Miles Away (Madonna song)

"Miles Away"
Single by Madonna
from the album Hard Candy
Released October 17, 2008
Format
Recorded 2007
Genre Electropop
Length 4:49
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Madonna
  • Timbaland
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Danja
Madonna singles chronology
"Give It 2 Me"
(2008)		 "Miles Away"
(2008)		 "Celebration"
(2009)
Music video
"Miles Away" (Live) on YouTube

"Miles Away" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros. Records, as the third and final single from the album on October 17, 2008, and was subsequently included on her compilation album, Celebration (2009). Written by Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, "Miles Away" is a melancholy electronic ballad, which according to Madonna is autobiographical, and is inspired by her then husband Guy Ritchie. Lyrically, the song deals with long-distance relationships.

"Miles Away" has received positive appreciation from music critics for being a harmonious and meaningful ballad. It reached the top forty in most countries, while peaking inside the top ten in Czech Republic, Netherlands, Hungary, Japan, Slovakia and Spain. It became the best-selling digital single of 2008 in Japan and won three trophies at the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards. In the United States, the song did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100, but became Madonna's seventh consecutive number-one song on the Hot Dance Airplay chart, the most for any artist. The song has been performed by Madonna in the promotional tour for the Hard Candy album and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, during the gypsy segment of the show.

Writing and inspiration

The music for "Miles Away" was the first song of Hard Candy to be composed. After hearing it, Madonna began singing and writing the lyrics for the song.[1] In an interview with MTV, Madonna said that the song was inspired by her then husband, Guy Ritchie. "So many people have to deal with long-distance relationships. It's not easy. You have to work hard to make it work."[2] When asked if the song was autobiographical, she said:

Probably in many respects most of the songs [on Hard Candy] are [autobiographical]. But in more of an unconscious way. I don't really think about telling personal stories when I'm writing music. It just comes. And then a lot of times, six months later, eight months later, I go, "Oh, that's what I wrote that song about." But that's when I play the song for lots of people and they all go, 'Oh, I can totally relate to that'. In 'Miles Away' I'm tapping into the global consciousness of people who have intimacy problems.[3]

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph Madonna further explained her inspiration behind the song and stated that "['Miles Away' is] a song most people who work can relate to. If part of your work is travelling, and the person you are with also works and travels, you find yourself separated a lot and it can be very frustrating, [...] I'm American and he [Ritchie] is British, and I have to come to America all the time. [...] Especially at the beginning of our relationship, that long-distance thing was very frustrating. I also think it's easier for people to say things from a distance; it's safer."[4]

Composition
"Miles Away"
A 28-second sample to Madonna's "Miles Away" featuring the chorus and the backing vocals singing the line "So far away".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically, "Miles Away" is a melancholy song[1] with influences of ballad.[5] The song carries the characteristic sound of Timbaland-Timberlake production.[6] Generally a downtempo, electropop song, "Miles Away" is accompanied by beats and backing vocals, which sing the lines "So far away".[7][8][9] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A minor; Madonna's voice spans from the high-note of G3 to the low-note of C5. "Miles Away" has a basic sequence of Am–Em–G–F–Am–Em–G–F as its chord progression.[10]

During recording, Timberlake sat down with Madonna and played a guitar riff composed by him, asking her how she wanted the song to sound.[11] Madonna had "all these thoughts, riddles, poems, feelings, all written in huge notebooks," Timberlake said, "and she kept handing them over. It was amazing, taking these little bits here and there and putting them together like a puzzle."[11] In this way, one of the ideas they connected was the universality of long-distance relationships, the pain and heartache of which they were able to incorporate in "Miles Away". After recording it, Timberlake commented that he had helped in creating a classic Madonna song, saying "I couldn't do a song like that, [...] I thought it was completely her. That was the trick."[11]

Lyrically, "Miles Away" deals with a relationship in trouble. Madonna said that it's not difficult to express herself lyrically without giving away too much of her own privacy.[1] Though Madonna has said before that the song is about Guy Ritchie, it has been speculated that lines from the lyrics of the song like: "You always have the biggest heart when we're 6,000 miles apart", talked about the then failing marriage between Madonna and Guy.[12]

Critical reception

Madonna starts performing "Miles Away" on the Sticky & Sweet Tour as her backup dancers come and join her.

