In an Alternate Universe, God Control is lead single.

[Spaceship 32]

After months of listening, I feel there really isn't any other standout track in the album that can pack such a punch like God Control for lead single. Imagine the debut performance of the lead single in Eurovision with Dark Ballet/God Control. God Control music video is the start of Madame X wanting a revolution, so she travels the world to change things and search for love, and it would have been nice to end the project with sweet Medellin where she found love and got married.

At this point what is there to lose anymore in her career? She would have gotten so much more conversation and publicity with God Control and the project would have started with a bang like her 90s output.

If I had to redo MX singles, it would be God Control > Crave > Faz Gostoso > I Rise > Medellin. God Control is just that BITCH who is on par with the other lead singles in her career, not quiet Medellin sis. What do you think?

[Synchrone 535]

I think Medellin just sets the tone for the album overall and in an alternate universe M still gets radio support and Medellin becomes a top 5 hit. For real tho I would have loved Crave as the first single and become a sleeper hit and then the full promo for Medellin

[Askeroff 8,071]

It would flop anyway

so whats the point 

at least we have video  

[PWCCA 2,498]

I would agree that God Control would have made a better choice as lead-off single in the non-latin markets. The issue is that when it was released with its video, it fell completely under the radar... would it have fared the same fate had it been the first release?

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

I completely agree with you. If she had come out at Eurovision with some Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface inspired outfit and performed a really theatrical and controversial huge performance of God Control and then released it as the lead single it could’ve made a lot more noise. 

[Daphne Du Maurier 164]

As much as I love the song....God Control is not a radio-friendly track.

Even as the first single it would have been a flop

[Voguerista 11,725]

6 hours ago, Synchrone said:

I think Medellin just sets the tone for the album overall and in an alternate universe M still gets radio support and Medellin becomes a top 5 hit. For real tho I would have loved Crave as the first single and become a sleeper hit and then the full promo for Medellin

This! I think she picked the right song to lead and set the tone of the album. I love Medellin the most and I'll never forget how it made me feel the first time I heard it. 

[Régine Filange 2,582]

Idk, i think 'Future' and 'Faz Gostoso' are better options. 'Future' would've been #1 song for weeks if it was released by a male rapper.

[MaDöner Kebab 6,861]

God Control is not single-material at all. What do you guys see in it?

Crazy honestly should have been the lead single. It's easily the most accessible song and her voice isn't drowned in auto-tune. Plus, it doesn't appear as trend-hopping as Medellín did.

[Pretender1978 992]

Well back when we knew nothing, the rumor mill was spinning about the Euro performance, apparantly negociations were slow because Euro wouldn't let her perform the new song she wanted to as it would be too political, and insisted on a classic instead. With the roll out as we've seen it, and the video in the bag as one of the first ones I think it's safe to assume this was supposed to be the big media draw right before the album drop. So a big second lead single. Future probably replaced GC, which is a shame, because nice as it is, it's also quite underwhelming for a mass audience.

It would have been even more impactful if this was the first single, yes. So in the alternative universe she would still sing LAP horribly but people would assume it was her nerves because of what she was going to perform next, there would be outrage, praise and hate and everything else that goes with a new madonna single. But the whole world would know Madame X was going to be weird, provocative and political. As a side note, in an alternative universe the choreo would be completely different. It would have Madame X center stage at a desk with typewriter and showcasing some of her American Life era bedframe routines. While at the rest of the stage severel moments of leisuretime are played out by the dancers until an armed dancer steps in and the scene fades to black (think Girlie show Erotica, with the boxers in the back of the stage) By the end, as the violence is moving closer to Madame X, she interacts more with the dancers, and then, please let her be shot in the eye, so all journalists will not get so hung up on the patch she wears for the rest of the album roll out.

Needles to say, in an alternative universe Faz Gostoso and Bitch I'm Loca were never even recorded, the booklet would include lyrics and the credits to GC would say written by M. Ahmadzai/M. Ciccone, additional lyrical editing by C. Spooner

[Alfalfa_HampusFL 1,138]

A radio edit of the song with a little more disco could have worked.. as it is God control is not radio-friendly enough to become a hit. In fact after about half a year of listening... I think Madame X is the one of her albums with least hit material... For me Crave is the most hit sounding song....With a stunning video I think I rise could had been a good first single or maybe I don't search I find.

[LikeAMelody 728]

I think God Control and Dark Ballet are the two strongest songs on the album but we are living in very strange times where extreme conservative thinking is posing as liberal minded with the cookie cutter art out there pushing everything that makes you think to the side. You either think completely one way or the other with no exploration of thought. 

Ironically it was easier for Madonna to break in when she did because even though what she talked about was considered controversial the door to be able to talk about things was open. No one went where she went...that's what was new. Singer songwriters in the 70's were talking about unconventional song themes no doubt inspired by folk singing earlier on. So more variety of thought was put into rock music as time went by. Madonna brought that and more into Pop music which was amazing. 

God Control is an amazing song and would have been a great first single.  Madonna has to forget about trying to impress people who have made up thier minds to not be impressed by her regardless of what she offers. Just release the songs you think makes  the strongest statements and hopefully society catches up. 

