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madfan13_86

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Posts posted by madfan13_86

  1. 11 minutes ago, eXtremeOccident said:

    I get the feeling she's had "issues" for a while. In 2014, she was using a cane and has never performed the same since then. It seems it could have been a more serious injury at the time than she put on, and as a result, she may have re-injured herself somehow. 

    What I struggle to understand is how she injured herself so badly, period. It's not like Madame X had intense choreography whatsoever. Crave, Vogue, IDSIF, and God Control were the only real choreographed pieces (I guess she did the handstand thing in Human Nature, too), and none of those had complex moves at all. 

    It goes back to my theory that I've had about both this tour and the last one -- The shows we saw were not the original concepts. Remember that both shows had cancelled shows at the beginning due to "production reasons" -- For Rebel Heart, I fully believe the budget was scaled back due to slower ticket sales and with that went a lot of the original show concept. For Madame X, it's completely feasible there were other numbers in that show that had choreography or moves that led to the injury and resulted in a more scaled down version of what she was originally going for -- Do remember that she said it was not at all a finished show on opening night, and we never saw an updated version. 

    In terms of Madonna mysteries, those two shows will always be at the top of my fan wish list for additional details. 

    I’m not convinced that the Rebel Heart tour had any budget issues- that was more like the tabloids claiming (yet again) that Madonna wasn’t selling tickets. She did sell out everywhere, even if at a slower pace. 

    In regards to the injury, however, I do agree it remains a little odd at how it progressed. I think the main culprit was the MDNA Tour... it was SO physically demanding, overall... she was EXHAUSTED all throughout, and we could all tell. She also broke a finger rehearsing, got a dancer kicking her on one of her eyebrows in Colombia, and perhaps dancing in stilettos finally took a big toll on her body. 

    You’re right in pointing out that her performances haven’t been the same since around 2014. The energy, choreographies, etc. really slowed down...

  2. I rewatched this earlier this evening and I truly love it. It also reminds me of how freaking excited I was back then... glued to the TV waiting for M’s “return to form” after a long absence from music, really.

    However, I have to say I still find the “Music” bit the least enjoyable, and also somewhat cringey. I’m not only referring to LMFAO necessarily (after all, they were ridiculously popular at the time), but the whole rope jumping and weird choreography confuse me a little. It also goes for too long without her singing or doing much while all these people do their thing. To be honest, I would’ve made the section a lot shorter and included another song along, like “Hung Up”. Oh well, it is what it is. 

    The entrance is absolutely wonderful and the Like A Prayer performance is visually stunning. She looked soooo gorgeous!!! She should keep her hair longer, does her a lot of good. Plus, whoever the makeup artist was that day needs to be rehired! 

  3. 8 minutes ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

    It's so bizarre to think that it was six years ago.

    Right? Also, I never understood why it suddenly disappeared from YouTube, yet the Brits performance was always there. 

    Likewise, rewatching this makes me wonder why she carried on with the long cape approach... this entrance was quite stunning. Her legs were flawless here! Just look at how the audience responded to her appearance. 

  4. I think these are 2 very different things—Madonna (the artist/persona) vs “her career”, so those singles that probably best represent her work in the public memory. So, just as I did with the “videos” question, I’ll be naughty and do 2 separate  top 3s, accordingly:

    -Singles that best represent Madonna the artist, musician, persona, provocateur, controversial and unapologetic woman, etc:

    1. Like A Prayer

    2. Human Nature

    3. Bitch, I’m Madonna

    -Singles that best represent Madonna’s career, in the collective memory, particularly- so not necessarily from a “fandom” perspective:

    1. Like A Virgin

    2. Hung Up

    3. Material Girl

    (“Like a prayer” and “La Isla Bonita” would complete the top 5).