Kerri Mason of Billboard called the song a harmonious ballad which, along with the single "4 Minutes", "might be some of her best work yet". She also said that the song sounded familiar and compared it with Timbaland's remixed version of the 2008 single "Apologize".[5] Caryn Ganz from Rolling Stone believed the song has a "melancholy pining".[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic held the view that "the icy heartbreak of 'Miles Away'" was "a worthy successor of Justin Timberlake's 2006 single 'What Goes Around.../...Comes Around'".[13] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said that the song has the typical ensuring quality of the production of Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, and bears the "pair's distinct, modern stamp, making Hard Candy more than just a throwback to Donna Summer, Anita Ward, and Quaaludes."[6] Chris William from Entertainment Weekly made the observation that "Miles Away" was one of the "few actual confessions on this dance floor [Hard Candy]—enough to give the tabs speculative fodder." He also compared the song to "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around".[14] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News called it the album's most beguiling tune.[15]

A review of Hard Candy in About.com has held that the lyrics of the song were meaningful and also complemented the voice of Madonna.[16] Joan Anderman of The Boston Globe said that Madonna's journey "from shameless seductress to thoughtful student produces nary a ballad, but some seriously bittersweet tones linger under the surface of these effusive tunes." He also said that the song has a peace of mind quality in it.[7] Joey Guerra from Houston Chronicle complemented the galloping beats and melodic backing vocals of "Miles Away" and said that it "sounds like late-'80s Madonna".[9] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian said Madonna sings "with the emotional engagement of a sat-nav suggesting a right turn onto the A23."[17] Miles Marshall Lewis of The Village Voice said that with "Miles Away", Madonna comes closest "to reflecting on her married-with-children bliss (or lack thereof)."[18] Tom Young from the BBC called the song "genuinely good, genuinely felt" and compared it with some of Madonna's other hit songs like "Holiday", "Into the Groove", "Ray of Light" and "Music".[8] Pete Paphides of The Times called the song "excellent", and describing it as "a collision of acoustic downstrokes and feverishly jaunty rhythm that verges on reggae."[19] Thomas Hauner of PopMatters said, "At one point the album’s tediousness [...] is such that one assumes Ashlee Simpson and Britney have already passed on the material because even they deemed it too redundant."[20]

Chart performance

In the United States "Miles Away" charted on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaked at number two, kept from the top spot by the Pussycat Dolls single "I Hate This Part".[21] The song became Madonna's ninth release to top the Hot Singles Sales chart, moving from number 31 to the top, and becoming the first number-one song of the chart for 2009.[22] It debuted at number fifteen on the Hot Dance Airplay chart and reached number one in its December 27, 2008 issue. This feat gave Madonna her seventh consecutive number one single on the Hot Dance Aiplay chart making her the artist with the most Dance Airplay hits on this chart.[23] On the issue dated December 20, 2008, "Miles Away" debuted and peaked at ninety-nine on the Pop 100 chart but dropped off it the following week. "Miles Away" failed to chart both on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, becoming Madonna's first song to do so since "Love Profusion" (2004).[24] "Miles Away" debuted at number ninety on the Canadian Hot 100.[25] The next week it dropped out of the chart, but made a re-entry and climbed up to the top forty, peaking at twenty-three for the issue dated December 13, 2008.[26]

"Miles Away" achieved its strongest commercial reception in Japan, where it was used as the theme for Fuji Television drama Change.[27] It was first released there as a promotional single in 2008, following "4 Minutes".[28] The song peaked at number seven on the Japan Hot 100 on May 30, 2008 and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks.[21] It became the best-selling digital single of 2008 and received music certifications from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ)—platinum for 250,000 PC downloads, and double platinum for 500,000 master ringtones.[29][30] At the 23rd annual Japan Gold Disc Awards, "Miles Away" won three awards as "Mastertone of the Year", "Mobile Single Track of the Year" and "Online Single Track of the Year".[31] According to the RIAJ, the song has sold 681,000 digital downloads as of April 2009.[32]

On November 30, 2008, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at thirty-nine, selling 5,643 digital downloads.[33][34] It dropped to sixty-eight the following week and then dropped off the chart.[35] This ended a run of 63 consecutive top 20 UK hits for Madonna, stretching from 1984 through 2008, as "Miles Away" became Madonna's first ever single not to crack the UK top twenty.[34] The track debuted at number thirty-nine in the Dutch Top 40 on September 20, 2008[36] and reached a peak of ten on November 15, 2008.[37] In Australia, the Thin White Duke Mix charted at number 28 on the Australian Club Charts.[38] In Spain, "Miles Away" became her third consecutive single from Hard Candy to reach number one on the official singles chart.[39] In other countries, "Miles Away" peaked within the top forty of the official charts.[39][40]

Live performance

Madonna performing "Miles Away" on the Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Madonna performed "Miles Away" during the promotional tour for Hard Candy and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour.[41] In the promotional tour, Madonna performed "Miles Away" as the second song from the six-song set list. Madonna wore a black dress with black tails, track pants and high-heeled, lace-up boots. She performed the song standing in front of the microphone while playing acoustic guitar.[42] The backdrops showed graphical images of airplanes leaving London and arriving in New York,[43] boarding passes and passports as well as airports.[42]

