Blue Prince

Angel.
 
Body Shop or Come Alive?

Of all the covers of Madonna's albums, I prefer those that focus on her face and the emotions that Madonna wants to convey. The illusion of first love on the cover of True Blue, the unbridled eroticism and sensual ecstasy on the cover of Erotica, the spirituality and purity of the soul in Ray of Light, etc.
In the case of American Life, one of my favorite albums, it is the coldness, harshness and insensitivity expressed in Madonna's gaze due to living in such a violent and bloody environment as war (and where death and suffering of the human being is an everyday thing) the emotions that I manage to distinguish. That is why I love that this was the official cover of all the alternatives that there were (like the one where she is holding a weapon) because there are no other elements that distract our attention and make us lose sight of the message that Madonna originally wants to convey.

The 2000s looks and covers were Kylie Minogue rip-offs (cowgirl, Patty Hearst/Che Guevara, disco queen, boxer) and it came off cartoonish. I’d rather see M as M rather than a boxer or a cowgirl. 

It has layers of meaning, but what does any of that have to do with the actual album? I find the title and concept interesting, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t apply to any of the songs on the album.

Maybe. Or she just wanted to create controversy out of nothing again. The Black Madonna cover couldn't really justify the rest of the album.
I enjoyed the little statements on her last album covers though. Her name sewn across her lips, the wires around her face, her shattered image on the broken mirror. In the 00's she always had kinda strong triumphant and liberated poses. I like that contrast to the 10's. And the albums got deeper.

and THAT'S what's wrong now... Madonna's current team only says YES to her. People in her circle are afraid to challenger or contradict her... or also they don't know how to back up their arguments

Angel.
 
Body Shop or Come Alive?

Angel.
 
Body Shop or Come Alive?

Such a beautiful masterpiece! Crazy how most of her albums covers tell the story of the whole work just by looking at them! 👍🏼

Do we have to see it to judge? The general public's opinion would have been really negative. Sometimes it's better to keep things simple and playful. Especially when you don't make a serious album.

Do we have to see it to judge? The general public's opinion would have been really negative. Sometimes it's better to keep things simple and playful. Especially when you don't make a serious album.

I think he's talking about the "black Madonna" cover

I remember every straight guy friend of mine would have 4 minutes and celebration on their phones back then. Either from a youtube converter or recorded from their computer. Good old days

I remember every straight guy friend of mine would have 4 minutes and celebration on their phones back then. Either from a youtube converter or recorded from their computer. Good old days

I remember every straight guy friend of mine would have 4 minutes and celebration on their phones back then. Either from a youtube converter or recorded from their computer. Good old days

This. Madonna was still a top pop figure, of course, but in 1989 the whole pop landscape had changed. Janet and Paula were hip and fresh (and... safe), she wasn't the new girl anymore. In the UK, Kylie had also exploded in 1988, another fresh and safer option for the parents. There was a lot of female pop competition.
With "Like A Prayer", Madonna entered a more adult territory. She quickly had "Express Yourself" remixed for the single release, to make it more up to date with the rest of the charts. "Cherish" was another hit single, but after that the campaign derailed, with all the different local releases and not that good chart results. "Oh Father" as a single was her first single not to enter the Top 10 in the US since "Holiday" in 1984.
She wasn't in trouble in 1989-1990 but I'd say she was having a hard time battling all the new pop girls in the charts. She was older, an 80s superstar and the world was entering a new decade...
...But then "Vogue" came and changed everything for her. She was fresh, new and hip again. "Vogue" was her "Hung Up" of the 90s. It revitalized her career.

Yes, most my age (25) still remember the hype of 4M. I remember it being the first of her music videos I watch on YouTube back when I was a kid. I think it’s one of the Crown Jewels of Timbaland’s era of music. I know some of his production on the rest of the album seems redundant but Miles Away and 4 Minutes are still fresh!

