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Living for Love
"Living for Love"
Released December 20, 2014
Length 3:38
Writer(s) Madonna Ciccone
Thomas Wesley Pentz
Maureen McDonald
Toby Gad
Ariel Rechtshaid
Producer(s) Madonna
Diplo
Ariel Rechtshaid

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Devil Pray

"Living for Love" is a song by Madonna from her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart. It was released as the lead single from the album on December 20, 2014.

Background[]

This was one of six Rebel Heart tracks that Madonna made available for purchase on December 20, 2014, three months ahead of schedule. The early release followed a flood of leaks, where over ten demo tracks from the album's sessions found their way to the Internet. "I was hoping to release my new single 'Living For Love' on Valentine's Day with the rest of the album coming in the Spring," the singer said. "I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift." The song is a collaboration with American DJ-producer Diplo. A number of different incarnations were done before the final version. Madonna explained to Billboard magazine: "We knew we wanted to make a dance record. But you know, there's so many different levels of dance music and even different categories of house music. So, it was really like, what's the bass line gonna sound like? Is it gonna be really stripped down and sparse, or is it going to be loaded up? Is it gonna be Chicago house? Is it gonna be UK house? It's like, all over the place. Is it gonna be a little bit of one vocal line? Is it gonna be a whole choir singing? So we were experimenting and trying out different things. They all sounded good, but at the end of the day, we wanted it to sound timeless, also. Not just something of the moment."

Theme[]

Madonna spoke about the song in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine:
"It’s a breakup song. The thing is, lots of people write about being in love and being happy or they write about having a broken heart and being inconsolable. But nobody writes about having a broken heart and being hopeful and triumphant afterwards. So I thought, how can I do this? I didn’t want to share the sentiment of being a victim. This scenario devastated me, but it just made me stronger."[1]

Composition[]

"Living for Love" is an EDM and house song which starts as Madonna sings over a "regal" piano line which is eventually joined by percussion. "Living for Love" has a I–IV–V–I sequence as its chord progression, with the rhythm flowing as Fm–Cm–D♭–A♭–E♭/A♭.

Live Performances []

Madonna first performed "Living for Love" at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2015. She also performed the song at the 2015 Brit Awards, on February 25. The Jonathan Ross Show in England, which aired on March 14. Two weeks later, similar performance aired on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US, where she was joined by DeGeneres onstage at the end of the performance. She performed the song on the third section of the setlist in her Rebel Heart Tour in 2015 and 2016.

Music Video[]

Music Video Information
Madonna_-_Living_For_Love Released February 5, 2015
Length 4:06
Director Julien Choquart
Camille Hirigoyen
Production Co
Choreographer Megan Lawson
Filmed
Location
VEVO views 33+ million

Lyrics[]

Verse 1:
First you love me and I let you in
Made me feel like I was born again
You empowered me, you made me strong
Built me up, and I could do no wrong
I let down my guard
I fell into your arms
Forgot who I was
I didn't hear the alarms
Now I'm down on my knees
Alone in the dark
I was blind to your game
You fired a shot in my heart

Pre-Chorus:
Took me to heaven, let me fall down
Now that it's over, I'm gonna carry on
Lifted me up and watched me stumble
After the heartache, I'm gonna carry on

Chorus:
Living for love
I'm living for love
Not giving up
I'm gonna carry on
Living for love
I'm living for love
Not gonna stop
Love's gonna lift me up

Drop:
Love, lift me up
Love's gonna lift me up
Love, lift me up

Verse 2:
I could get caught up in bitterness
But I'm not dwelling on this crazy mess
I found freedom in the ugly truth
I deserve the best, and it's not you
You've broken my heart
But you can't break me down
Not falling apart
Once was lost, now I'm found
Picked up my crown, put it back on my head
I can forgive, but I will never forget

Pre-Chorus:
Took me to heaven, let me fall down
Now that it's over, I'm gonna carry on
Lifted me up and watched me stumble
After the heartache, I'm gonna carry on

Chorus:
Living for love
I'm living for love
Not giving up
I'm gonna carry on
Living for love
I'm living for love
Not gonna stop
Love's gonna lift me up

Drop:
(Love, lift me up)
Love's gonna lift me up
(Love, lift me up)
Love, gonna lift me up
(Lift me up, lift me up, lift me up)

Bridge:
'Cause love's gonna lift me up, up, up, up, up
Lord lift me up, up, up, up
Love's gonna lift me up, up, up, up, up
Lord lift me up, up, up, up
Love's gonna lift me up
Lord lift me up, up, up, up

Chorus:
Living for love
Living for love
Not giving up
I'm gonna carry on
Living for love
I'm living for love
Not gonna stop
Love's gonna lift me up

Outro:
Love, love, oh-oh
[2]

References[]


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