I am a father too, and I lost my wife, the mother of my daughter when my daughter was three years old and I remember this video and I remember telling myself that I cannot and will not show my anger towards my daughter for the things that are happening in my life. I always showed my daughter that I was sad. I always showed her when I was angry and made sure that she wasn’t the root of my anger, but remembering this video help me get through life and raising my daughter as a single dad Madonna has brought a lot to the world and a lot to my life!
Long live the queen!

Welcome to a Madonna ballad. She's the Queen of Ballads.

Madonna lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 5 years old. Growing up her relationship with her father was very bad. Her father was very strict, and a very religious man, he was called "the preacher" in the neighborhood, that's why in this song she says "Oh father" as if she was confessing to a priest, but it's actually her father. She grew up believing her mother had died because she was a bad little girl and felt guilty her entire life. Yes, Madonna had a very sad childhood. She has more songs about her mother's death and about her father, those are "Promise to try" and "Mother and father"

I’ve been listening to this song for 35 years and it still brings tears to my eyes today. It’s the most powerful Madonna song and video ever made.

"Maybe someday, when I look back I'll be able to say, you didn't mean to be cruel, somebody hurt you to." Those lyrics are really powerful. I don't blame you for getting emotional. That line hits me hard too.

Your emotional reaction to this music video is completely justified. Great reaction!

This is perhaps one of Madonna's most autobiographical and direct clips, portraying her vision of her mother's death in her childhood and her troubled relationship with her father and also with her ex-husband Sean Penn.
There is a scene where her mother is shown with her lips sewn shut. This comes directly from an anecdote of Madonna's where she remembers seeing her mother in the coffin with her lips sewn shut. Because of this scene, MTV wanted the video edited to remove this part, Madonna replied that she would not modify the video and that she would break all future contracts with the network if the video was not broadcast in its original version. MTV had to give in.

It was directed by David Fincher and was inspired by scenes from Orson Wells' film "Citizen Kane"
Another great video from the same director is BAD GIRL by Madonna, Need to watch, higly recommended

this is why Madonna is such an amazing artist. She makes you go through an emotional journey. She gets to the heart and mind.

Madonna's father wasn't physically abusive, but he was absent and lacking in love after her mother died.  She did later end up in many abusive relationships unfortunately.  The video isn't 100% about her father, but more about the overall role of men in her life.  She did later apologise to her father for making people believe he was abusive towards her, but she did still write more songs about their relationship and how he was emotionally distant so he didn't get a totally free pass on the matter.  The scene with her mothers lips sewn shut is a real memory she has from her childhood and would later become inspiration for the album art behind her Madame X album where she has the album title written like needle work across her lips.

"Oh Father" is a masterpiece, song and video...I always cry when I listen or see the music video.

Madonna has been called a lot of things in her career. But one thing you can't take away from her..... Brilliant artist, 40 yrs later and she's still here, was told she wouldn't last, but she did, now u really have to have something special to be in the industry tat long, best selling female artist of all time,most people to attend a stand alone show by any other female artist. 1.6miilion attended for her show in Brazil. and that was 2024.. Staying power.

So sad childhood of Madonna, but she was so strong and did everything to get to the top ... so inspirational.

I am 68 years old and this song made me a mess too man.  ridiculously powerful and beautiful.

Seeing your reaction made me tear up. This song, and this video, is such a powerhouse of emotion. It is one of my favorite Madonna ballads. A lot of people criticize her, saying she cannot sing. She is no vocalist like Whitney or Mariah, but when she sings ballads, you can hear the emotion in every syllable. She is such a gifted songwriter, and can effuse her songs with such rawness, you cannot help but feel it.

Thank you for giving a chance to Madonna because on your first reactions to Madonna you weren't very amused by her. But Madonna has that effect, we must listen and knowing more about her to start understand her and her music, because she is a whole and i am very happy that finally you understand why she is who she is and consider the Queen of Pop, she is unique and different from other artists, that's why she is a legend.

Madonna is the best artist of the whorld shes is the queen

When Madonna and David Fincher made music videos it was magic

"You didn't mean to be cruel. Somebody hurt you, too " is a heavy lyric. ❤

The visual of the little girl dancing on her mother’s grave hits me hard every single time I see it.  It’s beautiful and innocent and heartbreaking all at the same time.

This is heavy stuff. Your reaction was beautiful.