 According to the sheet music published by Warner/Chappell Music, "Dear Jessie" is written in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 120 beats per minute.Normally written in 4⁄4, the song has a change in time signature after the second chorus, changing it to 3⁄4.It is composed in the key of D major, with Madonna's voice ranging from C3 to D5.