Nothing Really Matters (Mr Probz Song)
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"Nothing Really Matters" is a song by American singer
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
for her seventh studio album, '' Ray of Light'' (1998). It was written by Madonna and
Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), '' Who ...
, and was produced by the singer with
William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...
and Marius De Vries. The song was released as the sixth and final single from the album on February 9, 1999, by Maverick Records and
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
. An electronic
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
track on which Madonna experiments with different musical genres, "Nothing Really Matters" includes
ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...
and
electronic noise In electronics, noise is an unwanted disturbance in an electrical signal. Noise generated by electronic devices varies greatly as it is produced by several different effects. In particular, noise is inherent in physics and central to thermod ...
frequencies that were added by De Vries. Lyrically, the recording delves on the singer's first daughter Lourdes Leon. It also covers themes of selfishness, affection, and motherhood. The song was critically appreciated for its lyrical content and composition, and was declared by reviewers as one of Madonna's most personal efforts; however, some critics felt it was tepid and lacklustre compared to other tracks from ''Ray of Light''. In the United States, the song remains Madonna's lowest entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 93. Its low chart peak was due to lack of airplay and the delay in releasing it in CD single formats, to which the singer's fans protested against Warner Bros. The song became her 23rd number one on the US Dance Club Play chart, reaching the top spot in Hungary and Spain, and entering the top ten in countries including Canada, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Scotland, New Zealand, and on the United Kingdom Singles Chart. An accompanying music video was directed by Swedish director Johan Renck, and was released on February 13, 1999. Inspired by Arthur Golden's 1997 novel '' Memoirs of a Geisha'', the video portrays Madonna as a
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
dancing in a small room. The red kimono worn by her in the video was designed by French fashion designer
Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs in ...
and worn by the singer during her performance of the song at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...
. The costume and music video have been cited by journalist and academics as owing to one of Madonna's most iconic and best reinventions.


Background and writing

"Nothing Really Matters" was written by Madonna and American producer and songwriter
Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), '' Who ...
, and was produced by herself alongside British producers
William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...
and Marius De Vries. The song was inspired by Madonna's daughter Lourdes Leon, whom she gave birth to in 1996. These events inspired a period of introspection for the singer. "That was a big catalyst for me. It took me on a search for answers to questions I'd never asked myself before," she said to '' Q'' magazine in 2002. Madonna begun writing the song with Leonard during developing her album '' Ray of Light''. Leonard co-wrote four songs for the album, including "Nothing Really Matters". For production, Madonna desired "a certain European sensibility that I couldn’t have gotten from an American producer" such as Leonard. Her manager Guy Oseary then telephoned Orbit, and suggested that the latter send some songs to Madonna. Orbit sent a 13-track
digital audio tape Digital Audio Tape (DAT or R-DAT) is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a Compact Cassette, using 3.81 mm / 0.15" (commonly referred to as 4 mm) magnetic t ...
(DAT) to her, which included a demo version of "Nothing Really Matters"'s music. According to Madonna, she had been a fan of Orbit's work for a long time and was pleased with the demo version, which he started to work on. De Vries, who had worked on the demo, asked Orbit to help produce the song, and was enlisted. According to '' Madonna: Like an Icon'' writer
Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...
, De Vries and Orbit had originally composed and produced the track before ''Ray of Light'' had been conceived. During the sessions, Orbit found De Vries' contribution "off-putting", to which the latter confessed, "On all the collaborations I'd left a lot of space for him, but for this I wanted to put something on the table and say, 'This is what I think'". De Vries had added
electronic noise In electronics, noise is an unwanted disturbance in an electrical signal. Noise generated by electronic devices varies greatly as it is produced by several different effects. In particular, noise is inherent in physics and central to thermod ...
frequencies during the first chorus of the song, stating that he had a "vision on how the song should be finished". Orbit did not like the addition since it sounded to him that the "DAT's broken". De Vries defended his contribution saying that it was supposed to be "like that ..It's quite slow for a
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
tune of that nature, not a pacey tune." Madonna had enjoyed all three of their contributions to the track, and as a result, Orbit reluctantly left it on. In J. Randy Taraborrelli's book '' Madonna: An Intimate Biography'', the singer said that the main inspiration behind "Nothing Really Matters" and " The Power of Good-Bye" from the same album, was other people judging and dissecting her creative process. Elaborating on the statement, she added,
In 'Nothing Really Matters' and 'The Power of Good-Bye', I want people to have a visceral and emotional reaction to things, rather than to have in their mind where all my stuff comes from. With the songs, I wanted to say that it does not matter really what you think or do, just think by yourself, and not judge and dissect others. You know if I see a bug crawling across the floor and it inspired me to write the most incredible love poem, I don't want people to be thinking about their relationship, and then think of my bug crawling across the floor. It's then that the power of good-bye becomes better than the power of acceptance.