[PaperFaces 5,606]

I think the label wasnt too keen on promoting God Control. The video isnt even up on Itunes with the other Madame X videos. I think thats why they were waiting for people to have seen the show to release it. People will at least be more familiar with the song in the context of the album.

[MarXus 92]

I don't see the point in fretting over which songs should be released these days? Singles are usually released to reach a general audience. It's not always necessary fan's favorites.  Singles are meant to reach a wider audience and get played on radio and now other media formats.  Unfortunately, the popular radio stations aren't playing her enough or playing her at all.  She needs that to impact charts and sell more songs.  She's been shifted to adult top 40 stations, and they pretty much only play her older songs.  The video for the song would be the real impact, but these days anything she does just gets panned to death.  I don't believe God Control would have made much of a difference as the lead single.  I don't believe it would have helped bring more awareness to the album (as I feel Medellin had a lot of promo and still didn't get off the ground in most markets). 

Even if radio wanted to play her, most of MX songs are not radio friendly.  "Crave" and possible "Crazy" are probably the closest to being radio friendly.  Though popular top 40 stations won't play her anymore.  Without them, it will be hard to ever chart and sell music like she did in the past.

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

The rumored negotiations for Eurovision where the issue whether her performing what she did or Killers (but was rejected) from what came out. She did eventually go with the statement she wanted to make despite the quality of the performance and what came of it.

God Control would have made a statement but for those dreaming it'd be a next Hung Up or Music situation are leading themselves on. At this point, radio will not play her unless she works with a radio magnet star but even then, we saw what happened with a lot of her recent Nicki Minaj collaborations and Maluma. There has to be some sort of payola or radio deal to get her to chart since her fandom isn't enough. We're lucky she put so much effort into filming a video for it and apparently, getting remixes soon. But the change of singles wouldn't have done much better. She would have gotten the flack she got from gun supporters and the activists that couldn't read her message behind the video but the song isn't radio friendly on its own.

Medellin did its job of presenting the album, accompanied by a current artist (Maluma though I despise him) and managed to get good reviews and is a grower over time.

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

On 11/27/2019 at 5:36 PM, thelioncourtheart_ said:

The rumored negotiations for Eurovision where the issue whether her performing what she did or Killers (but was rejected) from what came out. She did eventually go with the statement she wanted to make despite the quality of the performance and what came of it.

God Control would have made a statement but for those dreaming it'd be a next Hung Up or Music situation are leading themselves on. At this point, radio will not play her unless she works with a radio magnet star but even then, we saw what happened with a lot of her recent Nicki Minaj collaborations and Maluma. There has to be some sort of payola or radio deal to get her to chart since her fandom isn't enough. We're lucky she put so much effort into filming a video for it and apparently, getting remixes soon. But the change of singles wouldn't have done much better. She would have gotten the flack she got from gun supporters and the activists that couldn't read her message behind the video but the song isn't radio friendly on its own.

Medellin did its job of presenting the album, accompanied by a current artist (Maluma though I despise him) and managed to get good reviews and is a grower over time.

I don’t think Killers Who Are Partying was ever negotiated, even though it was heavily rumoured at the time. People on the set of the God Control video were told they were shooting for a video named Killers, which makes me think she was referring to God Control as Killers in order to avoid leaks. I think she proposed God Control and they didn’t let her due to its controversial theme, but that’s just a theory.

[dylanlioncourt 5,774]

41 minutes ago, Nobody Knows Me said:

I don’t think Killers Who Are Partying was ever negotiated, even though it was heavily rumoured at the time. People on the set of the God Control video were told they were shooting for a video named Killers, which makes me think she was referring to God Control as Killers in order to avoid leaks. I think she proposed God Control and they didn’t let her due to its controversial theme, but that’s just a theory.

Yeah, it came from one source about the song being killer or something along the lines and the association with the track title led people to believe that.

I was referring to Eurovision, there were some reports that she wanted to do Killers or something but was rejected. There should be some reports available that there was a song debate between that and another track from MX.

[Vinny Fonseca 98]

On 12/17/2019 at 5:13 PM, Nobody Knows Me said:

I don’t think Killers Who Are Partying was ever negotiated, even though it was heavily rumoured at the time. People on the set of the God Control video were told they were shooting for a video named Killers, which makes me think she was referring to God Control as Killers in order to avoid leaks. I think she proposed God Control and they didn’t let her due to its controversial theme, but that’s just a theory.

Can you imagine the fuss if she had sung "Killers Who Are Partying" changing the lyrics to "I'll be Palestine, if they`re incarcerated " just like she´s been doing on tour?

Maybe that was her intention and that´s why she decided to have those two dancers holdings hands with the flags of Israel and Palestine on their backs... 

Edited December 19, 2019 by Vinny Fonseca (see edit history)

[PaperFaces 5,606]

God Control was supposed to be performed at Eurovision, thats why negotiations were arduous. Neither Eurovision organizers, nor Madonna's management wanted her to do it.

Maybe that's why her heart wasnt into it. She was probably deadset on doing "God Control".

In the Warner years, I believe that, yes, "God Control" wouldve been the lead single.