Am I wrong or is Hung Up her most successful single to date? Which does speak volumes if true, for a lot who say they like nothing she's done since Ray Of Light. I love the Music Album, not as much as American Life, but like every Madonna album, it marks a certain era of my life. I love Gone, Impressive Instant, I Deserve It, and Nobody's Perfect.
Yeah Hung Up is her biggest selling single in Europe and i think is her third best selling single of all time behind Like a Prayer and Vogue....However Into The groove is still her biggest selling in the UK i believe...but indeed...i do get fed up with people saying "she hasnt done anything massive/successful/defining since ROL" what balls to it! Music two year later was commercially successful and sold almost as much....7 years later COnfessions also sold almost as much....and AL and Confessions as you say are highly regarded in two different areas of course...but notheless highly regarded!
Well...to tie back to Music, you could argue that it is very much on a par in that it had no precise diection...Music was her "marriage schitzo album" MDNA is her "divorce schitzo album" but i guess none of it added it...4 year gap harmed it, no clear direction harmed it, as you say the title showcased something different to how the album sounded and felt more than it looked, the visuals in the album were never really seen agai in live performance or otherwise...the main image for the era was the opening segment visuals of the tour which she wore on her FB promo chat and her stint with Avicii etc....it was all confusing and the riskiest thing she has ever done ever definitely.
And to think we complained Hard Candy was hardly promoted and i guess HC has more of a cohesive vibe...it has sounds and themes across it about time, making the most of life, a journey to get from A to B...more simplistic than COADF...or indeed any album she did before hand and MDNA that came later but i think thematically it was cohesive and more simplistic which is why perhaps it translated better despite only pushing one massive worldwide hit from the album it still sold well and critically garnered enough positivity to keep it afloat across the year. SOmething MDNA only had for its release week.
I personally feel MDNA is a very underrated album. People say Erotica is underrated but even though I like it, I don't think it is, since it was widely praised by fans and the media. Now obviously as far as the promotion and the choice of singles, the MDNA era had its problems. But for me as an album and as music and art, I actually really enjoy it a lot and I don't agree with a lot of Madonna fans who bash it. I also think one reason HC got a lot of press was the other producers on it, such as Timberlake and Timbaland because they are stars in their own right and that made people maybe more interested in it, than MDNA, whose producers aren't as well known to the general public. I personally am not big on HC just because of the whole R&B/hip hop vibe plus I really don't like the artwork on the cover. MDNA to me seems more personal and more Madonna to me regardless of the sales or the promotion or the public perception of it. I think over time fans will come to appreciate MDNA.
By "underrated" it generally mans an album that is either commercially not as successful or critically not as successful compared to previous work so in that sense Erotica, Bedtime Stories and American Life in so many ways are very underrated...but also very much accepted and in time appreciated...I personally despite its success feel Hard Candy is a very underrated album...and in many ways it also feels like a "what if??" album...what if she stuck to her guns a lot more...look how ahead it would have been also...MDNA i must say has gems on it...but ultimately the three singles really havent grown with time unfortunately...but one thing the majority of the songs on MDNA have is that middle of song switch up which i love...the melodies shift up into gear a lot like Im Addicted goes from Throbbing ELectro/disco to a massive Trance finale...Some girls goes from Dub/Techno to a very guitar driven final third of the song, Im A Sinner starts Psychy and then goes all Indian melodically, Love Spent showcases it at its best with Electrodisco style shifting up to more of a punchy/guitar driven finale...so in that sense MDNA showcased this as a strength ultimately not showcased to the world....and i think HC and MDNA have in common that imagery and music do not add up...a massive gamble and weakness in a world where both matters moreso than ever....however i do feel critically MDNA was taken too harshly in some areas...in no way is it a "leap on bandwagon/on trend" style album...i mean Britney, gaga, Katy Perry, RIhanna haven made an album like MDNA...but post-MDNA there has been a rise in EDM in Pop...wonder why??
I have a soft spot for MDNA. But as you said, the singles did not showcase it at its best. But if you look beyond the singles, it has some great stuff. As a whole, I enjoy it much more than HC.
