also gave us her first major image reinvention, which we definitely weren't prepared for yet soon came to expect as she continued to metamorphise throughout her career. Imagine being a young fan (I was about 14) sitting at home, draped in layers of necklaces and rubber bracelets, anxiously awaiting the new Madonna video, and seeing this entirely new persona. It was jarring and unexpected, but we rode with it. It was a way to "grow up" and evolve along with our favorite artist. Hopefully you'll one day react to some of her iconic live performances. The Confessions Tour version of this one is particularly compelling.

[@carlheese]

Agreed. We were stuck with the images of Michael, Cyndi, Boy George and Prince having their signature looks then comes Madonna with a totally minimalist 50s throwback look and it's like losing an idol and not knowing what to make of this new artist before us. It was so new and unpredictable. No one that famous had done it like that before. And so we moved on and came to expect a new Madonna and sound with every record released.

[@bobafett5757]

*LIVE TO TELL is one of Madonnas timeless priceless classic ballad she sang it so beautifully so next pls react to I'll Remember and Masterpiece both are superb ballads*

[@ЕкатеринаХаммадиярова]

This Used To Be My Playground and True Blue to that one next, please

[@xanajak]

Amazing song in an amazing movie. "If I ran away, I never have the strength to go very far, how would they hear the beating of my heart" phenomenal transition and desperately sad lyrics.

[@MountainMan.]

The song is from the movie At Close Range. The young guy is Sean Penn. Madonna and him were married briefly. This came out in the 80's and was a humongous hit.

[@miguelat9725]

Please react to all her tours! You are gonna fall in love And remember that shes gonna start the Celebration tour!

[@corbinbates2708]

My absolute favorite madonna song

[@lutalice]

Madonna was asked to contribute to the soundtrack of At Close Range, which depicts a physically and emotionally abusive father/son relationship. My personal take is that she drew on her experiences with sexual assault to write the song but kept the lyrics vague and ambiguous enough to keep it relevant to the film. Madonna and Patrick Leonard, as a songwriting duo, were an absolute force. They really knew how to nail a bridge, and this one - both musically and lyrically - is perfection. This one is also a grower, guys, so I hope for your sakes you get to listen to it again and hear it for the masterpiece that it is 🖤

[@richardmccarley281]

I was wondering when you'd get to this one

[@JulioHernandez-chico]

This is my one of my favorite songs from madonna.

[@leocesar9662]

Luv this! 👑🌟

[@fabian4ever69]

At close range..great movie starring your first husband Sean Penn. Thanks for reacting to this song.

[@antonietoverdi2918]

Its a movie (the images). But the important thing is the song, its the best ballad of Madonna and she is so beautiful here and the expression of her face, eyes...

[@bentoth6377]

Haunting masterpiece 🙌

[@tapanim6576]

A timeless classic. ❤❤❤

[@sashabertold3731]

Madonna lives to tell

[@JaysonSan-xp1zp]

Okay...that was awesome.

[@evhleppard]

Great song and movie.

[@zephyrsky6786]

a great made natural song by Madonna the baddest bitch on earth no questions asked

[@edupradoartevisual9750]

Some images are from the movie AT CLOSE RANGE.

[@jackray333]

Theme song for the Movie, " At Close Range". With Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Based on the true story of Bruce Johnston and Bruce Johnston Jr. Good movie.

[@shamarremp7089]

It's from the movie soundtrack, At Close Range with Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. Check it out, it's a really good movie, dad but good...

[@touchofmantra23]

The full album version is much better. This radio edit take away the impact for being full submersive experience.

[@Princess7ives]

This song is the Soundtrack of my Life.

[@bobbybrogan8643]

The song is about a friend of Madonna's who died of AIDS. "Live to Tell", also appeared in the film "At Close Range" starring Madonna's then husband, Sean Penn. The footage you are seeing is from that film.

[@Jtsar77]

Best song ever so 80’s in it best

[@michaeldebree4870]

this was the short version,.. listen and watch the complete video please,.. it gives so much more. This is her best song in my opinion

[@michaeljasper760]

This song is from the soundtrack of a movie that starred her ex husband Sean Penn. she was not in the movie. All the clips in the video that are not of her were from the movie. This is perhaps her first great ballad.

[@Sebastian-rv1yk]

Is really that dificult for news generation to understand what is a soundtrack Song video??

[@xclvi]

yeah they are kinda slow

[@corbinbates2708]

Great movie. at close range

[@robinschulze934]

Need to see the movie 🎥 “ At Close Ranger “ !!! That what the song was written for!!!!

