Composition
"Drowned World/Substitute for Love" is a downtempo pop ballad, which includes influences from jungle, drum and bass, trip hop as well as soft rock music. According to Allmusic, it also incorporates adult contemporary and pop rock influences. The title is inspired by the J.G. Ballard's post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Drowned World (1962). The song also has guitar riffs towards the end of the song. According to the notes on Musicnotes.com, which was published by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., the song is set in a B Major key. Additionally, Madonna's vocals expand from F#3 to A4 notes. The Michigan Daily had described Madonna's vocals and composition off the song as "soulful". According to Lucy O'Brien, author of Madonna: Like an Icon, she stated that Madonna "reflects her compulsive desire for fame, how that burned through relationships and made them shallow and fleeting." She also stated that her vocals were like "bell-like clarity." She also told that the song "sets the tone for the album; as if a ghost of her former self is supplanted by the spirit of what she's to become."
The original title for this song was "No Substitute For Love" which had slightly different lyrics to the completed version. A demo with the original lyrics and different musical set up has been leaked to the internet. This version was produced by William Orbit. Some differences in lyrics are: "Face the truth, No substitute for love". The final song contains the lyrics "The face of you, My substitute for love". The song begins with a male voice saying "You see", which is a sample of the song "Why I Follow the Tigers", performed by The San Sebastian Strings.
The author of the song, Rod McKuen, explains:
- "The voice belongs to Jesse Pearson and the repeated phrase is 'You see'. If you follow the lyrics on 'Drowned World' and 'Why I Follow the Tigers' you'll find 'Drowned' follows the plot line of 'Tigers', which is why Anita and I receive co-author credit on the song and not merely 'sampling mention'."
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