I have mixed feelings as to where she should go next. She has always had a natural feeling for dance music and she does it well, but as a whole I think the world is becoming bored with EDM so even when someone does a good dance record, people sort of write it off as more of the same and just jumping on the bandwagon. It's hard to stand out in the dance world because there is just so much of it. Looking at music now, the music that is exciting me now is leaning more towards punkish stuff and guitars/bass/drums. I really think that is making a comeback. I'm just becoming really interested in the whole punk thing with the Metropolitan exhibit. There is this great new post-punk female bank called the Savages. They sound like PJ Harvey when she used to be good and accessible. It all started for me with Kate Nash's album where she is the new Courtney Love. I just love the whole female punk riot grrl thing right now. I wish Madonna could somehow tribute that tying it in with the Pussy Riot thing somehow. That is what is exciting to me right now. Madonna has also said how much she admires Patty Smith. The dance thing is just becoming too much the same. Now maybe there is a way she can reinvigorate electronic music somehow, but I just feel if she does another straight up electronic dance record, no matter how good it, is people are not going to pay attention. She needs something slightly different.
Yeah MDNA the singles were a waste...i also feel that vocally she didnt push herself on every song either across the album...it is all so middle of the ground with a mish mash of styles and ideas.
Next up...Alternative Dance/Punk Pop...get ahead of the game Madonna! Marry her earlier Punky looks with lternative Dance and really make a new look and style and reinvention that will be applied to her for the futuremore...something in her last two albums and eras she has never had! I mean M-Dolla? that gang bang pvc suit thing? nah! SOmething iconic and steppin it up several nothces.
I want and would love for her to revisit her "Rock Theatrical Album" ideas and her "Album like a FIlm soundtrack" ideas and blur them together somehow...marry Alternative Dance styles with Punky Pop grooves...i mean Dance music is still very IN and cool and udnerground see Friendly Fires, gossip, Sneaky Sound System, Pnau, Cut Copy etc and the current trend of Alunageorge for example....I reckon Madonna can really push these Indie Dance/Alternative Dance styles and mix it with real Rock music and a raw and powerful vocal too....and agreed her Pussy RIot/Political rebellion has obviously inspired her to make material to showcase this...its how she can utilise these elements.
Maybe create visuals of 1958...Twilight Zone-esque meets I Love Lucy Pop ArtLowbrow artistry and marry them together in imagery...a Comic/Punk look and fuse together Dance and Punk :cool: And push it to the extremes...so ahead of trend and will mark a new peak i reckon...it is so damn possible for her to do!
Yes, I love your ideas.
But I've always thought it's a misnomer to call Madonna an EDM artist or MDNA an EDM album. To me, Madonna is pop/dance. When I hear the word EDM, to me it brings to mind club dj's who do more of the pounding thumping type of music with very limited vocals. Obviously she uses electronics, but I really don't see her as an EDM artist. A lot of EDM music has no personality or point of view. Even on MDNA she brings some originality and personality and attitude to what she does. But a lot of times even fans will say Madonna is an EDM artist, but she really isn't. Madonna has a club influence but on her tours she always adds other influences, whether it's guitar or world music, so she is not limited to purely club culture which to me is so boring and one dimensional.
Yes, I love your ideas.
But I've always thought it's a misnomer to call Madonna an EDM artist or MDNA an EDM album. To me, Madonna is pop/dance. When I hear the word EDM, to me it brings to mind club dj's who do more of the pounding thumping type of music with very limited vocals. Obviously she uses electronics, but I really don't see her as an EDM artist. A lot of EDM music has no personality or point of view. Even on MDNA she brings some originality and personality and attitude to what she does. But a lot of times even fans will say Madonna is an EDM artist, but she really isn't. Madonna has a club influence but on her tours she always adds other influences, whether it's guitar or world music, so she is not limited to purely club culture which to me is so boring and one dimensional.
who has called Madonna an EDM artist??? I mean on her first album ELectronica/Synthpop and Pro Tools were necessary as well as the Pop Dance, Post-Disco vibes and Punkish injection there....Dance has been related to every Madonna album thus far...be it uptempo, mid-tempo or pure adrenaline shot! Even on Confessions On A Dance Floor so many elements across all 12 songs were utilised...much like the people she was influenced by to make that album (Moroder, Rodgers, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode) live instrumentals, classical music, middle eastern influences, tribal, mixed with the Techno, Trance rhythms...so much style utilised...and i dont necessarily think Club culture can be associated (ironically) with "Club music" Club music was and is essentially what EDM is yeah, i mean House music can be progressive, they can tell a story much like in the late 80s and early - mid 90s when House was new and fresh...it was an analysis on pop culture then when it came out...and over the years it lost itself in so many ways..then all of a sudden we saw an emergence of Lady gaga, Black EYed Peas etc making "EDM" for commercial use and ever since we have seen Skrillex, guetta, Deadmau5 basically Popping it up and ating "edgy" when in reality there is basically nothing real stemmed from there....And like isaid earlier MDNA actually feels like a sequel to Music....Music was about Marriage and the quest for her new life...MDNA is about divrce and her yearning back to her earlier life....a homecoming Divorce Disco album....well she is back, she got pised several times and now she is ready to take it all on.
