Claim: Take a Bow is Madonna's eleventh number one single.

`` Take a Bow '' is a song by American singer Madonna from her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories -LRB- 1994 -RRB- . It was released as the album 's second single on November 29 , 1994 , by Maverick Records . It is a midtempo pop ballad written and produced by Madonna and Babyface . The song also appears on her compilation albums Something to Remember -LRB- 1995 -RRB- , GHV2 -LRB- 2001 -RRB- and Celebration -LRB- 2009 -RRB- . Following the sexually explicit persona portrayed by Madonna on her previous album , Erotica , the singer wanted to tone down her image for Bedtime Stories . She started collaborating with Babyface , whose work with other musicians had impressed her . `` Take a Bow '' was developed from this collaboration , after Madonna listened to the beat and the chords of the demo structure of the song .   Recorded at The Hit Factory Studios in New York , `` Take a Bow '' was backed by a full orchestra . It was also the first time that Babyface had worked with live strings , per Madonna 's suggestion . Containing oriental pentatonic strings , giving the impression of Chinese or Japanese opera , `` Take a Bow '' lyrically talks about unrequited love , and Madonna saying goodbye . It received favorable reviews from music critics , who praised the song 's soulful , poetic lyrics . It was a commercial success in the United States , becoming Madonna 's eleventh number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 , topping the chart for seven weeks . It also reached number one in Canada , and the top ten in Italy , Switzerland and New Zealand . The single had moderate success in the United Kingdom , reaching number 16 on the UK Singles Chart , ending Madonna 's record-holding string of 35 consecutive top-ten hits there .   The music video for `` Take a Bow '' was directed by Michael Haussman , and was filmed in Ronda , Spain . The video depicts Madonna as a bullfighter 's -LRB- played by real-life Spanish bullfighter Emilio Muñoz -RRB- neglected lover , yearning for his love . It won the Best Female Video award at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards . Journalistic and academic analysis of the video included its plotline , usage of religious iconography , themes and motifs of feminism and submission , as well as its impact on contemporary music videos . In order to promote Bedtime Stories , Madonna performed `` Take a Bow '' on a few occasions , including live with Babyface at the 1995 American Music Awards . In 2016 , she added the song to the setlist of the Asian and Oceanian legs of her Rebel Heart Tour and her one-off Sydney concert Madonna : Tears of a Clown .