‘A League of Their Own’ Gave Madonna a Hit Song
A League of Their Own might be Madonna‘s most beloved movie. While the film holds up, people don’t often speak of the hit single that came out of it. Here’s what the Queen of Pop had to say about the film and the song.
Madonna wrote a ballad for ‘A League of Their Own’
Madonna is the Queen of Pop, but she generally wasn’t the Queen of Movies. For every hit like Evita she starred in, the Material Girl starred in four or five embarrassing flops. One of the most beloved bright spots in her film career was A League of Their Own, an ensemble comedy about women in baseball.
During a 1992 interview with The Guardian, Madonna discussed her attitude toward making movies. “It’s not something you can just go, ‘OK, I’ve got an idea I’m going to go into the studio and record and put it out,'” she said. “You know what I mean? It takes years to make a movie, there’s a million people involved and everyone has to have an opinion, that’s extremely frustrating. There is no instant gratification.”
The “Like a Virgin” singer discussed the most enjoyable parts of the filming of A League of Their Own. “There were certain things about it that were enjoyable, there were certain things about it that weren’t,” she added. “I made some really good friends and I learned to play baseball. So those were the two good things.” Notably, Madonna didn’t mention the hit song from the movie: “This Used to Be My Playground.”
The song had nothing to do with the Queen of Pop’s then-current album
Madonna was asked about the relationship between “This Used to Be My Playground” and her most recent album: Erotica. “Completely separate,” she said. “They wanted me to write a song for the movie, I can do that sort of thing real easy. I call it assignment writing.”
Madonna was a bit dismissive of A League of Their Own. “Oh, I think it’s cute, it’s not Gone with the Wind, it’s not Doctor Zhivago, it’s no work of art,” she said. “It’s entertaining, light, there’s some funny moments, it’s very sweet.”
Madonna’s ‘This Used to Be My Playground’ appeared on a ballads-only album
“This Used to Be My Playground” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week. While the Queen of Pop is mainly known for her dance songs, she also recorded several ballads that reached No. 1, including “Crazy for You,” “Live to Tell,” and “Take a Bow,” as well as other popular ballads that didn’t hit No. 1 like “Frozen,” “La Isla Bonita,” and “Secret.” “This Used to Be My Playground” lasted on the chart for 20 weeks.
The tune appeared on Madonna’s ballad compilation album Something to Remember. If an artist can make a greatest hits album out of just their ballads, it’s clear they’ve struck a chord with the public. Something to Remember reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 34 weeks. It might be the most important album of its type besides The Beatles Ballads.
A League of Their Own and “This Used to Be My Playground” prove that Madonna knew how to make good movies and good music sometimes simultaneously.