Cause quite frankly Pop right now bores me....its a yawn fest and we need Madonna back to bring something exciting out please...it upsets me...
I've best been trying to think how to sum up Music for me and I cannot really give it a label. I think it suffers from Ray Of Light syndrome. Its huge sales came off the back of Ray Of Light being so massive and Madonna suddenly being the it girl once more but album lacks direction. Its like she isn't sure what its supposed to be. There are several great tracks on there but I feel Madonna and Mirwais didn't reach their peak together until American Life. That is by far a better, yet completely overlooked, album. Its possible Music suffered, well it did, also from her relocation to the UK, being pregnant with Rocco and basically just being used as a tool to market the Drowned World Tour.
I rate it in my top 6 Madonna albums though. From 1995 right up until 2005 she was maturing her style of lyrics really well and was taking on her position as a matriarchal figure quite well. While I love Confessions it was a backward step and a panic because of American Life under performing. That I think has harmed the rest of her career. The last time it felt like Madonna really had anything to say was American Life. She has been great on the MDNA tour. For her next album she needs to put that emotion into the record. Say something real again. She is obviously pissed off at elements of society. Its time for her to put it down in lyrics once more. Stop singing about turning up the radio and start singing about how you are being sued for standing up for gays in Moscow. That's what Madonna always did best and its what made her stand out more.
Sorry for going off topic but MDNA did come up.. lol
I also agree with Josh this time. Pop is starting to get so boring again. The dance craze is dying back out. While Madonna has always had dance within her its not always been there. Some of her greatest moments aren't even dance led. Take A Bow is her biggest hit in America for example. I would like to see her try something similar to what Kate Nash has just done with her recent album.
I also agree with Josh this time. Pop is starting to get so boring again. The dance craze is dying back out. While Madonna has always had dance within her its not always been there. Some of her greatest moments aren't even dance led. Take A Bow is her biggest hit in America for example. I would like to see her try something similar to what Kate Nash has just done with her recent album.
I like Take a Bow, but I'm not sure I want Madonna to go in that direction. To me, it seems a little mainstream and conventional for her. Madonna has always done ballads along with the dance. There are ballads on MDNA. It was only in that limited period in the 90's that she did all ballads. I love her ballads but I don't think I want an album of all ballads. I thought I was the only one who loved Kate Nash's album. I love that Riot Grrl sound from the 90's. But even though that's probably my favourite style of music generally, I'm not sure that style would sound good with Madonna's voice. I don't 'think her voice sounds good with loud guitars. But I can see her doing something like the softer songs on Girl Talk such as 3.a.m. or Are you there, Sweetheart? But I don't think her voice would work with the more screamy songs on there even though I love them.
I wouldnt mind M belting screamo like i mean "WHADAYAMEAN Its not in the COMPUTERR!!!" random type would be slick again, really make ya jump
Plus she id it on a few performance of Turn Up The Radio too would be interesting, if only for 2 seconds of a song perhaps....id dig it ...But its a question of where she can push herself next with all the gusto she has within her and where she can push it next...just for M to do something spontaneous and insane and marry Alternative Dance sounds with a Punk/Rawckish nature would be so slick...rebrand her image as a "Killer QUeen" maybe? And like i say unite her film passions/movie directing with her music...just imagine the possibilities she could do to not only showcase her music but a new way of circulating and promoting the material...the perfect marriage of visual and audio like she always used to do and does so perfectly :cool:
I've best been trying to think how to sum up Music for me and I cannot really give it a label. I think it suffers from Ray Of Light syndrome. Its huge sales came off the back of Ray Of Light being so massive and Madonna suddenly being the it girl once more but album lacks direction. Its like she isn't sure what its supposed to be. There are several great tracks on there but I feel Madonna and Mirwais didn't reach their peak together until American Life. That is by far a better, yet completely overlooked, album. Its possible Music suffered, well it did, also from her relocation to the UK, being pregnant with Rocco and basically just being used as a tool to market the Drowned World Tour.