Recording and composition

"Nothing Really Matters" was recorded alongside the rest of the album at Larrabee North Studio in
North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...
. Only three other people were in the studio with Madonna during the recording of the song and album: Orbit, recording engineer Pat McCarthy, and his assistant engineer, Matt Silva. The track featured no live instrumentation, and was part of a machinery issue that delayed initial recording as Orbit preferred working with sample loops and synth-based instrumentation. As a result, it took a while to finish production of the song, until the computers were repaired. The song was mastered by
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...
at Sterling Studios in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and included background vocals from Donna De Lory and Niki Haris. "Nothing Really Matters" is a mid-tempo EDM song which contains influences of
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
, downtempo pop, and
house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
. It is set in
time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
of common time, and is composed in the key of
F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
, with a moderate tempo of 117
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Madonna's vocals range from the lower octave of F3 to the higher note of A4.
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
from the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' labelled the production as a "worldly, and weary Madonna". David Browne from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' noticed that the "hard-step beats and synth washes make the romantic-physical yearnings (and hooks) of 'Skin' and 'Nothing Really Matters' even tauter ... J.D. Considine from ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...
'' felt the song was a "smart, groove-intensive tune". Chuck Taylor from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' compared the composition of "Nothing Really Matters" to the "
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
-encrusted" " Vogue" (1990). However, he found that the "core" important part of the song was its "sweetly-spiritual" and "simple" lyrical content. The song begins with a "strange, electronic, slightly broken noise" that spans between the start of the song up until 54 seconds. The ambient-influenced beginning gives the impression that "Nothing Really Matters" would be a ballad, but in the minute mark, it changes to a mid-tempo
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
song. The ambient music becomes restrained, although a cursory bleeping sound can be heard from the right to the left. The background has a number of faint strings in it, which signifies the depth of the stereo field. The chorus starts with a fast-pacing dance sound, over which Madonna sings, "Nothing really matters / love is all we need / everything I give you / all comes back to me." Throughout the entire song, it includes two verses, three choruses, one bridge section, and an outro. The bridge is backed by piano sounds with a descending sequence by a couple of bars. Madonna sings the same lyrics in the outro, but is slowed down and echoed longer until the music fades out. The lyrics are about the birth of Madonna's daughter Lourdes, and the realization of
motherhood A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case ...
. In an interview with the
Wesleyan University Press Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist. History and overview Founded (in its present form ...
, the singer stated: "There's a song on the album called 'Nothing Really Matters', and it is very much inspired by my daughter. it's just realizing that at the end of the day, the most important thing is loving people and sharing love. The birth of my daughter has been a huge influence. It's different to look at life through the eyes of a child, and suddenly you have a whole new respect for life and you kind of get your innocence back. It's this realisation which I incorporated in 'Nothing Really Matters', 'Little Star' and 'Mer Girl'." Based on the lyrical content, Bryan Lark from ''
The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'', also known as "''The Daily''", is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially and editorially independe ...
'' reviewed the parent album, and concluded that as the single " Ray of Light" was about confronting the past, "Nothing Really Matters" conversely is about "moving onward."


