Song deals with trauma of Madonna's mother's death
Pop queen Madonna has penned her most personal song to date, dealing with the traumatic death of her mother.
The song Mother And Father is written from a child’s perspective reflecting on her loneliness, growing up without her mum.
She was just five years old when her mother, also called Madonna, died of cancer.
The track is included on her new album, American Life, which is due to be released on April 21.
The album is being kept under tight security with only a handful of copies in circulation to record industry bigwigs before it hits shops.
On Mother And Father she sings in a child-like voice, explaining how difficult it was to come to terms with the loss: “No-one else I guess could hurt me like you did, I didn’t understand, I was just a kid.”
Then in a nursery rhyme-style section of the song she says: “My mother died when I was five, And all I did was sit and cry.
“I cried and cried and cried all day.”
She also talks about how she needed to find someone else to love in her life.
Madonna was brought up by her father Tony but long resented his role in her life.
In the song Oh Father on her Like A Prayer album she told how she felt unloved.
In the lyric she says “you never loved me”, but later concedes “When I look back I’ll be able to say, You didn’t mean to be cruel, Somebody hurt you too.”
The Like A Prayer album was dedicated to her mother with the message: “This album is dedicated to my mother who taught me how to pray.”
American Life features 11 songs on which she has collaborated with French producer Mirwais, who worked on several of the stand-out tracks on previous release Music.
Several of the songs deal with her love for her husband Guy Ritchie.
Madonna said: “All of these songs reflect my current state of mind. I feel like I have just woken up out of a dream.
“They range from dismay and anger to joy and certainty. Hopefully I have taken the personal and made it universal.”
She is expected to return to the UK – her part-time base – in the coming weeks to promote the release.