In the Sticky & Sweet Tour, "Miles Away" was performed during the gypsy segment of the show. Madonna wore a gypsy inspired Givenchy long cape, over a black dress, with pink colored ribbons around her neck. She also wore black stockings on her leg.[44] Before starting the song she said, "This is for all who know the struggle of long-distance relationships. I know you're out there." While dancers gathered and sat down in a circle around her, Madonna went up on a platform, started playing the acoustic guitar and encouraged the crowd to clap and sing along. The screens give another message to the song, showing a stream of world maps and passport stamps and the history as well as journey of gypsies travelling around the world, adding to the atmosphere of that particular section of the show.[45]

After the breakup between Madonna and Guy Ritchie was announced, during a performance of "Miles Away" in the Boston leg of the tour, she dedicated the song to the "emotionally retarded". She then added, "You may know a few people who fall into that category—God knows I do," the line being a probable reference to Ritchie himself although this has not been confirmed.[46]

Track listing and formats

  • Japanese Promo CD single[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Album Version) – 4:49
  • US Promo CD Single[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  • Europe iTunes Digital Single[39]
  1. "Miles Away" – 4:48
  • EU / UK 2 Track CD Single[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Album Version) – 4:48
  2. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Remix) – 6:10
  • EU Maxi CD Single / Digital Maxi Single / UK 12" Picture Disc[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Album Version) – 4:48
  2. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Remix) – 6:10
  3. "Miles Away" (Rebirth Remix) – 7:27
  4. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) – 7:23
  • EU/US Maxi CD Single[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Radio Edit) – 3:45
  2. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Remix) – 6:09
  3. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Remix) – 7:07
  4. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Club Remix) – 7:23
  5. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix) – 8:18
  6. "Miles Away" (Rebirth Remix) – 7:27
  7. "Miles Away" (Aaron LaCrate & Samir B-More Gutter Remix) – 4:57
  • US Digital Maxi Remixes[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Remix) – 6:09
  2. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) – 7:22
  3. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix) – 8:18
  4. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Remix) – 7:07
  5. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Dub) – 7:10
  6. "Miles Away" (Rebirth Remix) – 7:24
  7. "Miles Away" (Aaron LaCrate & Samir B-More Gutter Mix) – 4:57
  • US Digital Maxi Remix Edits[39]
  1. "Miles Away" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  2. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Edit) – 4:33
  3. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Edit) – 3:50
  4. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix Edit) – 4:37
  5. "Miles Away" (Rebirth Edit) – 4:00
  6. "Miles Away" (Aaron LaCrate & Samir B-More Gutter Edit) – 3:28
  • US 2× 12" Vinyl Set[39]
  1. A1. "Miles Away" (Thin White Duke Remix) – 6:09
  2. A2. "Miles Away" (Radio Edit) – 3:43
  3. B1. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Club Remix) – 7:26
  4. B2. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Dub) – 7:08
  5. C1. "Miles Away" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mix) - 8:20
  6. C2. "Miles Away" (Aaron LaCrate & Samir B-More Gutter Remix) - 5:00
  7. D1. "Miles Away" (Morgan Page Remix) - 7:07
  8. D2. "Miles Away" (Rebirth Remix) - 7:30

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2008–09) Peak
position
Australian Club Chart[38] 28
Austrian Singles Chart[39] 21
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[39] 31
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[39] 39
Canadian Hot 100[26] 23
Czech Airplay Chart[47] 5
Danish Singles Chart[39] 39
Dutch Top 40[37] 10
European Hot 100 Singles[21] 23
Finnish Singles Chart[39] 11
French Singles Chart[39] 54
German Singles Chart[40] 11
Hungarian Airplay Chart[48] 2
Italian Singles Chart[39] 26
Japan Hot 100[21] 7
Slovak Airplay Chart[49] 3
Spanish Singles Chart[39] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[39] 25
Swiss Singles Chart[39] 32
UK Singles Chart[33] 39
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[21] 2
US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay[23] 1
US Billboard Hot Singles Sales[22] 1
US Billboard Pop 100[24] 99

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Brazil (ABPD)[50] Platinum 100,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[29]
Digital download version		 Platinum 250,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[30]
Mastertone version		 2× Platinum 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2008–09) Position
Dutch Singles Chart[51] 95
Hungarian Airplay Chart[52] 38
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[53] 28
US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay[54] 11

