Jump to content

Whatever happened to Queen on Rebel Heart?


Sultrysully
 Share

Recommended Posts

Queen was included on the official tracklisting on Madonna.com, for quite awhile, even after the album was officially released.  I wonder what ever happened to the song's inclusion on the record?  Obviously, the plan was for it to be in the official tracklisting but something changed and quite late in the game.  It was a great song, arguably better than many of the songs that were included.  Does anybody have any insight or theories?  Just wondering about this glaring omission.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love that song and I have thought long and hard about this and I have a theory based in absolutely nothing

 

Lol

 

No, seriously. I ADORE Queen. I think it's one of the best tracks she's ever recorded. I also think it is a strong metaphore of her own (sometimes) deep dark feelings towards the fact that she feels even when she was and is the Queen of all music, she knows time is moving forward and audiences are changing and etc and it's a dramatic way of displaying that she feels her time has started to pass. I always thought that last minute replacement (remember it leaked as part of the tracklist in the January 2015 leak and it was the only track on that setlist that did not make it into any official release, cause Autotune Baby got released in Germany) was due to her finally choosing not to show that vulnerability. If you think about it it's a raw self-referential lyric. She might have thought at first it was a great idea to include it as a great example of her personal revealing artistry, but I think she might have felt "too naked" perhaps to show her own fears on her time coming for not being the queen anymore, losing relevance towards younger audiences and even a contemplation of her own mortality.

 

My two cents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even if I think, the production-wise, Queen is not that interesting song, I absolutely agree it should have been included in the final track list.. At least as a bonus track. I can never understand that she recorded so many good tracks for Rebel Heart (Nothing Lasts Forever, Tragic girl, Trust no Bitch, Back That Up, Queen...) but decided to go with Autotube Baby, one of the worst tracks she has ever recorded. 

Edited by HC Charge (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's just too sad and somber. Madonna ending an album with a song saying "The queen's been slain/She'll never rule again"? I don't think so.

Anyway, if I remember well it was just a charts rule thing or something, I think with the song included, the album would have counted as a double album and that would have finished her contract cause she had two albums left by that point. That's why it was replaced by two "Living For Love" remixes on the Super Deluxe edition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, OceanBlue said:

Was Queen included as a bonus track with an acoustic version of Heartbreak City or another ballad ?

It was originally

Queen
Joan of Arc (Acoustic Version) (studio version of the mix she did on Ellen)
Iconic Pt. 2
Living For Love (Alternate)
and some remixes if memory serves me correctly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Prayer said:

It's just too sad and somber. Madonna ending an album with a song saying "The queen's been slain/She'll never rule again"? I don't think so.

Anyway, if I remember well it was just a charts rule thing or something, I think with the song included, the album would have counted as a double album and that would have finished her contract cause she had two albums left by that point. That's why it was replaced by two "Living For Love" remixes on the Super Deluxe edition.

Came here to say this

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Let'sGetUnconsciousHoney said:

They just had to cut a song so that it wouldn't count as a double album, and they chose Queen. 

That's such a sad statement to read. I agree with other users that she thought it was too vulnerable. I don't think she likes revealing that much about herself

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Sultrysully changed the title to Whatever happened to Queen on Rebel Heart?

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Write here...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use