Release

In the US, "Nothing Really Matters" was released as the fifth and final single from ''Ray of Light'' on February 9, 1999. Two 12-inch vinyl formats were released; one included four vinyls incorporating two tracks on each, while the second was reissued with new artwork and track listing. The maxi CD included the album version, and two remixes by the
Peter Rauhofer Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his ...
under the alias Club 69. A promotional 7-inch vinyl was also issued, and included the original album version, along with the B-side and ''Ray of Light'' track "To Have and Not To Hold". Internationally, "Nothing Really Matters" was released as the sixth and final single from ''Ray of Light''. In the UK, two CD singles were issued; the first CD includes the album version, one remix by Rauhofer, and one remix by Peter Kruder & Richard Dorfmeister, whilst the second includes three remixes by Rauhofer. A cassette single was also released in the country, including the album version and one remix by Rauhofer.


Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Kevin C. Johnson from the ''
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'' and Chris Gernard from ''
Metro Weekly ''Metro Weekly'' is a free weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community in Washington, D.C., United States. It was first published on May 5, 1994. ''Metro Weekly'' includes national and local news, intervi ...
'' highlighted "Nothing Really Matters" as one of ''Ray of Light''s best tracks. Erlewine, who also wrote Madonna's biography for the website, cited the song as one of her career standouts. Chuck Taylor from ''Billboard'' labeled the song as a "gem" and commended the "irresistible hook". From the same publication, Jason Lipshutz commented, "What if the suave dance of 'Nothing Really Matters', the eye-popping 'Ray of Light' music video or the stark beauty of ' Frozen' never existed? Luckily, we never need to find out." Paul Moody from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' noted that the song "floats by almost as if it's asleep, a knowing return to the disco diva-effortlessness of 'Vogue', but with Madonna free from the narcissistic outer-shell of old, free to announce: 'I've realised/No-one wins...'" ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' said, "Songs like the title track and 'Nothing Really Matters' are filled with warmth and wonder." "A bubbly, infectious piece of shufflebeat…"
Stuart Maconie Stuart John Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark Radc ...
wrote in a '' Q'' review of ''Ray of Light'', "but aberrant items continually swim into view, like a tumbling, atonal piano solo right out of Schoenberg." ''
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'' said it is the "best pop tune" from the album. Stephen Thompson from ''
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'' was positive, stating that the "chugging" chorus and composition "should ring across dance floors for years to come .. Nathan Smith from the ''
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'' was also positive, stating, "Few singles illustrated adonna's change in musical approachbetter than 'Nothing Really Matters'". He concluded, "It's a great, bouncy dance track that never received the love it deserved, and its family-friendly themes are a good fit for the event." However, Enio Chiola from ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' felt the song's commercial appeal and production was inferior to other album tracks, and stated that "Skin"—another song from ''Ray of Light''—would have been a better release. Jose F. Promis from
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewed the single and awarded it two-and-a-half stars out of five. He suggested that the original album version was somewhat "tepid", and commented, "This single is a case of where the production supersedes the song, which in and of itself is among Madonna's simplest and least interesting tunes." However, he commended the remixes, including the "Eastern Asian", "chillout" and "several club cuts".
Medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...
's Richard LaBeau opined that it was a "perfectly fine cut from her best album, but there are several other songs on the album that are better and would have made more interesting singles". ''Billboard''s Nolan Feeney noted, "She keeps the platitudes from sounding empty by taking her younger self to task ..Dance music is often a tool for artists and listeners to build their identities; here, Madonna uses pulsing beats to shed her skin". Ranking Madonna's singles in honor of her 60th birthday, ''
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''s Jude Rogers placed "Nothing Really Matters" at number 39, calling it a "heavenly ode to motherhood". At the 2000
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...
Rhythm and Soul Awards, "Nothing Really Matters" was nominated for the Top Dance Song award; this was Madonna's first nomination in that category, and was her second nomination at the awards since the previous year, when her song "Ray of Light" was nominated, and eventually won the Top Dance Song award. "Nothing Really Matters" eventually won the award, becoming her first win in that category; she won it again in 2002 for " Don't Tell Me".


