Background
When Madonna started work on her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, she was in an emotional state of mind following her divorce from Sean Penn, her 30th birthday and unfavorable reviews for her acting endeavors. She had certain personal matters on her mind that she thought could be the musical direction of the album. As Madonna considered her alternatives, producers Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray experimented with instrumental tracks and musical ideas for her consideration. One day, while recording of the title track was going on at Jonny Yuma Studios, producer Patrick Leonard had to pick up his daughter Jessie from school and, since his wife was out of town, had to bring her back to the studio. Madonna, who was initially angry with Leonard for his late arrival, struck up a rapport with Jessie. She commented: "It was like as if I was my mother and was me. We were playing in our backyard again." Witnessing their connection, Leonard approached Madonna with a song he had written for his daughter, titled "Dear Jessie". Madonna changed some of the lyrics and agreed to record the track for Like a Prayer; it was finished within the next three days.
"Dear Jessie" was released as the fourth single from Like a Prayer in Europe, while it served as the fifth single from the album in Australia and Japan; it was never released in the United States. The single cover used a photo from 1987, taken by Herb Ritts. It showed Madonna in bed, clutching a bed sheet to her bosom and sporting a pair of Minnie Mouse ears. The photo was a reference to the early criticism of Madonna's work, when reviewers called her voice as "Minnie Mouse on helium".
Read more about this topic: Dear Jessie
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