    My personal faves at the moment:

    1. Drowned World

    2. You’ll See

    3. Medellín

  5. Hm...

    So in terms of videos that represent Madonna better (the persona, artist, musical sensibilities, humour, sexual self, romantic personality, provocateur, controversial and unapologetic artist, fashion sense), my top 3 would be:

    1. Like A Prayer

    2. Bitch, I’m Madonna

    3. Medellín

    Now, the top 3 that best represent her career (Most recognisable “Madonna” videos/ visuals... thinking of videos that are usually played on tv or shared on social media):

    1. Like A Virgin

    2. Vogue

    3. Like a Prayer

    (Hung up would be #4 for me)

    Bonus: My top 3 faves (these days, anyway):

    1. Frozen

    2. Don’t Tell Me

    3. Medellín

  6. 2 hours ago, RUADJAI said:

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    th?id=OIP.otqdHQYqbPgHxJR8AVvrNQHaHa&pid

     

    Rebel Heart is so uneven. The album covers couldn't even decide what kind of record it was. 

    I agree. This whole project ended up being a mess, particularly track listing-wise. I mean, no title track on the standard version? Made no sense!

    And as for the cover, they should’ve stuck with the deluxe/digital version one, period. I never liked the other 2 much. The standard cd cover was too vanilla and simple and the other one just looked like an unimaginative throwback to Erotica.

    Also, I agree with the last few comments regarding Madonna’s career... sadly for us, fans, I think we were kinda lucky to get Madame X at all. Clearly she was super inspired all along but it ain’t the same. She’s at another stage of her life. There’s no reason why she shouldn’t keep releasing music but there is also no pressure to do anything... Cher, Barbra and Better Midler still do it. But from now on it’s likely that everything will be more paced and down to her REALLY wanting to do anything at all. I don’t expect much until the biopic tbh. 

  7. I'll keep this one short. Fan favourites:

    - Jump (showcasing her love and respect for all things Japanese + the depths of her creativity, for sure :P )

    - Turn up the radio (The ultimate bitchy cougar? An homage to Sophia Loren? Whatever the case, F*** ageism ;) )

    - Give it 2 Me (the goofy and narcissistic Madonna we ADORE. Oh, and let's not forget about the amazing choreography on this video LOL)

    you're welcome people. :tongue:

  8. This a really challenging (yet, fun) task— I have even avoided it since the topic started, because I keep going back and forth with the issue of WHO Madonna IS and WHAT her career has been, thus far. This takes me back to somehting Sophie said to The Guardian back in 2018 about Madonna and her career: "Each phase seems to be a byproduct of a genuine journey of self-discovery". Indeed, each one of Madonna's albums showcase a different "version" of M; each record providing a new opportunity for the exploration of various (personal and social) issues/concerns and interests. What a privilege, but also what a full life this woman has lived! 

    As fans, we also get too caught up with those eras and albums we truly loved and shaped/influenced our lives. So, that represents a challenge too, as perhaps the albums we like the most might not necessarily be the most representiative of who Madonna might be as a person, or even the pinnacle of her creativity or artistry. Also the albums that might represent Madonna better as a person, may not be her most popular albums (often they probably aren't!), but these may also be her most career-defining. So, that contrast is interesting and difficult to "marry" in this top 3 task at hand. That said, let me try to tackle it. I chose the 3 album where I felt Madonna was present at her most genuine, reflective and autoobiographical. Of course, all albums have a bit of that, but these 3 get a lot closer to that, imo:

    1. My first choice is actually Madame X. I know hardly anyone on here agrees with me on this, but I truly believe this album provides very interesting insights into who the current Madonna is, but also how she sees herself as an artist. More importantly, we get a rare, honest, reflective and more comfortable version of Madonna as she revisits her past, her own personal story, her career and her overall artistic journey until now. The plethora of musical styles/genres on this album also showcase her versitality, creativity and open-mindedness as a musician—something she's been known for throughout her career. Along with this, it was pretty obvious to me that the visuals (photoshoots, videos, magazines, tour) and obviously the interviews she gave during 2019, continuously paid homage to her early career and work. The video for "Crave", for instance,  was rather simple but also effective in its tribute to early Madonna, in my opinion: the NYC skyscrapers, the mole making a comeback in some shots, her fashion style, the graffitti on the walls... It was like Madame X was on this nostalgic trip back to the early 80s, exploring and revisiting her early days. Even the cover of the album (for the standard and vinyl versions, anyway) has to be one of the most important of her career, as that photo and design are a direct tribute to her mother, but also, undeniably to one of her muses—Frida Kahlo.