Chart performance

In the United States, "Nothing Really Matters" debuted at number 99 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it her lowest entry on the chart. It reached a peak of number 93 the following week, and was present for two weeks overall. "Nothing Really Matters" topped the Dance Club Play chart and stayed there for two weeks, whilst peaking at number 25 on the
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
chart. Jose F. Promis from AllMusic believed the single's lack of charting success in North America was due "to the terrible timing of the single's release, which was much after radio and club airplay had peaked." Many fans in North America blamed
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
' marketing strategy for the song's poor charting. "Nothing Really Matters" was also the first time since 1994's '' Bedtime Stories'' that Madonna charted four singles from her album on the Hot 100. In Canada, the song reached a peak of number seven on the ''
RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'' 100 Hit Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, "Nothing Really Matters" entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven on March 13, 1999. It was later certified Silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for shipments of 200,000 units. According to
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
, the song has sold 128,137 copies as of August 2008. In Belgium's Flanders region, the song debuted and peaked at number 43 on March 13, 1999, while in the Wallonia region it had a similar performance, spending a sole week on the chart. In the Netherlands, the song debuted at number 73 on the
Single Top 100 The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Du ...
chart, and reached a peak of 34 on March 13, 1999. The recording peaked at number 38 in Germany, spending a total of nine weeks on the chart. In Finland, the song debuted at number six on the
Finnish Singles Chart The Official Finnish Charts (; ) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiella lista'' (lit. "the Official Finnish Chart"), which is ...
, and spent two weeks overall. In Spain, it was number one on the
Spanish Singles Chart Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine ** Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
and stayed there for three consecutive weeks. In Australia, "Nothing Really Matters" debuted on the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
at its peak of number 15 on March 4, 1999. The next week, it descended to number 22, and continued down to its final appearance at number 49, being present for a total of six weeks on the chart. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number seven on the RIANZ Singles Chart on April 11, 1999. It stayed there for two weeks, until descending to number 45. It rose to number 26 on its final peaking week, and was present for a total of nine weeks on the chart.


Music video


Background and inspiration

An accompanying music video for "Nothing Really Matters" was directed by Johan Renck and filmed in January 1999 at
Silvercup Studios Silvercup Studios is one of the largest film and television production facilities in New York City. The studio is located in Long Island City, Queens, with another facility in the Port Morris neighborhood of the Bronx. The studio complex has ...
in
Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a neighborhood within the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; Sunnyside to the east; and Newtown Creek, which separates Queens from Greenpoint, Brook ...
, New York. According to a behind-the-scenes interview with ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
'', Madonna stated that the inspiration behind the video was from the 1997 Arthur Golden novel '' Memoirs of a Geisha''. She later stated, "The whole idea of a
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
is a straight metaphor for being an entertainer because, on one hand you're privileged to be a geisha, but on the other hand you're a prisoner .. Madonna
choreographed Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer creates choreographies thr ...
her own moves in the video, since she " id notlike how other people say how I should move, I'm my own best choreographer." In an interview with American broadcaster and journalist
Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American TV and radio host presenter, author, and former spokesman. He was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s and beginning in ...
, Madonna commented about the geisha depiction, " ..there was a character in the book called Hatsumomo and she's been my muse for the past six months. So I don't know." She stated that her daughter, at the time, called Madonna the novel's character, Hatsumomo, which the singer found intriguing yet bizarre. The red
kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...
that Madonna wore in the music video was created by French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier. Her main look for the video consisted of heavy eye make-up and a pale face with dark, straight hair, as well as a pair red ankle high boots to accompany the kimono. The kimono was tailored by a large red
leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
belt. Madonna wore the kimono again for her performance at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...
. The look was then re-designed by Gaultier and the Italian fashion duo
Dean and Dan Caten Dean and Dan Caten (née Catenacci; born December 19, 1964) are Canadian people, Canadian fashion designers, radio personalities, and businessmen. They are identical twin brothers and the founders and owners of Dsquared², an Italian luxury fash ...
for Madonna's 2001
Drowned World Tour The Drowned World Tour (billed as Drowned World Tour 2001) was the fifth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums, '' Ray of Light'' (1998) and ''Music'' (2000). It began on June 9, 20 ...
. The visual for "Nothing Really Matters" premiered on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
on February 13, 1999. The video can be found on Madonna's 1999 compilation, '' The Video Collection 93:99''.


