"Keep It Together" is a song by American singer Madonna from her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer (1989). It was released as the album's fifth (sixth overall) and final single in the United States, Canada and Japan on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records. In the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, "Dear Jessie" served as the album's final single and "Keep It Together" was not released there. Written and produced by both Madonna and Stephen Bray, the main inspiration behind the song was Madonna's relationship with her family—whom she dearly missed after her divorce from Sean Penn in 1989. The song was dedicated to the American band Sly and the Family Stone, and its lyrics deal with the realization of how important Madonna's family has been to her life. A pop, funk, deep funk and R&B song consisting of an upbeat rhythm and groove, "Keep It Together" features instrumentation from percussion, banjo and a conga.
"Keep It Together" received generally positive reviews from music critics upon release, with some reviewers alluding that it was simply Madonna's take on Sister Sledge's 1979 hit "We Are Family". Commercially, "Keep It Together" was a success, reaching a peak position of number eight on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and US Billboard Hot 100, while topping Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In Australia, it reached the top of the ARIA Singles Chart as a double A-side single with "Vogue". Madonna has performed "Keep It Together" only on her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, where it was the closing song of the set list. The staging of the performances was inspired by the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange and during the introduction, Madonna sang a verse from Sly and the Family Stone's 1971 hit "Family Affair".
Background and release
When Madonna started work on her fourth studio album, Like a Prayer, she was already in an emotional state of mind, following her divorce from Sean Penn, her 30th birthday, and unfavorable reviews for her acting endeavors. She had certain personal matters on her mind that she thought could be the musical direction of the album. Madonna realized that as she was growing up, so was her core audience. Feeling the need to try something different, she wanted the sound of her new album to indicate what could be popular in music. However, being raised as a Catholic, Madonna felt guilty about the failure of her marriage. She said, "Because in Catholicism you are a born sinner and you are a sinner all your life. ... I could not escape my past, nor could I relax." Saddened by what was happening with her, Madonna missed her family, her father and her siblings. She confessed to Becky Johnston for Interview magazine:
"Keep It Together" was released as the fifth (sixth overall) and final single from Like a Prayer on January 30, 1990, by Sire Records. It was one of the first singles to be released in a CD maxi format, accompanied by an assortment of remixes. The single remix stripped the song of its original instrumentation and added a new jack swing-house beat with the other remixes following this style. In Australia, "Keep It Together" was released as a B-side with "Vogue" and charted as so; however, it was distributed as a stand-alone 12-inch single by WEA Records International and later released as a stand-alone CD maxi-single in 1993. The song was not released in the United Kingdom at all, where "Dear Jessie" served as the fourth single from Like a Prayer instead of "Oh Father" and "Keep It Together", respectively.
Recording and composition
"Keep It Together" is a pop, funk, deep funk and R&B song with an upbeat rhythm and groove. It was produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, and features Paulinho da Costa on percussion, brass playing by David Boruff and Steven Madaio, Bill Bottrell as the audio engineer and guitars by Chester Kamen. Prince also played guitar on the song according to Madonna, though he was not credited.
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that the song is influenced by the 1971 Sly and the Family Stone song "Family Affair". "Keep It Together" starts as the sound of slap bass plays along with sequenced synth bass, as Madonna sings the opening lines, "Keep, keep it together, keep people together forever and ever". As the first verse starts, a guitar comes into play with Madonna's voice being backed by percussion and banjo. After the second chorus comes near the end, Madonna utters the line "Brothers and sisters, They hold the key, To your heart and your soul, Don't forget that your family is gold", the percussion sound is thinned out and a mixture of the sound from a live drummer and conga comes into the picture. The song ends with the main groove sound gradually fading out.