Miles Away

"Miles Away" is a song by American singer Madonna from her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy. It was first released as a promotional single in Japan, during June 2008, as the theme for the Fuji Television Japanese drama, Change. The song was released by Warner Bros. Records, as the third and final single from the album on October 17, 2008. It was subsequently included on her compilation album, Celebration (2009) and its music video on the accompanying music video collection, Celebration: The Video Collection. Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the track with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills. "Miles Away" is a melancholy electronic ballad, and is inspired by her then husband Guy Ritchie. The lyrics are autobiographical in nature and deals with long-distance relationships. "Miles Away" has received positive appreciation from music critics who praised it as a harmonious and meaningful ballad. It reached the top forty in most countries, while peaking inside the top ten in Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Spain, or radio airplay charts such as in Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It became the best-selling digital single of 2008 in Japan and won three trophies at the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards. In the United States, the song did not appear on the Billboard Hot 100, but became Madonna's seventh consecutive number-one song on the Hot Dance Airplay chart, the most for any artist. The song has been performed by Madonna in the promotional tour for the Hard Candy album and the 2008–09 Sticky & Sweet Tour, during the gypsy segment of the show. Writing and inspiration Madonna wrote and produced "Miles Away" with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills. It was the first song composed for Hard Candy. After hearing the music, Madonna began singing and spontaneously coming up with the lyrics for the song. In an interview with MTV, Madonna said that the song was inspired by her then husband, Guy Ritchie. "So many people have to deal with long-distance relationships. It's not easy. You have to work hard to make it work." When asked if the song was autobiographical, she said: Probably in many respects most of the songs [on Hard Candy] are [autobiographical]. But in more of an unconscious way. I don't really think about telling personal stories when I'm writing music. It just comes.