Risking Her Career - Live To Tell analysis

[ITG 3,321]

This is a great watch.

I love these sort of videos where they actually go deeper in to the lyrics and music....and a chat with Pat.

 

[Voguerista 11,740]

Thank you for this excellent review on Live To Tell. He nailed it. I loved what Patrick Leonard said on it too. I also agree how Oh Father is Part 2 of Live To Tell. Excellent. ?✨?

[wtg1987 10,151]

I love these kind of stories and essays about her songs - so little attention ever gets paid to her songwriting and what she brings to her music. To me her career really started with live to tell and the true blue album. To this day it’s still my favourite pop album and I don’t think it will ever be topped unless she ever plans to work with him again but sadly she seems too focused on auto tune, one hit rappers and computerised music now  and won’t go back to making great music like she did with Pat but I would love to be proved wrong ??

[Roland Barthes 5,824]

2 hours ago, wtg1987 said:

I love these kind of stories and essays about her songs - so little attention ever gets paid to her songwriting and what she brings to her music. To me her career really started with live to tell and the true blue album. To this day it’s still my favourite pop album and I don’t think it will ever be topped unless she ever plans to work with him again but sadly she seems too focused on auto tune, one hit rappers and computerised music now  and won’t go back to making great music like she did with Pat but I would love to be proved wrong ??

Ok, now i understand why i never agree with you on anything you say musicwise hahaha. True Blue is a really good EP but my least favourite Madonna album after MDNA. It osunds unfinished, it could have been perfect if it wasn't for the two unlistenable turds at the end of it that are still her worst tracks to this day (tied with Girl Gone Wild). I still don't understand why fans hate GMAYL so much and love True Blue at the same time because that track could be on that album. It shows that we all love and hate different things in M's discography without any of us being right or wrong. But i've always loved Live To Tell.

[WCD199317 65]

I consider True Blue a transition between this and Like a Prayer. Because this album retain her dance-pop sound of her two first album, but she add also latino and ballad for the first time in her albums and she sing in a more lower register to her debut. The debut album and Like a Virgin was more dance pop and teenager style. While this album included a more mature dance-pop style. This album cibled the old public (like Live to Tell and La Isla Bonita) and also the younger (with Papa Don't Preach, True Blue and Open Your Heart). My favorites of the album was Open Your Heart, Live to Tell, La Isla Bonita and Where's the Party, all excellents tracks. i like also the four others tracks of the album. Live to Tell was a exceptionnal instrumentals and a haunting ballad. This ballad help him to conquer a more mature public and the prelude of the album. After that, she always incorpored the ballads in her albums (The most was Ray of Light, this album included five ballads at the end of the album).

[Guest DeeperDeeper]

I'd like to see a documentary where Madonna along with producers like Pat Leonard, Nile Rogers, Shep Pettibone, Mirwais, William Orbit, Stuart Price talk about her albums and the story about how they were conceptualised, written recorded etc... along with some input about the cover art as well. 

Preferably directed by Alek Keshishian. 

[dubtronic 6,255]

33 minutes ago, Ashley said:

I'd like to see a documentary where Madonna along with producers like Pat Leonard, Nile Rogers, Shep Pettibone, Mirwais, William Orbit, Stuart Price talk about her albums and the story about how they were conceptualised, written recorded etc... along with some input about the cover art as well. 

Preferably directed by Alek Keshishian. 

would love that too!

[Redha DBL 7,286]

12 hours ago, ITG said:

This is a great watch.

I love these sort of videos where they actually go deeper in to the lyrics and music....and a chat with Pat.

 

It's really strange, believe it or not, just 1 hour aco as i was in the shower, a thought came to my mind, about how risky it was when she totally changed her look from Like a Virgin To True Blue and that she took her huge risk because that radical change of look for kinda new artist is a hit or miss and can coast a career and also about the fact she changed her music style from funky to ballads and latin. And then i come in the forum and i see this new thread ! 

[wtg1987 10,151]

5 hours ago, Ashley said:

I'd like to see a documentary where Madonna along with producers like Pat Leonard, Nile Rogers, Shep Pettibone, Mirwais, William Orbit, Stuart Price talk about her albums and the story about how they were conceptualised, written recorded etc... along with some input about the cover art as well. 

Preferably directed by Alek Keshishian. 

That would be great too and maybe include some photos or video footage in the studio - if it was ever recorded ? Obviously none of us want to hear from Martin solveig or benny benassi - 2 of her worst ever collaborators plus diplo ( sorry I think he’s rubbish compared to pat william and shep ) 

[Enrico 15,788]

Madonna took great risks with her first singles:

Like a virgin

Live to tell

Like a prayer

Justify my love (and Erotica)

 

Evita was also unconventional!

Unfortunately then we got GMAYL and Medellin...

 

She really needs to work with Pat Leonard again! About time!!

[Guest Nobody Knows Me]

1 hour ago, Enrico said:

Madonna took great risks with her first singles:

Like a virgin

Live to tell

Like a prayer

Justify my love (and Erotica)

 

Evita was also unconventional!

Unfortunately then we got GMAYL and Medellin...

 

She really needs to work with Pat Leonard again! About time!!

I’d add Frozen to that list as well. I’d love a reunion with Pat Leonard.

[Husam Elzien 656]

3 hours ago, Enrico said:

Madonna took great risks with her first singles:

Like a virgin

Live to tell

Like a prayer

Justify my love (and Erotica)

 

Evita was also unconventional!

Unfortunately then we got GMAYL and Medellin...

 

She really needs to work with Pat Leonard again! About time!!

I would add American Life to this list but it essentially began the downturn of Madonna's career commercially speaking. 