Synopsis and reception

The video opens with an empty room with a fish painting, and then shows Madonna holding to what looks like a baby, but is actually a big bag of water. Alternating scenes shows her in a red and black kimono dancing to the song. Then, a scene features a group of people of Asian heritage, who walk down a dark hallway. As Madonna sings the song in a black kimono, she grips onto the bag of water. When the chorus starts, it features Madonna in a red kimono continuing to dance. This scene carries on through the rest of the song. There are multiple scenes of young Swedes of Asian heritage performing
butoh is a form of Japanese dance theatre that encompasses a diverse range of activities, techniques and motivations for dance, performance, or movement. Following World War II, butoh arose in 1959 through collaborations between its two key founder ...
dance moves coached by Swedish choreographer Su-En. These scenes were shot in a decommissioned R1 Reactor below the
Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...
in central Stockholm. The ending scene has Madonna sitting while someone is painting her back and slowly rests her body on the group. As the song fades, Madonna is in her red kimono walking and laughing towards the camera and then the screen rapidly fades to black. The music video received favorable reviews from critics. Soman S. Chainani from ''
The Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...
'' was positive in his review, stating, "The video is deliciously subversive. In a sense, Madonna consciously sheds layers of her
post-modern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experi ...
act during the 4:25 minute video, daring us to piece together its clues." Labelling it a " surreal" video with "angular" imagery and direction, he concluded, "Random? Of course not. Realizing it's all the pieces of a puzzle, we grasp the stunning answer. Madonna is, in all truth, a modern-day geisha. She is trapped within her corridor, without the least privacy, but she is free to perform." A reviewer from
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
commented, " he videois a gorgeous futuristic creation and one of Madonna's most underrated videos. Dark and hypnotic, 'Matters' features unconventional choreography that was initially off putting to many (at least for 1999), but in actuality director Johan Renck has created a visual spectacle that demands repeat viewing. It also features one of Madonna's more inspired video performances." At the
1999 MTV Video Music Awards The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, which took place on September 9, 1999 (informally known as the 9/9/99 MTV Video Music Awards), honored the best music videos released between June 13, 1998, and June 11, 1999. The ceremony was hosted by Chris Roc ...
, Renck, Bjorn Benckert and Tor-Bjorn Olsson were all nominated for Best Special Effects in a Video. This was Madonna's second sub-credited nomination in that category, having been nominated, and eventually won for the same award a year prior with her single "Frozen". Madonna was also nominated three times for her single " Beautiful Stranger" that same year. However, Renck, Benckert, and Olsson lost to Sean Broughton, Stuart D. Gordon and Paul Simpson of
Digital Domain Digital Domain (also known as Digital Domain Media Group or DDMG) is an American visual effects, computer animation and digital production company headquartered in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California. Digital Domain has produced visual effects ...
with their work on " Special" by American-Scottish band
Garbage Garbage, trash (American English), rubbish (British English), or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or ...
; this remains Madonna's final video to be nominated in that category.