    2. I pick Like A Prayer as my second one on this list, mainly because, in my opinion, this is the first time Madonna really sat down to seriously reflect on her career and personal life until that point. As a result, she delivered one of her most mature and genuine collection of songs. Through them, we learnt a lot about Madonna's on-going struggles and interest with religion, her recent divorce, and even her very personal complicated relationship with her parents. Equally, she showcased her ability to make the personal, something universal and immensely relatable and even enjoyable to the masses. Indeed, as she delves into rather complicated and taboo subjects, she also managed to move people's core and empower them. Something I have always liked about her: rather than being your usual underdog (which society loves) Madonna has always turned her sadness around and used it as a source of power and strength for herself, as well as for her audience.

    3. Lastly, I will pick Ray of Light. Again, this is an album where Madonna truly opened up, and through the exploration of personal stuff—namely, motherhood— she ended up delivering one of her most universally acclaimed albums. I think the album also shocked people, in the sense that it showed them a more relaxed and genuine version of Madonna—one that was far removed from the defensive, distant and intimidating persona she had presented for so many years. This is when she really started to confront issues around fame, self-fulfillment, love and her own ego. She also continued where Like A Prayer left off, and continued her scrutiny on her past, family life and fame. Obviously, it also highlighted, once again, her ability to experiment with different genres, and make them her own in quite revolutionary ways.

    Runners up to this list, for me, were Erotica and, yes, Rebel Heart. The former because it best reflected her own take on sex and sexuality (both sooo important thoughout her career), the personal/political and her sense of humour. The latter, because I believe the title Rebel Heart actually does say a lot about Madonna, the person and Madonna, the performance artist. Even at her more rebellious, Madonna is a romantic person (probably, pathetically/tragically so! LOL) and her choices (professional and personal) have always hinted that. Sadly, I always felt the material on Rebel Heart didn't live up to the immense creative possibilities of the album title. 

  9. 3 hours ago, RebelBeauty said:

    I saw Madonna's Instagram reel and story regarding tears of a clown. I love when she is sexy and naughty.  ???  

     

    How is Madonna dressed as a clown and moving like that sexy? ? 

    She’s just doing what she loves- attracting attention, provoking and trolling. We shouldn’t read much into it, I say. 

  10. 36 minutes ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

    Maybe she wants to release both intimate concerts as a double-disc feature?

    Omg hell no!! Can she please leave TOAC behind, please?! 

    “Double disc feature”?! I’d find it depressing if Madonna still thinks such a thing is commercially viable today. 

  11. 10 minutes ago, alvaroliam said:

    She just made a couple of weird posts... but not in a bad way!

    She talks about “incredible music around me”, mimizes a song that we can't hear and then showed on IG Stories what seems to be a pro shot of TOAC. [!!!]

    Her face looks amazing, btw. What is she up to? ? Somedays I give up my expectations in new projects apart from MXT release and the Biopic, but then she does things that leave me wondering.

    chicago blackhawks hockey GIF

    The TOAC story probably had to do with one of her recent posts where she showed her crotch area too. I mean, I assume...

    Regarding the editing of the show... Mmmm.... it’s definitely taking too long. It probably stopped altogether last spring and it resumed recently as she probably wanted to work with a specific group of people and then the pandemic has made it difficult for them to meet. My guess, though. 

    Sadly, besides this and the biopic, I really don’t think anything else is going on. 

