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Madonna - Take A Bow

Music Video | 1994
ArtistMadonna
SongTake A Bow
AlbumBedtime Stories
DirectorMichael Haussman
GenrePop
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown
Release date

Wiki

Synopsis

Set in 1940s Spain, the video follows Madonna as the neglected lover of a celebrated bullfighter, played by real-life Spanish matador Emilio Munoz. While he performs before cheering crowds and poses for admiring photographers, she remains isolated and emotionally ignored. Their relationship unfolds through scenes of longing, jealousy, and brief intimacy, contrasting private heartbreak with the bullfighter's public persona. By the end, Madonna recognizes that his devotion belongs to the spectacle and ritual of bullfighting rather than to her.

Factoids & Trivia

  • The video was filmed in Spain from November 3 to 8, 1994, with locations in Ronda and at the bullring in Antequera.
  • Emilio Munoz was an actual Spanish bullfighter as well as an actor. He performed alongside three fighting bulls for the arena scenes.
  • Madonna originally drew inspiration for the song from an actor, but chose a matador for the video because the figure offered a more visually powerful way to express an obsessive, tragic relationship.
  • The video was styled as a period piece, with Madonna wearing corseted silhouettes, silk dresses, veils, and other 1940s-inspired looks. The wardrobe included designs associated with John Galliano and Donatella Versace.
  • Local opposition reportedly complicated plans to film in Ronda, but the production ultimately secured permission to shoot at the Palace of the Marquis of Salvatierra and the Plaza de Toros de Ronda.
  • The clip received the Best Female Video award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.
  • Madonna and Emilio Munoz returned to their roles in "You'll See," the 1995 follow-up video.

Lyrics

Take a bow, the night is over
This masquerade is getting older
Light are low, the curtains down
There's no one here
(There's no one here, there's no one in the crowd)
Say your lines but do you feel them
Do you mean what you say when there's no one around (no one around)
Watching you, watching me, one lonely star
(One lonely star you don't know who you are)

[Chorus:]

I've always been in love with you (always with you)
I guess you've always known it's true (you know it's true)
...
© Madonna - Take A Bow. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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