[@RobynHurley-zp9sh]

1986. I remember i was 18

[@eduardochavacano]

I was finally able to translate this song to Spanish and make the direct translation fit the melody. I should be able to make a video soon. WELL not exactly Spanish, but a Creole. Indeed this song is a Classic. Glad this was recommended.

[@rohankorde]

Madonna's best.

[@auntvesuvi3872]

Thanks, Marissa! Thanks, Tyler! ㊙ Be sure to check out the movie AT CLOSE RANGE (1986) for full context to the video. #TylerCreatesContent #LiveToTell #Madonna

[@aimehetharie251]

Madonna at her prime.

[@patricialehrke7688]

Its a serious song,a serious film.

[@apache5098]

0:25 to 0:35 she changes her smile, best reaction. Very honest.

[@sunnydays5742]

This used to be my Playground - please react to that one next. Madonna at her ultimate best.

[@tapanim6576]

I agree.

[@muzicdejay]

This song was about some kind of abuse from a partner. Not many people get that with this. Such a beautiful song and one of her best ballads. She looks incredible too.

[@georgegeorgiev3946]

Listen to the lyrics. That's what matters. The song was featured on her husband's movie, hence the movie scenes. Read Madonna's story. Understand what she is saying. Dig. Dig into your souls. Try to connect your story to the song. This is the idea of good music. This song was about her childhood, her relationship with her dad...about her mother and her abusive relationship with her husband Sean Penn, who was featured in those movie shots. It was also hinted that it was about her discovering the connection between the music industry and the Illuminati/Masons, hence the "hope I live to tell the secret..." This is a deep song.

[@stacia4833]

Love this song. Also, check out Oh Father by Madonna.

[@r.j4449]

U guys have to react to an Album and then to a tour. For example, Confessions and confessions Tour, Your mind will blow up

[@Popgeek_89]

Absolutely stunning song. Could I make one suggestion pretty please, please react to “Stay” by Shakespears Sister. You won’t regret it 😁

[@lucaivanparodi3439]

You must to seer madonna live

[@samhartford8677]

It's weird me seeing this earliest version of this. I cannot relate it to the movie, because I've never seen it. Watch how Madonna played this song after the Blond Ambition Tour.

[@timothybenn313]

great song from agreat film called at close range if u havent seen it watch it basd on a truestory

[@melissanesmith9808]

❤

[@jdemd1977]

The video clips don't really match the much deeper meaning behind the song because the clips are from a movie. "Live To Tell" happened to be the theme song for the movie, that just so happened to feature Madonna's husband Sean Penn. Watching her perform the song live is a must! 💙

[@stevenalexander403]

G'day it's Steven from Down Under This is in my top 10 favourite Madonna songs, her vocals are lovely, the lyrics are meaningful, she's gorgeous, and it's just an enjoyable yet haunting song in many ways. If memory serves me correctly this was on the soundtrack to At Close Range with her ex-husband ( Sean Penn ) playing the protagonist. I haven't watched this film in a very, verrry long time but I do recall liking it. All hail the Queen of Pop!

[@taintedlife2618]

Lady Gaga COULD NEVER

[@LASMONN]

Best Madonna song after Frozen. Timeless record.

[@aidanmorris2231]

this ballad written by madonna not winning an oscar let alone being nominated for one is vile. makes me so angry

[@MrDemimonde]

Please do Into the Groove or Fever or Jump!

[@JayKhwaja]

AT CLOSE RANGE - LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, LIKE HELL (1986)

[@scottstuerke4560]

You’re over thinking it. It’s simply about one huge secret.

[@bentoth6377]

Secret or crave next

[@RobertClifford-fs1kc]

It's based on a family I believed that where the whiteheads. From bucks County not far from Philadelphia. The father killed a bunch of kids including his step son. He tried to kill his own son but failed. His son became a witnesses and put him in prison. I believe the father died in prison

[@Greystoke1986]

Y'all know this is from a movie with Christopher Walken, Sean Penn, and Mary Stuart Masterson (I loved her in "Fried Green Tomatoes"!) The movie is called "At Close Range". It a crime drama. I haven't watched it. Came out in 1986 and if I liked Sean Penn I could have watched it. Don't like Sean Penn. Madonna wrote the lyrics! Y'all made an awesome choice! The radio version or live version is better. It's longer.

[@rudymora606]

Madonna fans rule! Lol

[@teralmiles]

I wish that you would’ve reacted to it without the video.

[@HaydenYouTube]

I'll second that primarily because older videos distort the audio experience.

[@198christos]

Please react to Cherish by Madonna !! it’s a wonderful track

[@bradn6310]

Watch the movie At Close Range 👍

[@alessaschmitz5847]

the two men are Christopher Walken and her (ex-)Husband Sean Penn.