  12. 5 minutes ago, Mateusz Klimecki said:

    Madame X it's great, but has the same problem like MDNA and RH had - her biggest problem from last decade. Too many compromises. On MDNA it's obvious - great songs combined with pop shit. On RH - on this album is less visible, but still (Bitch I'm Madonna). On MX it's the same. God Control and Dark Ballet are not flowing with songs like Bitch I'm Loca or Crave. These albums sounds like they are combined with two diffrent minialbums into one.... It's not the same Madonna. It's like "oh i'm doing a record, but i'm a little affraid with this material, so for sure we need a 3 more commercial songs". I prefer when she's doing albums in "one sound".

    Don't get me wrong. I looooove (i craaaaave) for Crave, but it's just a nice rnb song, nothing special.

    What? I don’t agree with this at all. Madonna doesn’t even compromise with her own fanbase. Do you really think she would invest her creative energy in pleasing nobodies aka the GP?

    I think A LOT of M fans (since probably Hard Candy), have had a really hard time accepting a lot of Madonna’s creative choices, mostly because they simply don’t like them. Of course an artist like Madonna would love it if every time she released an album, such work would get a decent amount of praise an attention. But at the same time, it’s sort of clear to me that she stopped caring a while ago about what people expect from her. And it must be very liberating from an artistic point of view. She doesn’t need her collaborators and they don’t need her. She does what she does because she feels like it. 

    The thing is, as irritating as it is to some fans, she doesn’t need to please anyone  or compromise. I really believe her current stance is more of a mix of inspiration and fun. That’s exactly what Madame X is and I like it—“Bitch I’m Loca” and “Faz Gostoso” represented some of those lighter fun moments, and imo, it’s clear the album needed those in between deep introspective songs. The truth is, there’s a very silly side to Madonna (she would say she’s being “ironic” lol) , and I think that this is one side of her many fans don’t get. This “side”, to me, was best showcased in songs like “Bitch I’m Madonna” (Now, “B-Day Song” can burn in hell ? ). I feel these songs have allowed her to experiment with melody and humour, and  I do find it interesting that these “silly” tracks do tend to be duets, or have people featured in them. They’re almost tongue in cheek parodies of traditional pop songs... both in structure and lyrical content. I’m sure we can expect more of them in the future. To many fans’ horror! Haha

  13. 4 minutes ago, steady75 said:

    What I’d love more than anything is for her to abandon the album programme for a while and just turn out a bunch of singles with no through line. Different styles, work with different one off producers from all walks of music, maybe find someone she buzzes off rather than having to commit to a whole project. 
    Keep it fun and light. Many artists are now taking a as it comes singles approach. It’s the modern way. She needs something light and not too laboured and heavy. 
    Just as and when for a bit. That would be fresh and exciting and reinvigorating for her. Get out of her comfort zone. 
    If she finds a new buzz amongst it and it leads to an album project later than great. Concepts can be limiting. 

    I get that, but I think M likes her projects. She does keep separate folders/binders for each era, after all. Hehe

    But you’re right. I wish she could keep it simple and drop songs every now and then. Like many artists do nowadays. 

  14. So this is a bit random but I just watched this clip on Instagram. I had totally forgotten about her cane at the 2014 Grammy Awards. So clearly her knee injuries date back at least to this time... interesting. She even acknowledged that she did it by dancing too much on high heels (which she did do a lot throughout her career):

    https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKiMkbEFlnz/?igshid=mn5yw5y468wn

  15. 4 hours ago, Dito said:

     

    On MDNA my group saw her pass by, we yelled "Hi, Lola!" and she gave us the middle finger...

    Funny that Madonna insisted so much on being a strict mother by not allowing her children to watch television, or by allegedly exposing them to art and making them read all sorts of books. Look what it leads to. This! ?