Live performances

On February 24, 1999, Madonna performed "Nothing Really Matters" as the opening number of the
41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...
. The performance was held and recorded at
Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...
in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. The stage had two large Japanese infrastructures on either side, a black screen, and a semi-large bench on which Madonna stood. The performance opened with the lights beaming on Madonna, who wore the red Gaultier kimono, red platform boots, and black bob hairstyle. The chorus started with four back-up dancers holding plastic bag, similar to the Japanese people in the music video, and a background dancer being projected on screen. By the second chorus, Madonna's back-up vocalists started singing atop the benches wearing similar kimonos. During the song's bridge interlude, a man entered the stage and started performing with flamed rope. When Madonna won the award for
Best Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
at the same ceremony, she came onstage with Orbit to accept the award in the red kimono. The live performance received positive reviews from most music critics; Jason Kaufman from NY Rock commented, "Her constant nationality morphing has got to go. With her geisha-girl-gone-club-hopping outfit last night, ..the woman proved she's a walking Epcot Center, long on fashion and short on culture. And what were those women dancing behind her in her musical number holding? The objects looked like fetuses from last week's ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
''". Bradley Stern from Idolator hosted a poll, asking viewers what was their best Madonna
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
performance. Alongside the 1999 Grammys, Stern listed Madonna's performances of "
Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
" at the
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
ceremony, "
Hung Up "Hung Up" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' (2005). Initially used in a number of television advertisements and serials, the song was released as the album's lead single on October ...
" at the
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
ceremony, and "
Same Love "Same Love" is a song by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, released as the third single from their 2012 debut studio album, '' The Heist''. The track, featuring vocals by Seattle-based singer Mary Lambert, talks about the issue of ...
" and " Open Your Heart" at the
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
ceremony. "Nothing Really Matters" came third in the poll with 102 votes. ''
InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...
'' staff highlighted the performance as one of the best Grammy performances to date. The song was performed as the opening number for the Celebration Tour of 2023–24. During the performance, she wore a floor-length black kimono and a diamond radial headdress while a large white light shined above her. The headdress was designed by German designer Malakai specifically for the tour, adorned with 25 large
Swarovski Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...
crystals and paved with micro-crystals, using "Madonna's iconography and what she stands for" as main inspiration. Matt Cain from
BBC Culture BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
pointed out how "there are no distracting theatrics, just Madonna, her image and her voice – which has never sounded better" and described the performance as a "heartfelt rendition". According to Liam Hess of '' Vogue'', given that "Nothing Really Matters" is one of Madonna's most personal tracks, "it made for a neat introduction to a show that offered a deliberately looser, chattier glimpse at Madonna, the woman".


Legacy and other usage in media

"Nothing Really Matters" has been noted as one of Madonna's most underrated singles to date. Louis Virtel from NewNowNext listed the song at number 94 on their Top 100 Madonna Songs list, stating, "Copping both new-age maxims and Beatle sentiments ('Everything I give you all comes back to me'), 'Nothing Really Matters' is as queer and curious as a red patent-leather geisha costume." The Gaultier kimono has been cited by several publications as one of Madonna's most notable re-inventions and looks, including fashion magazines ''InStyle'', ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'' and ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
''. Alongside this, the kimono has been recognized as one of the Grammy's best and worst looks. Virtel also listed the music video at number 49 on his ranking of 55 Best Music Videos by Madonna. Julien Sauvalle from ''
Out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...
'' listed the video at number eight on his Top 20 Most Stylish Madonna music videos list. Idolator's Nicole Sta called the clip as one of Madonna's best music videos. Nikki Ogunnaike from '' Glamour'' magazine listed the video as one of Madonna's Top 5 Most Fashionable music videos. The geisha look was further reproduced for Madonna's appearance on the May–June 1999 issue of ''Harper's Bazaar'' magazine. The singer took partial creative control of the issue, and requested photographer of the shoot
Patrick Demarchelier Patrick Demarchelier (; 21 August 1943 – 31 March 2022) was a French fashion photographer. Early life and education Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, Demarchelier spent his childhood in Le Havre, Normandy, with his mother and fo ...
to incorporate elements of the novel ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' into it, both visually and typographically. Three covers were selected for different regions around the world. In 2016, the geisha look was adapted on the
Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progra ...
series ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'', season eight episode "Supermodel Snatch Game". The show's host,
RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...
, announced that contestants had to create a gown that was inspired by Madonna's iconic looks. Four drag queen contestants, Kim Chi, Naomi Smalls, Derrick Berry and Thorgy Thor wore the geisha look, including one sporting a similar look from the singer's music video "Paradise (Not for Me)". A fifth contestant, Chi Chi DeVayne, originally decided on wearing a kimono from the video of "Nothing Really Matters", but changed. This episode was criticized by ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'', for the lack of variety of Madonna's iconic looks outside of "Nothing Really Matters". Masahiro Ito has cited the song's music video as one of the inspirations for his work on the video game '' Silent Hill 2'' (2001).