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Stevenson, Jane (April 25, 2008). "The JAM! Madonna interview". Jam! (Canadian Online Explorer). Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  2. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (October 17, 2008). "Madonna Apparently Disses Guy Ritchie At Boston Show". MTV. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  3. ↑ Sischy, Ingrid (2008). "Madonna: the one and only, on her life unchained". Interview (David Hamilton). Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  4. ↑ Moran, Jonathan (April 20, 2008). "Madonna shows her soft side". The Daily Telegraph, Australia. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  5. 1 2 Mason, Kerri (May 3, 2008). "Madonna makes producers, producers don't make Madonna". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (April 23, 2008). "Madonna: Hard Candy | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Anderman, Joan (April 27, 2008). "On her 11th CD, Madonna still has control issues". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  8. 1 2 Young, Tom (April 25, 2008). "Easy to chew, Hard Candy is everything you'd hope for from a Madonna album". BBC. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Guerra, Joey (April 28, 2008). "Big-name help, production mostly a success". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Digital sheet music – Madonna – Miles Away". Musicnotes.com.
  11. 1 2 3 Vineyard, Jennifer; Norris, John (May 22, 2008). "Madonna And Justin Timberlake Say Their 'Shrink Sessions' Led To Hard Candy's 'Personal' Feel". MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Ganz, Caryn (May 1, 2008). "Madonna: Hard Candy review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (April 29, 2008). "allmusic ((( Hard Candy > Overview )))". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  14. ↑ Williams, Chris (April 18, 2008). "Hard Candy (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  15. ↑ Farber, Jim (October 1, 2008). "Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' setlist". Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  16. ↑ Xenergy, DJ (April 28, 2008). "Madonna – 'Hard Candy'". About.com. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (April 25, 2008). "Madonna, Hard Candy". The Guardian. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Miles Marshall (May 6, 2008). "A half-centenarian provides more porny pop excellence". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  19. ↑ Paphides, Pete (April 8, 2008). "Madonna: Hard Candy". The Times. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  20. ↑ Hauner, Thomas (April 29, 2008). "Madonna | Hard Candy". PopMatters. Retrieved April 22, 2009. delete character in |title= at position 9 (help)
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Trust, Gary (September 21, 2009). "Ask Billboard: Madonna, Yoko Ono, Gospel". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  22. 1 2 Bronson, Fred (December 29, 2008). "Madonna, Pussycat Dolls, Beyonce". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  23. 1 2 Bronson, Fred (December 8, 2008). "Straight No Chaser, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Brandy". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  24. 1 2 "Madonna > Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: Week Ending May 17, 2008". Billboard. May 17, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  26. 1 2 "Canadian Hot 100: Week Ending December 13, 2008". Billboard. December 13, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  27. ↑ Ryall, Julian (March 24, 2008). "Madonna song used for Japanese TV drama". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved August 21, 2008.
  28. ↑ 『ハード・キャンディー』絶好調！日本のセカンドシングル曲が決定！ (in Japanese). Warner Music Japan. May 14, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
  29. 1 2 "Japanese single certifications – Madonna – Miles Away" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved February 19, 2016. Select 2016年1月 on the drop-down menu
  30. 1 2 "Japanese Sales and Certification – July 2008" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
  31. ↑ "The 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award 2009". Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  32. ↑ Schwartz, Rob (April 4, 2009). "Found In Translation". Billboard 121 (13): 12. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  33. 1 2 "UK Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. November 30, 2008. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  34. 1 2 "Madonna scores lowest charting single over 20 years". NME. December 9, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  35. ↑ "UK Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. December 7, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  36. ↑ "Dutch Top 40". MegaCharts. September 20, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  37. 1 2 "Dutch Top 40". MegaCharts. November 15, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  38. 1 2 "ARIA Club TRacks" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Pandora.nla. December 22, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "Madonna – Miles Away (Song)". Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  40. 1 2 "Chartverfolgong > Madonna > Miles Away". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. August 12, 2008. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  41. ↑ "Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' world tour secrets revealed". NME. August 21, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  42. 1 2 Rodman, Sarah (April 30, 2008). "Madonna Opens Up "Candy" Shop". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  43. ↑ Nagle, Michael (May 2, 2008). "On Throne, Onstage, Online and on Cellphone". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  44. ↑ Serpe, Gina (August 12, 2008). "Givenchy Outfits Madonna Tour". E!. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  45. ↑ Ganz, Caryn (October 7, 2008). "Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour Rolls Into New York With Reworked Hits, Virtual Britney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  46. ↑ Leach, Ben (October 22, 2008). "Madonna takes swipe at Guy Ritchie". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  47. ↑ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální – Madonna Miles Away". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. IFPIcr.cz. September 7, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  48. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista". Mahasz. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. January 7, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  49. ↑ "RADIO TOP100 Oficiální – Madonna Miles Away". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. IFPIcr.sk. December 27, 2008. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  50. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Madonna – Miles Away" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  51. ↑ "2008 Year End Chart Dutch". MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Éves összesített listák" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  53. ↑ "2009 Year-End Hot Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  54. ↑ "2009 Year-End Hot Dance Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2010.

External links

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