    So dear Madonna, thanks for proving that we can all watch Netflix, never read books or go to museums, and be basic (even stupid), yet, decent human beings. Not watching tv clearly doesn’t make children any better. LOL #fact #lolaleon

  16. 1 hour ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

    I love the demo's of Rebel Heart and Wash All Over Me so much. They definitely had the material there to make a solid and consistent album but sadly it just ended up being the complete opposite. That said, it's still my favourite album of hers since Confessions on a Dance Floor.

    I understand people’s love for the Avicii demos—they’re absolute early 2010s EDM bangers. But honestly, they sound very Avicii and not very Madonna... It makes sense to me why the album versions are what they are. They definitely have more of the Madonna touch/sensibility, if you know what I mean. 

  17. 1 hour ago, Mateusz Klimecki said:

    I love 95% of them :) I don't like S.E.X and cant remember what else.

    I don't particularly like "S.E.X." either. Even the title is super REDUCTIVE. In fact, I think "Holy Water" works way better in terms of its innuendos and overall sensuality. 

    When it comes to Rebel Heart, it's pretty obvious that not only did the hacker change her plans, but let's be honest, things were a bit messy anyway... The amount of producers and songwriters was inevitably going to lead to a somewhat choppy and overloaded project. Don't get me wrong, even if the album is a bit all over the place in terms of styles and production, I do think it RH is one of Madonna's finest pop records. Melodically and musically, she delivered some of her most accessible songs; the fact that songs like "Ghosttown" were grossly ignored by the public and DJs at the time, to me, did show the degree of ageism, dislike and cynicism towards M and her work. Criminal. That song, if recorded by a younger pop artist, would've blown the radio at he time. 

    Now, back to the topic of a new album, I question what musical direction she could take at this point. Her last 3 albums, together, explored so many different genres and styles that I do wonder what would inspire/motivate her these days. It's interesting that she's always said to like artists like Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, yet, that blues-jazz sensibility seems to still be absent in her musical experimentations. Would be nice to get something more intimate like that at this point of her career. She could even mix it up with something trendier and modern too. She revels in fusing and mixing styles, after all, and she's darn good at it!

  18. 39 minutes ago, Mateusz Klimecki said:

    I think that between summer 2022 and spring 2023 the biopic movie will arrive with GH album (the perfect mix at the same time). So the next album probably 2024 (in autumn most likely). I don't think that new music it's something that will come that easy and quick - it can be her biggest break between albums.

    All depends on what kind of album she would like to release next time. If she would like to do "MDNA" part II she can release it even in 2023 after working on GH (for example 2 new songs on GH as rejected songs from upcoming album). I gave MDNA as a example, because the tracklist looks very random... like "oh we recorded 20 songs, so let's make an album with 14 of them". But you never know. Recording of Madame X lasted very long, but making LAP or ROL was extremely quick.

    You may be right, which is a shame but also understandable. M multitasks but not to the extent she used to. After all, she has 6 kids, a bf, and they are obviously her focus. It’s interesting to think that she came from a big family and eventually ended up building a big one too for herself. Must be a loud house, I would go mad. Lol

    In regards to the albums you mentioned, yea it’s definitely clear MDNA came about mostly as a contractual obligation, which was a shame. I’m one of the few who totally love that album—I find the mix of EDM and post-divorce blues bittersweet & lush!—but totally get people’s complaints regarding its promo and choice of singles. I truly think it isn’t as bad. Actually, due to the leak, I am inclined to think that RH has more of a rushed feeling than MDNA, in the end. Especially when it comes to the production (too many producers and songwriters at the table?) and order/selection of the tracks. It does seem like she tried to include as many songs as possible, which felt overwhelming and badly curated at the time. But of course, the frustrations and failures of/with MDNA and RH became even more obvious with the release of Madame X. An album that, in opposition to the 2 previous ones, clearly showcased passion, inspiration and pure love. Not very poppy but quite ‘pop art’ lol.