I rate it in my top 6 Madonna albums though. From 1995 right up until 2005 she was maturing her style of lyrics really well and was taking on her position as a matriarchal figure quite well. While I love Confessions it was a backward step and a panic because of American Life under performing. That I think has harmed the rest of her career. The last time it felt like Madonna really had anything to say was American Life. She has been great on the MDNA tour. For her next album she needs to put that emotion into the record. Say something real again. She is obviously pissed off at elements of society. Its time for her to put it down in lyrics once more. Stop singing about turning up the radio and start singing about how you are being sued for standing up for gays in Moscow. That's what Madonna always did best and its what made her stand out more.
People say Music lacks direction but honestly I like albums that have more than one kind of music. I tend to get bored with albums where ever song is in the exact same style. That's one of the things I also like about MDNA. I like American Life but I'm not sure if I like the motherly super mature Madonna. I felt in some ways she was playing a role and trying to be what Guy and society wanted. I like her youthful playful spirit and I'm glad it came back. I love American Life, but I'm not sure I wanted her to continue in that direction. It was too serious and pedantic for me. I don't think Confessions was a step back. I think she needed that to feel happy and carefree again. Confessions was a high point and I do think it has good lyrics.
I totally agree with her political opinions, but I really don't want an album of all political lectures. For me, the Madonna songs that have touched me the most are not political, but are personal about relationships and heart break. For most of the career, Madonna has been outspoken politically in interviews, but in her lyrics she is more universal and personal. Even American Life wasn't political per se.
Oh and as for ballads....why not unite mid-tempo bluesy style vocals with deep content into a more kinda euphoric blaze of energy...kinda like what she has done previously on songs like Words, Skin, Forbidden Love (2.0), that depth and clarity merged with a warmth and coldness together so perfectly...would be insane!
Oh and as for ballads....why not unite mid-tempo bluesy style vocals with deep content into a more kinda euphoric blaze of energy...kinda like what she has done previously on songs like Words, Skin, Forbidden Love (2.0), that depth and clarity merged with a warmth and coldness together so perfectly...would be insane!
Yes, I love all those songs. Those are the kind of slower songs I like. Take A Bow was a big hit but it's more of a conventional AC ballad. I would like to see her do more mid tempo stuff.
People say Music lacks direction but honestly I like albums that have more than one kind of music. I tend to get bored with albums where ever song is in the exact same style. That's one of the things I also like about MDNA. I like American Life but I'm not sure if I like the motherly super mature Madonna. I felt in some ways she was playing a role and trying to be what Guy and society wanted. I like her youthful playful spirit and I'm glad it came back. I love American Life, but I'm not sure I wanted her to continue in that direction. It was too serious and pedantic for me. I don't think Confessions was a step back. I think she needed that to feel happy and carefree again. Confessions was a high point and I do think it has good lyrics.
I totally agree with her political opinions, but I really don't want an album of all political lectures. For me, the Madonna songs that have touched me the most are not political, but are personal about relationships and heart break. For most of the career, Madonna has been outspoken politically in interviews, but in her lyrics she is more universal and personal. Even American Life wasn't political per se.
The only song that had a political motive on American Life....was the song American Life
Ironically i find AL was an album mainly consisting of culture shift, of what was right and wrong in the world, of what constructs and what destroys...Funnily enough i find these same themes on Confessions On A Dance Floor...again definitely not a "step back" musically...in fact very much a continuation of moving forward...in fact the only song "commecially viable" recorded for that purpose was perhaps Jump....catchy, free, thumping....Hung Up was a risky song and was a surprise massive worldwide hit (even top 10 in the US despite their radio blacklisting of her) Again shwocasing that doing a "Dance album" where Hip Hop/Urban/R&B was the top of the commercial ladder 2004 - 2006 it was a massive massive gamble and it paid off...
COnfessions very much was an album of self analysis, musical variation, a return to her musical roots and the blend of sounds from Underground America in 2005, trends in Dance across the UK and Europe on the up and of course a love letter to the songs that MADE Dance....Ironically DIsco was a rebellion against the political agendas across the 1970s...so you could say this continuation from American Life and the Iraq wars going on this was a finger up to the world at the time too....But you cannot deny the musical variation, the layers and the consistency musically across Confessions...very much the relationship of singer/songwriter and producer and Price himself has mentioned it a lot and comapred his work with others post-Confessions to their sessions together.....Confessions stands as her most recent masterpeice album in terms of expertly directed cohesiveness, imagery iconic, mainstream awareness, commercial viability and a massive ass era and world tour to go with it...perfection.
