Composition
"True Blue" is a dance-pop song inspired by the Motown's girl groups from the 1960s which are considered the direct antecedents of Madonna's musical sound. The song is composed in the key of B major. It is set in compound quadruple meter, commonly used in doo-wop, and has a moderate tempo of 120 beats per minute. "True Blue" features instrumentation from a rhythm guitar, a synthesizer, keyboards, and drums for the bassline, with a basic sequence of I-vi-IV-V (B-G♯m-E-F♯) as its main chord progression.
Madonna's vocal range spans a bit less than one and a half octaves, from F♯3 to B4. The chorus is backed by sounds of bells ringing, an alternate verse—"This time I know it's true"— which is sang by three back-up singers during the interlude, and a bass counter melody which introduces her vocals during the second chorus. The lyrics are constructed in a verse-chorus form, with the theme being Madonna's feelings for Sean Penn; it even uses the archaic love word "dear" in the line "Just think back and remember, dear".
Read more about this topic: True Blue (Madonna Song)
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