Jump (Madonna song)
"Jump" is a song by American singer Madonna from her tenth studio album "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005). Written by Madonna, Stuart Price and Joe Henry, the song was supposed to be released as the third single of the album. However, since "Get Together" was decided as the third single, "Jump" was released as the fourth and final single from the album, on October 31, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The song incorporates pop, synth-pop, techno and disco genres with tributes to Pet Shop Boys. Madonna sings in her lower register in the song. Its  lyrics talk about self-empowerment and sufficiency while looking for the prospects of a new relationship. Contemporary critics complimented the song and its empowerment theme. They compared it to Madonna's 1980s music and praised the club anthem-like quality of the song. The song peaked inside the top ten of the charts of some European countries, topping the charts in Italy and Hungary. In the United States, "Jump" placed in several "Billboard" dance charts and became one of the most popular dance hits of the decade. The accompanying music video was shot in Tokyo during Madonna's 2006 Confessions  Tour stopover. It portrayed Madonna in a blond bob wig and a leather ensemble singing the song in front of a number of neon signs. The video also featured dancers who performed the physical discipline parkour. It was also incorporated in her Confessions Tour, where Madonna and her dancers jumped around the stage actively, while singing the song. The song was used in the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" (2005) and the "Ugly Betty" season 2 finale. Background and composition. The idea for "Jump" came from Joe Henry who presented it to Madonna and developed it into a song. During  an interview with the singer for the British gay lifestyle magazine "Attitude", journalist Matthew Todd described that "Jump" as an inspiration for "a whole generation of gay kids to pack their bags and head to the big city", to which Madonna agreed. Initially it was to be released as the third single from the album. However, the song "Get Together" was chosen as the third single from the album to coincide with the start of Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour. The decision was also spurred by the fact that "Get Together" was the third best selling digital single from the  Confessions on a Dance Floor album. Its digital sales at the United States was 20,000 copies at that time, whereas digital sales for "Jump" was at just 9,000 copies. Hence, "Get Together" was finally chosen as the third single. On July 12, 2006, "Billboard" confirmed "Jump" to be the fourth single from the "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album. Musically the song is a 1980s-inspired pop, synth-pop, techno and disco club anthem which finds Madonna singing in her lower register. The song is set in common time with moderately fast tempo. It is set in the key of  E major. Madonna's voice spans from D to A. It follows in the chord progression of E–D–C–D in the verses, and C–D–E in the chorus, with an E synth drone playing continually. Lyrically "Jump" talked about empowerment and the urge to move on from one situation to another. It also reflected Madonna's change of style from her previous singles and shifting her focus on self-sufficiency. The line "I can make it alone" in the song demonstrated the shift. The lyrics of "Jump" have been compared to the lyrics of Madonna's 1990  song "Keep It Together" from the "Like a Prayer" album. The difference between them is that "Jump" focuses more on the potentials of finding new love rather than family values. Critical reception. Keith Caulfield from "Billboard" complimented the song's "empowerment" theme, adding that "the song is a pulsing pop tune that has a positive universal message about believing in yourself". According to the BBC, "'Jump' whisks the listener back to the heady eighties." While reviewing the album, Alan Braidwood from BBC called the song as "lethally catchy" and one of the album's highlights. Jennifer Vineyard from MTV noticed  that "Jump" sounded like a sequel to Madonna's 1990 single "Keep It Together". Jon Pareles of "The New York Times" in review of "Confessions on a Dance Floor", wrote that Madonna's "somber side sounds best in 'Jump', about the urge to move on". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine commented that the song is a "gritty club anthem that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Erotica, showcases her lower register". David Browne from "Entertainment Weekly" called the song, along with previous single "Get Together" as fluid in nature. Thomas Inskeep of "Stylus" magazine noted, "...nearly the whole  of 'Jump' sounds to these ears like a Pet Shop Boys homage." Matt Zakosek of "The Chicago Maroon" wrote: "The stand-out tracks here are 'Jump' and 'Push', which sound as close to the 80s Madonna as we're probably ever going to get again. The lyrics of Jump' are joyous, recalling the fun, community-minded Madonna of "True Blue" and "Like a Prayer"." Diego Costa of "UWM Post" wrote that "Jump" is a "bossy, slightly sadistic spoken intro by Madonna, just like in 'Erotica', so who can resist? A knock-yourself-out, club-tailored take on the wasteful nature  of inertia." Margaret Moser of "The Austin Chronicle" called the song "slinky and sexy". Commercial performance. In the United States, the song was aimed and promoted at the Adult Contemporary and Hot AC format of radio. Warner Bros wanted to establish the song as a hit at those formats before they attempted to bring it to Top 40 CHR radio stations. However, the song reached a peak of 21 on this chart on the issue dated January 27, 2007. It was also used in the soundtrack of the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada" and received minimal airplay on the  CHR stations. After its release to the iTunes Store, the song climbed up the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and peaked at five, failing to progress further and chart on the Hot 100. It became Madonna's 37th number-one single on the Hot Dance Club Play chart reaching the top on the issue dated November 18, 2006. "Jump" became Madonna's seventh number-one single on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. The song sold 31,000 digital downloads and 8,000 physical singles in America according to Nielsen SoundScan. It became her fourth consecutive number-one single on the  Hot Dance Airplay chart. In the United Kingdom, "Jump" debuted at number 59 on the singles chart and reached a peak of number nine the next week, thus becoming Madonna's fourth top ten single from the "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album there. In Australia, the song debuted at 29 on the chart, which became its peak. In Italy, "Jump" became the third number-one single from the album, remaining in the top ten for 13 consecutives weeks. In the European nations, "Jump" peaked inside the top ten in countries like Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Spain, and the top  40 of the rest of the countries such as Austria, Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. Music video. While finishing her Confessions Tour in Japan, Madonna took time out from her schedule to shoot the video for "Jump". The shoot took place in various outdoor locations throughout Tokyo, as well as on a soundstage. Madonna and hairstylist Andy LeCompte decided to try a new look for her, a platinum blonde bob wig. She wore this wig in the last two nights of the tour. Madonna also wore a black leather garment, which "Entertainment Weekly" writer Michael Slezak  wrote accentuated her "toned body". The video featured the physical discipline parkour, in which parkour artist Sébastien Foucan performed routines around the buildings of Tokyo. The video begins showing the Tokyo skyline and parkour artists standing on rooftops. As the spoken introduction starts, Madonna is shown in her wig dancing in front of a number of neon signs which contain the words "Madonna" and "Jump" in Japanese. The song continues with the dancers jumping from buildings and running through and over the lanes of the city. Madonna dances to the music and swivels around metallic rods in front of and  around her, of the same design present in her tour. Before the final chorus, the dancers cease their parkour routines and stand on a lamppost. As the chorus starts, Foucan is joined by parkour traceur Levi Meeuwenberg and Exo as they continue their routine around and against buildings. The video ends with Madonna stretching her upper body and a shot of the Tokyo evening-sky. "Entertainment Weekly"'Slezak was not impressed with the video overall writing, "[f]orget about low concept, we're talking no concept! For all the money spent capturing footage of impressive rooftop leaps, I wish Madonna had chosen  instead to offer us a visually sumptuous slice of storytelling, something along the lines of 'Express Yourself' or 'Bedtime Story'." Live performance. The song was performed by Madonna as a part of the promotional campaigns for the "Confessions on a Dance Floor" album, in London's night clubs, including the Koko Club and G-A-Y. In the Confessions Tour, the song was the fourth performance of the evening and was part of the "equine" segment of the show. Madonna wore a skin-tight, full body black leotard. As the performance of "Like a Virgin" ended, Madonna sat on a  platform and announced "Ladies and Gentleman! Thank you for coming to our show. The night is young, and the show has just begun." A huge assortment of steel rods and gymnastic equipment were planted on the stage. Madonna started singing the song, as her dancers started running around, displaying routines in parkour. Madonna climbs on blocks to sing the song as well as to strike poses. As the final chorus approached, Madonna went to the front of the stage and struck poses while holding on to the steel rods. The song continued with Madonna swiveling around the rods and the  dancers continuing their routine. The performance ends with Madonna disappearing through the middle of the stage and her dancers doing a final vault before the lights are turned off. In the Sticky & Sweet Tour, "Jump" was sampled in the song "Into the Groove" during which Madonna performed stunts in the air. Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" commented that the parkour from the performance was "really awesome". Thomas Inksweep from "Stylus Magazine" reported that "'Jump' is utterly sensational. Sure, it’s not all that different from the version found on Dance Floor, but it’s so damned exciting to begin with , why mess with it?" The song was included in both the CD and DVD of the live album, "The Confessions Tour".