[wtg1987 10,151]

2 hours ago, Husam Elzien said:

I would add American Life to this list but it essentially began the downturn of Madonna's career commercially speaking. 

Yep and it was generally a crap song anyway so no loss - Mirwais production at its worst ? must have taken him all of half an hour to chop and edit that turd together ?

[Husam Elzien 656]

16 minutes ago, wtg1987 said:

Yep and it was generally a crap song anyway so no loss - Mirwais production at its worst ? must have taken him all of half an hour to chop and edit that turd together ?

Low-key the one good thing to come from that song was that the messy rollout for the single botched the rest of the era so much that it forced Madonna to do away with her "I'm not doing the older hits anymore" philosophy for touring. 

[PlayPause 2,675]

Didn't know this one, thanks I'll check it out. Looks promising.

Unlike this kind of stupid mashup whatever clickbait videos where you don't hear anything new.... (not quoting cause I don't want to advertise them, made me so angry)

[PlayPause 2,675]

Amazing how solid rock critics are still embracing and uncovering new layers in Madonna's work. Great conversation with Patrick Leonard. 

[mouse 436]

Live to tell is one of her all of time best song for me. Perfection, from start to the end

This album is a treasure in more than one way and I think holds a special place for any fan who experienced this era as a teenager. It's a collection of hits without other concept than fun
This is her first album as a producer. 
And she takes a huge risk. She was coming out of the virgin tour / Susan. A period during wich all the young girls identified with her. She had incredible success.

Taking the risk of sending her punk looks, bracelets and everything in the trash was incredibly daring. Big balls ! I can't even imagine the discussions with the record company and the manager.

Then, the quality of the tracks on this album are incredible. Everything is well produced, worked (ok, jimmy jimmy is apart). The clips are all unbelievable. The looks.
With this album, she became a legend. A grown artist.
I still remember my visual shock when I discovered the cover in the store. This was so good 

[Mp1992 259]

On 11/3/2020 at 11:31 AM, Husam Elzien said:

I would add American Life to this list but it essentially began the downturn of Madonna's career commercially speaking. 

Except for the the Confessions era

[into the erotico 971]

On 11/5/2020 at 1:32 PM, mouse said:

Live to tell is one of her all of time best song for me. Perfection, from start to the end

This album is a treasure in more than one way and I think holds a special place for any fan who experienced this era as a teenager. It's a collection of hits without other concept than fun
This is her first album as a producer. 
And she takes a huge risk. She was coming out of the virgin tour / Susan. A period during wich all the young girls identified with her. She had incredible success.

Taking the risk of sending her punk looks, bracelets and everything in the trash was incredibly daring. Big balls ! I can't even imagine the discussions with the record company and the manager.

Then, the quality of the tracks on this album are incredible. Everything is well produced, worked (ok, jimmy jimmy is apart). The clips are all unbelievable. The looks.
With this album, she became a legend. A grown artist.
I still remember my visual shock when I discovered the cover in the store. This was so good 

Exactly! She TORE apart her previous mega image and cleaned her slate. TB is between Lav and LAP. Those three steps lead to the top of the pop as well as her style/ fashion legacy. It was so dynamic and yet cute and pop-ish..

[steady75 9,566]

Madonna cutting her hair and simplifying and streamlining her look in 1986 instantly made 75% of the other artists of the era look old hat and single handedly resigned them to the first half of the 1980s.

It was a brutal and brilliant move. All those image based acts suddenly looked like grown fools in costumes way after halloween had ended. She swept away huge swathes of her commercial competition and moved the dial on a decade overnight....with a haircut. 

Thats power. 

[Guest DeeperDeeper]

1 minute ago, steady75 said:

Madonna cutting her hair and simplifying and streamlining her look instantly made 75% of the other artists of the era look old hat and single handedly resigned them to the first half of the 1980s.

It was a brutal and brilliant move. All those image based acts suddenly looked like grown fools in costumes way after halloween had ended. She swept away huge swathes of her commercial competitors and moved the dial on a decade overnight. 

Thats power. 

And when she went brunette with LAP and then to the Hollywood Blonde look re-set the standards again. 

[steady75 9,566]

I think by that stage she was already known for changing it up image wise...the True Blue move was so important because so many acts adopt a look or theme for their whole career..or did at that point at least. Minor changes at least..but Madonna and Boy George absolutely distilled that early 80's dress up aesthetic to the point where she...and no one else...had department stores mimicking her look for teens. The last single of the Like A Virgin campaign was Dress You Up. Little did we know she was about to dress us down again by 86. 

By Like A Prayer I think she was only in competition with herself. Ray Of Light was her next proper big reinvention and image overhaul. 

Street Urchin - Blond Ambition - Earth Mother. The eras from 86-94 were various incarnations of the Hollywood Blond (Monroe / Rita Hayworth / Mae West)

[Guest DeeperDeeper]

11 hours ago, steady75 said:

I think by that stage she was already known for changing it up image wise...the True Blue move was so important because so many acts adopt a look or theme for their whole career..or did at that point at least. Minor changes at least..but Madonna and Boy George absolutely distilled that early 80's dress up aesthetic to the point where she...any no one else...had department stores mimicking her look for teens. The last single of the Like A Virgin campaign was Dress You Up. Little did we know she was about to dress us down again by 69. 

By Like A Prayer I think she was only in competition with herself. Ray Of Light was her next proper big reinvention and image overhaul. 

Street Urchin - Blond Ambition - Earth Mother. The eras from 86-94 were various incarnations of the Hollywood Blond (Monroe / Rita Hayworth / Mae West)

Jean Harlow through Bedtime Stories as well. 

[Luiz Ribeiro 6,152]

 

[kesiak 3,033]