"Nothing Really Matters" is a song by American singer Madonna for her seventh studio album, Ray of Light (1998). It was written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and was produced by the singer with William Orbit 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. A pop, dance-pop and EDM track on which Madonna experiments with different musical genres, "Nothing Really Matters" includes ambient music and electronic noise 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 the United Kingdom.
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 dancing in a small room. The red kimono worn by her in the video was designed by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier and worn by the singer during her performance of the song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. 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, and was produced by herself alongside British producers William Orbit 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 (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, 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 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 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. 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 at Sterling Studios in New York, and included background vocals from Donna De Lory and Niki Haris.
"Nothing Really Matters" is a mid-tempo pop, dance-pop and EDM song which contains influences of techno, downtempo pop, and house music. It is set in time signature of common time, and is composed in the key of F major, with a moderate tempo of 117 beats per minute. Madonna's vocals range from the lower octave of F3 to the higher note of A4. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune labelled the production as a "worldly, and weary Madonna". David Browne from Entertainment Weekly 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 felt the song was a "smart, groove-intensive tune". Chuck Taylor from Billboard compared the composition of "Nothing Really Matters" to the "disco-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 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. In an interview with the Wesleyan University Press, 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 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 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 from AllMusic, Kevin C. Johnson from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chris Gernard from Metro Weekly highlighted "Nothing Really Matters" as one of Ray of Lights 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 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 said, "Songs like the title track and 'Nothing Really Matters' are filled with warmth and wonder." "A bubbly, infectious piece of shufflebeat…" Stuart Maconie 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." Sunday Mirror said it is the "best pop tune" from the album.Sunday Mirror. February 28, 1999. p. 48. Retrieved November 28, 2020. Stephen Thompson from The A.V. Club was positive, stating that the "chugging" chorus and composition "should ring across dance floors for years to come[...]" Nathan Smith from the Houston Press was also positive, stating, "Few singles illustrated [Madonna's change in musical approach] better 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."