  19. 11 hours ago, Kae-Leah Williamson said:

    I think what puts her in kind of an odd place is she's almost the sole survivor among her contemporaries. Michael Jackson, Prince, and George Michael, who she once shared the charts with, are all dead, sadly. I think she should on some level come to terms with her legacy act status, but I think she would see that as admitting defeat in a way. 

    Come to terms with her legacy? In case you haven't noticed, she's putting together her biopic. So she's revisiting her past in her own way, at her own pace and in the way she wants to do it. 

    Moreover, I think she's actually been flirting with her legacy for a while, just not in a very obvious way (which is her right too). She often likes to reuse her old lyrics (like "Vogue" on "Holy Water", or even "Don't Tell Me" in "Future"), posts old photos on her IG, and I'm pretty sure Madame X is the closest she's been to embracing her own body of work. In fact, I remember she mentioned how she became her own muse while working on the album. Madame X was sort of a homage to her younger self, to her struggles in NYC pre-fame, and to the creative re-inventions throughout her career. 

    Also, remember that Prince released very uncommercial and unconventional albums for many years, and also enjoyed the creative freedom and eccentricity that came along with them. Likewise, Geogre Michael always took a LONG time in between albums, and you didn't see anyone denying/doubting his standing in music. There is this strange expectation for women to keep up and to constantly demonstrate that they are at the top, that they are relevant. At this point even us, Madonna's hardcore fans, shouldn't even be questioning or worrying about her status in music history, or her relevance at all. She is actually a rarity in the music industry in terms of CREATIVE longevity. Cher has been around for ages but look at how many studio albums she released in the 2000s and 2010s. Also, while she relied on repetitive tour concepts and milked her catalogue like crazy (am I the only one who noticed how similar all of her shows are?), it's clear Madonna is far more interested in making new & innovative music, and to look ahead.

    My call is for us to simply enjoy the fruits of her current work while she's still willing to release new music. She's clearly slowing down, after all. Madame X gave us some of the most amazing videos of her entire career and even if the MX Tour was a f-ing nightmare for many, it was truly a bold move on her behalf —artistically and conceptually speaking. People like Bob Dylan rarely look back  and release new studio albums like crazy and no one is questioning his legacy (also, he's a man, of course! Duh!). I'm a fan of Bob too and let me tell you, his concerts can be a nightmare in terms of his "mistreatment" of his own legacy—he reworks his old songs beyond recognition, and I think most of his fans are actually okay with that. Not the case for demanding M fans. They just want their diva to be stuck in the past with the same arrangements and giving them constant nostalgia. Which makes me think, people like Cyndi Lauper (one of my all time fave live performers, by the way) or Belinda Carlisle who sing the same 3-5 songs on every tour and with very little creativity behind the arrangements. So it's really frustrating how Madonna fans dismiss or underestimate her current work while whining too much about the past. We'll really miss it when she stops recording new material. That's for sure. 

    Even if the 2010s saw M moving away from the centre of the pop music world, remember she always disliked being called a pop star. She preferred it far more to be called a performance artist, and maybe during the last few years, she took the opportunity to fully explore the depths of that. Furthermore, these "underperforming" albums still gave M 2 #1 albums in the USA in the 2010s, sold out tours, press and plenty of social commentary, which I'm sure will be better understood and embraced by future generations. 

    Don't despair people! Enjoy the ride, one doesn't know when it could be over. Whether or not she gets another hit single again. 

     

  20. 4 hours ago, NowRadiate said:

    I don’t get what everyone sees in this Maluma character. Below mediocre. 

    Hm he’s hot? ? 

    But seriously, he’s a good lyricist, has a pleasant voice, and clearly works hard- releasing new music, collaborations and music videos quite often. Hardly a mediocre person. Reggaeton/or “this Maluma character” may not be your thing but I wouldn’t devalue the merits of his work just because of one’s personal tastes.

    Also, no doubt Madonna collaborated with him because of his looks and self-confidence. Don’t forget the look on her face when she first met him backstage. She was THIRSTY! Lol

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