Yes, i love it all, but let´s get real: the casual listeners who would buy ROL because of the great music but also atracted by the striking cover where she looks like a godess never were gonna buy this one with Madoona looking pissed off and channeling the Che guevara LOL. But it´s great she dare to do this.

"We were supposed to be present during photoshoot, our suitcases were ready but at last minute records company asked us to finally stay in France cos it was too expensive. So  we couldn't direct photographer, he told us he was lost with hundreds of stills of Madonna. We made a selection and Madonna gave us specifications. She wanted something very "cliché" with a gun and American flag as a a tribute to Patty Hearst... We've decided to give her two proposals. One very close to her request and another that was our vision of her sleeve. We send the two proposals with Fedex and a letter saying 'Here's your sleeve. And here is the one we think the good one for you'. In the letter we mentioned and detail why our proposal was good, and also why the thought the gun was not a good idea... Few days later, we receive her answer. She was only asking to add few stars on top left of second sleeve. And that's it, it was hers.
 
Few month later, Madonna gave an interview to a Spanish media where she was explaining her sleeve. We've heard her saying almost word by word what was written in our letter. We understood we were not wrong (laughs)"
 
 

Thanks for the article and for the translation!
I guess the single cover would be the 1st version (Madonna request) and the final album cover the 2nd version - M/M's choice?


Looking back, both are incredibly bold and way too artistic. No wonder it was never going to be a big seller mainstream project. The Karens of the world would never see those covers and think "oh, let's get Madge's new album!" - "American Life" video debacle or not.
I remember also the Craig McDean drama. Weird, since anyway Madonna would be paying it back to Warner with her royalties. I guess it had to do with all the Maverick legal drama back then and they just wanted to punish her/f**k with her.

Here it is

I found it two weekd ago while looking for the Q interview from 2003. I ended up on Mad-Eyes.net archives (where i also got the bit of news about warner and the photoshoot i posted previously). Turns out it's the first pic we got from the campaign. The guns are still very mush visible but she does not have the red stripes on her face. I remember the first pics we got, all had the guns and then they removed it.
The version above is an AI upscale, here is the file i used from Mad-eyes for the purists ^^
 

It is not right to promote such illegal acts and not just because some people might get to do them by imitating you. A most influential pop artist should be a role model at least in their work. It doesn't mean to conform to society's rules all the way of course. But if you want to promote a different way of life, it should be done bearing in mind what is good for people and what brings them together without hurting or traumatizing them. Something better than what society suggests. Now, it might be a fantasy of some white men for example to rape a black man's black wife while he is watching all tied up unable to intervene. Am I supposed, not completely appalled by this fantasy, to share it with my fans and audience amongst other fantasies and call myself a free of shame, forward thinking genius? It might be a not uncommon fantasy to seduce a preadolescent girl whose breasts just started to develop rapidly and who might be your daughter. Am I supposed to make it my art, thinking you are a moron if you don't understand it? No no, Madonna had a good intention but some of those stories and fantasies should never have been made public. Keep it to yourself, girl, and do something creative, legal, and good for other people (and animals). And shame alone is never a bad thing. Shame is only a natural mechanism serving some purpose. Oppression of freedom alone is not a bad thing. Ultimate freedom would be a disaster in a society. It's all about measure and balance. Us people must never promote ideas of disrespecting other people or violating their rights. And again, creating a Dita to do that instead is not an excuse.

So I was trying to find the original topic for this but it was closed. 
Exactly a year ago today, on December 3rd 2021, "Frozen" Sickick was released and made official on all digital platforms, after months of it being viral on TikTok.
A year later, it's been quite a success for her:
- Almost 106M streams already on Spotify and her 8th most streamed track ever on that platform.
- #33 US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs of 2022.
- Gold certification in France.
The original "Frozen" benefited too from this - the original video went from 100M views on YouTube to its current 167M.
Happy anniversary to Madonna's first viral TikTok hit. 

Rescue me
In this life or Falling free?

Rescue me
In this life or Falling free?