This Used To Be My Playground
Lyrics
This used to be my playground
This used to be my childhood dream
This used to be the place I ran to
Whenever I was in need
Of a friend
Why did it have to end
And why do they always say
Don't look back
Keep your head held high
Don't ask them why
Because
Life is short
And before you know
You're feeling old
And your heart is breaking
Don't hold on to the past
Well that's too much to ask
This used to be my playground
This used to be my childhood dream
This used to be the place I ran to
Whenever I was in need
Of a friend
Why did it have to end
And why do they always say
(verses from long & movie version:)
Live and learn
Well the years they flew
And we never knew
We were foolish then
We would never tire
And that little fire
Is still alive in me
It will never go away
Can't say goodbye to yesterday
This used to be my playground
This used to be my childhood dream
This used to be the place I ran to
Whenever I was in need
Of a friend
Why did it have to end
And why do they always say
No regrets
But I wish that you
Were here with me
Well then there's hope yet
I can see your face
In our secret place
You're not just a memory
Say goodbye to yesterday
Those are words I'll never say
This used to be my playground
This used to be our pride and joy
This used to be the place we ran to
That no one in the world could dare destroy
(verse from single & movie version:)
This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
I wish you were standing here with me
(verse from movie version:)
This used to be our playground
This used to be our great escape
This used to be the place we ran to
This used to be our secret hiding place
This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
The best things in life are always free
Wishing you were here with me
Credits
Written by Madonna and Shep Pettibone
Produced by Madonna and Shep Pettibone
Album
Barcelona Gold
Single
In 1992 Madonna starred in A League Of Their Own as Mae Mordabito. She also wrote the ballad This Used To Be My Playground for the film, though it wasn't included in the soundtrack, because of record company conflicts. Instead it featured on Barcelona Gold, an Olympics charity collection, and in 1995 it was added to Something To Remember. Hence the many versions of the song: the movie version (only used in the closing credits), a long version that was featured on the single, and the (short) single version, that also appeared on Something To Remember. The version on Barcelona Gold is even shorter than the single version.
Released on June 16, 1992, the single was another chart-topper, holding the #1 position in the US (her 10th US #1 hit), Canada, Italy, Finland, Sweden and Japan. It reached #3 in the UK, #2 in the Euro Hot 100 and top-10 positions all over Europe. It was certified Gold in the US and Japan. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for 'Best Original Song' and an ASCAP Music Award for 'Most Played Song from a Motion Picture'.
Video
After the successful collaboration on Truth Or Dare Madonna asked Alek Keshishian to direct the video for this ballad. Like the song, the video is a walk through memory lane. While Madonna melancholically sings about the good ol' days, the viewer flips through a photo album with (moving) images of a singing Madonna as well as images from the movie.