TheGoth

Oh Paolo Hewitt, I wonder where you are now and how the last 40 years have been for you

It's a ridiculous statement. It's comparative to saying Banksy has surpassed Picasso or Boris Johnson has surpassed JFK. They're not comparitive at all and there would be no point in trying to surpass Madonna because that would just mean repeating what she did in her career so far - and why would anyone when it's already been done? I come from a more alternative side where my grounding in music, art, literature etc would be classed as obscure at times, and there are always new bands being hailed as the new Sisters of Mercy, or the new Smiths or Siousxie. The problem is those artists set that template around the same time as Madonna did and broke that ground for themselves. New artists today just aren't breaking new ground in a way that creates any kind of cultural shift. Madonna's high points made cultural impacts because no one had accomplished it before in such a mainstream way. You might be looking at the commercial success, but what risks are really being taken? Kate Bush with Wuthering Heights was a risk because it was never done before. Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody - big risk that paid off. Grace Jones! Bowie. Culture Club, Erasure, Tina Turner and Cher. They created that landscape. Whatever many artists attempt now is only possible because of the doors that were opened by those before them, but Madonna set that bar on her own terms by taking the path less travelled and calculating those risks against the rewards. Madonna is and was a fluke in the matrix. A one time thing and we'll never see that again, so we should be glad she's still here. She said it herself; "I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Amen."

The Immaculate Collection and GHV2 😁

When I woke up today, I didn't plan on making this post. I was actually fine. September 9th. My mother's birthday. She passed away 5 years ago from breast cancer. The time between her diagnosis and dying was 5 months. She had no chance, it was too late and she made her peace with it, refusing chemo and choosing to be at home being administered morphine. She passed away the morning after my birthday, living just long enough to give me that day. Today, on her birthday, I was fine. But I couldn't stop thinking about Promise To Try. That scene in Truth or Dare where she lay on her mother's grave, talking to her and wondering what she looked like now. And I broke like a piece of glass... And that's how the day kept going. Little by little, the song kept playing in my head..."will she see me cry when I stumble and fall"... And every day I do stumble and fall, but I keep getting up, even when at times I just feel like laying there. "Keep your head held high, ride like the wind, never look behind". And I try to keep going and never dwell on the past. Never feel nostalgic, keep moving forward, never stay one thing too long and never let anyone feel sorry for you. "Can't kiss her goodbye, but I promise to try". I tell myself I can let go, that I don't need to be comforted by tales of heaven and angels. That I'm ok with death being the end of it will help me find that closure. That I need to let her go. "But it feels like a lie". And it kept playing in my head. Bringing me to tears each time today. Just one song. The power of Madonna's writing and vocal delivery, emoting so much. Intricate simplicity. Grief. A universal feeling we can all understand, but perhaps only mire so with this song if you've experienced losing your mother. I don't need to listen to Madonna's songs everyday. I'm no longer a teenager in the early 90s. I've been there and done all of that. I grew up with her music in the 80s. But I feel I've lived through her music; I've sat on a plane fleeing an abusive situation with "You'll See" playing in mind, giving me the strength I needed. I've left home at an early age with "Oh Father" in my head saying "you can't hurt me now". I've gone place to place trying to find safety with "Drowned World" (travelled round the world, looking for a home). But today, Promise To Try hurt a little more than it usually did. No, I don't need to listen to her music every day. I can go months without playing her songs as I get on with my life. I don't need to do any of those things because I can just think of her songs and I experience them because they've had a lifetime to bury themselves deep within me, waiting for the right moments to burst forward.

Imagine it includes If You Forget Me 😉

If I could be transported to another universe it would be one where this tour actually happened. Imagine her looking as she did for the Arena 1999 shoot... breathtakingly beautiful with that brunette hair. And the saris she wore for the Spin Indian Summer shoot. Could've been a section with: Bittersweet (Interlude) Shanti NRM (Vikram Mix) Frozen Sanctuary Skin The Power of Goodbye (Fabian Mix) And then maybe a Cafe Del Mar themed section with: To Have And Not To Hold Love Tried To Welcome Me La Isla Bonita I'll Remember (WO Mix) She still looked gorgeous, but was disappointed she cut her hair when NRM came out. Anyways I'm digressing from the topic title 🥴

I am pretty sure that Shanti was intended for the ROL tour as there was a specific interview back then where she described taking Lola to see classical Indian dancers and how she felt about incorporating elements like that into a tour, therefore the ROL tour would've included an Indian themed section with Shanti featuring in it. It was a long time ago, so it's possible I've misremembered some bits, so unless I'm wrong, that's a hint of what might've been.

It's Papa Don't Preach all over again 😂