This Used to Be My Playground

Infobox Single
Name = This Used to Be My Playground


Caption =
Artist = Madonna
from Album = Barcelona Gold and Something to Remember
A-side =
B-side = "This Used to Be My Playground" (Long Version)
Released = June 16, 1992 (Worldwide)
July 19, 1992 (U.K.)
July 25, 1992 (Japan)
Format = Cassette, CD, CD maxi, 7"
Recorded = 1992
Genre = Pop / Ballad
Length = 5:10
Label = Sire, Warner Bros.
Writer = Madonna
Shep Pettibone
Producer = Madonna
Shep Pettibone
Certification = Gold (US)
Silver (UK)
Last single = "Rescue Me"
(1991)
This single = "This Used To Be My Playground"
(1992)
Next single = "Erotica"
(1992)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Something to Remember
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Crazy for You"
prev_no = 5
this_track = "This Used To Be My Playground"
track_no = 6
next_track = "Live to Tell"
next_no = 7

"This Used to Be My Playground" is a song composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone and performed by Madonna. It is the theme song for the film "A League of Their Own", which starred Madonna as well as Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Rosie O'Donnell. Recorded during the sessions for Madonna's album "Erotica," the single was a worldwide hit, spent one week at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in August 1992, and became Madonna's tenth single to reach number one. The song entered the charts in the UK top five, peaking at number three for two weeks and was another top ten hit for Madonna in numerous other markets.

Though featured in the film, it wasn't available on the soundtrack album. It was originally available on the Olympics-inspired "Barcelona Gold" compilation album released that summer, but in a shorter edit than any of the versions on the commercial singles. Three years later, it was featured on Madonna's 1995 ballads compilation, "Something to Remember".

Music video

The music video, directed by Alek Keshishian, was filmed in June 1992 at [http://www.raleighstudios.com Raleigh Studios] in Hollywood, California and Malibu Beach and world premiered on MTV on June 29, 1992. It featured a flipping scrapbook with various pictures of Madonna singing (all themed in the 1940s) interspersed with scenes from "A League of Their Own". It gets to the end of the book at the beginning of the final chorus, then flips back to the beginning.

The video was commercially released in 2004 as a bonus feature on the 2-disc special edition DVD of "A League of Their Own".

*Director: Alek Keshishian
*Producer: ?
*Director of Photography: John Schwartzman
*Editor: Jim Haygood
*Production Company: Propaganda Films

Official versions

# Album Version - 4:42
# Single Version - 5:06
# Video Version - 4:58
# Long Version - 6:03
# Movie Version (Without sound effects) - 6:56
# Movie Version (With sound effects)/Film Version - 6:42
# Instrumental - 6:54

* The album version is on the 1992 "Barcelona Gold" compilation CD.
* The Album version and the Movie versions are not available on the singles.
* The Movie version with sound effects is directly from the credits of "A League of Their Own", while the movie version without sound effects is the same but has longer intro (like the single version) and has no sounds from the movie in the background.
* There is speculation amongst fans that suggests an early vocal is used on the Film and Movie Versions and the vocals were allegedly re-recorded for the Single and Album Versions.
* The Album/Single versions have two verses, while the Long Version has three, and the Movie/Film versions have four.

Track listing

US Cassette and 7"

#"This Used To Be My Playground" (Single Version)
#"This Used To Be My Playground" (The Long Version)

US CD Single

#"This Used To Be My Playground" (Single Version) - 5:06
#"This Used To Be My Playground" (Instrumental Version) - 6:54
#"This Used To Be My Playground" (Long Version) - 6:03

Charts

"This Used To Be My Playground" became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by the slimmest margin in chart history (3 chart points)