madfan13_86

Ray of Light
Vogue
God Control
 
3 songs that do not sound like anything else ever done. 
 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 
 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

She wants to release it? Five years later? It's definitely not worth it especially considering that show is even more intimate than Madame X and might be subjected to the same editing fate. I do not need a seizure while watching Madonna in a clown costume trying to belt out Take a Bow! Can someone get her a Netflix or Amazon deal or something please? Or another TV network deal so they can intervene and tell her "NO HEADACHE INDUCING FILTERS AND AGGRESSIVE EDITS." 

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. 

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. 

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

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

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. 

It's not fair to say M hasn't made masterpieces with popular people in electronic music. It just wasn't that successful because Madonna was way older than women doing it. People here and in general tend to believe that a masterpiece requires an orchestra or a live band and raw vocals. There are songs considered top notch featuring simplistic lyrics, trap beats, altered vocals etc. Grimes made great, not so popular music you'd never forgive Madonna for. Lady Gaga's best song features lyrics like rah rah ah ah ah, gaga ooh lala. Call me maybe has been acclaimed. Don't confuse genre and popularity with the worth of a song. M made Give It 2 Me, I'm Addicted, Devil Pray, Messiah, Future and so much more with popular people and they are wonderful songs that could easily murder lots of her 80's and 90's hits. If people had no idea who she is, like back with Everybody, tunes from her last three albums could have gone to the stratosphere hit wise. I too want her to make a short more cohesive record but then you have most of today's artists do Spotify friendly albums of 14+ tracks and 2,5 minute songs, get away with it and get acclaim with it. 
Fans should trust M with the music and not use double standards too. More than half of even her worst records is pop perfection. She hasn't lost it. Her instincts are very strong, her melodies and lyrics too. We should only judge her with how she promotes the music, which she now has little idea how to.

You mean MAGIC?

Hm, so basically how a lot of people feel about Rebel Heart... 

Hm, so basically how a lot of people feel about Rebel Heart... 

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

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

Be prepared for a filters party