Track listings and formats

* U.S. 7-inch vinyl # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "To Have and Not to Hold" – 5:23 * Cassette single # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "Nothing Really Matters" ( Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 * European 12-inch vinyl # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Vocal Club Mix) – 7:51 # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Mix) – 8:19 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Phunk Mix) – 8:00 # "Nothing Really Matters" (
Talvin Singh Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is a British musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music with drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica ...
's Vikram Remix) – 7:43 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Dub) – 5:48 # "Nothing Really Matters" (
Kruder & Dorfmeister Kruder & Dorfmeister, named after members Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, is an Austrian duo, known for their trip hop/downtempo remixes of pop, hip hop and drum and bass songs. Career In 1993, they released their first EP '' G-Stoned'' ...
Remix) – 11:10 * CD single part one # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix) – 11:10 * CD single part two # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Mix) – 8:19 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Dub) – 5:48 * U.S. CD Maxi Single # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Vocal Club Mix) – 7:51 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Mix) – 8:19 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Phunk Mix) – 8:00 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Speed Mix) – 10:35 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix) - 11:10 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Vikram Remix) - 7:43 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Dub) - 5:48 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 *Digital single (2023) # "Nothing Really Matters" (album version) – 4:27 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Radio Mix) – 3:45 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Vocal Club Mix) – 7:51 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Mix) – 8:19 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Phunk Mix) – 8:00 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Speed Mix) – 10:35 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Kruder & Dorfmeister Remix) - 11.10 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Vikram Remix) - 7:43 # "Nothing Really Matters" (Club 69 Future Dub) - 5:48


Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Ray of Light'' album liner notes. *
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
– lead vocals, songwriter, producer *
Patrick Leonard Patrick Ray Leonard (born March 14, 1956) is an American songwriter, keyboardist, film composer, and music producer, best known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna. His work with Madonna includes her albums '' True Blue'' (1986), '' Who ...
– songwriter *
William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...
– producer * Marius De Vries – producer * Niki Haris – background vocals * Donna De Lory – background vocals * Steve Sidelnyk – drum programming * Mark Endert – engineer * Jon Ingoldsby – engineer * Patrick McCarthy – engineer * Dave Reitzas – engineer * Matt Silva – engineer *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...
– mastering * Kevin Reagan – art direction, design * Luis Sanchis – photography


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

* List of number-one singles of 1999 (Spain) * List of number-one dance singles of 1999 (U.S.) * List of UK top 10 singles in 1998


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control 1998 songs 1999 singles Madonna songs Maverick Records singles Music videos directed by Johan Renck Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Spain Song recordings produced by Madonna Song recordings produced by Marius de Vries Song recordings produced by William Orbit Songs written by Madonna Songs written by Patrick Leonard Warner Records singles