Its like Madonna needs to kinda find that blend of her work with Leonard, Bray, Pettibone, Betts, Orbit, Mirwais, Price, Benitez, Lucas over the last 30 years and push it into a new direction...maybe produce it herself even :eek::cool:
Yes, I love all those songs. Those are the kind of slower songs I like. Take A Bow was a big hit but it's more of a conventional AC ballad. I would like to see her do more mid tempo stuff.
I do love her work with Babyface, Dallas Austin and Nelle Hooper on Bedtime Stories....you can tell it was set to be a soft sequel to Erotica in many aspects...having an experimental feel but a far more commercial agenda to latch onto the current rise in R&B within Pop music...again pushed even further on that album too...but i have to say Take A Bow is one of the most typical "Ballad Ballads" that is indeed a rarity in Madonas catalogue which most likely is the reason why it is her longest charting hit in American history.
The only song that had a political motive on American Life....was the song American Life
Ironically i find AL was an album mainly consisting of culture shift, of what was right and wrong in the world, of what constructs and what destroys...Funnily enough i find these same themes on Confessions On A Dance Floor...again definitely not a "step back" musically...in fact very much a continuation of moving forward...in fact the only song "commecially viable" recorded for that purpose was perhaps Jump....catchy, free, thumping....Hung Up was a risky song and was a surprise massive worldwide hit (even top 10 in the US despite their radio blacklisting of her) Again shwocasing that doing a "Dance album" where Hip Hop/Urban/R&B was the top of the commercial ladder 2004 - 2006 it was a massive massive gamble and it paid off...
COnfessions very much was an album of self analysis, musical variation, a return to her musical roots and the blend of sounds from Underground America in 2005, trends in Dance across the UK and Europe on the up and of course a love letter to the songs that MADE Dance....Ironically DIsco was a rebellion against the political agendas across the 1970s...so you could say this continuation from American Life and the Iraq wars going on this was a finger up to the world at the time too....But you cannot deny the musical variation, the layers and the consistency musically across Confessions...very much the relationship of singer/songwriter and producer and Price himself has mentioned it a lot and comapred his work with others post-Confessions to their sessions together.....Confessions stands as her most recent masterpeice album in terms of expertly directed cohesiveness, imagery iconic, mainstream awareness, commercial viability and a massive ass era and world tour to go with it...perfection.
Its like Madonna needs to kinda find that blend of her work with Leonard, Bray, Pettibone, Betts, Orbit, Mirwais, Price, Benitez, Lucas over the last 30 years and push it into a new direction...maybe produce it herself even :eek::cool:
Yes, I always thought that. Confessions has a lot of the same themes lyrically as AL. It just has a very different style of music. Yes, Confessions was one of her most iconic releases. I think visually as far as the themes being integrated with the music it was a big improvement over AL. With AL she started out with the dark hair, but then she went back to blonde later in the campaign and for the RIT tour. Confessions is interesting because even though it's a forward modern dance record in some ways, it also has echoes of 70's and 80's dance songs.
American Life is her at her lyrical best. Way more than Ray Of Light imho.
Its not so much being political, the most political song from that era was Set The Right and it didn't even make the album. It was personal. I'm So Stupid about the culture of showbusiness, Hollywood's ageism, her childhood, Mother & Father, her place in life, X-Static Process. With the exception of Miles Away and Love Spent she hasn't gone that personal since.
So to go from a song like Nothing Fails to a song like Hung Up (which while great is nothing without the Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie sample) is a step back imho. She went from deep meaning to generic. Don't get me wrong not all Confessions was like that. Its one of my favourite albums but lyrically she did go backwards.
Yes, I always thought that. Confessions has a lot of the same themes lyrically as AL. It just has a very different style of music. Yes, Confessions was one of her most iconic releases. I think visually as far as the themes being integrated with the music it was a big improvement over AL. With AL she started out with the dark hair, but then she went back to blonde later in the campaign and for the RIT tour. Confessions is interesting because even though it's a forward modern dance record in some ways, it also has echoes of 70's and 80's dance songs.
That's because each track on there contained a sample. It was a brilliant album. Everything about Confessions is perfect. The lyrics on several tracks however are not really all that. Not compared to the previous 3 albums before it.
Yes, I always thought that. Confessions has a lot of the same themes lyrically as AL. It just has a very different style of music. Yes, Confessions was one of her most iconic releases. I think visually as far as the themes being integrated with the music it was a big improvement over AL. With AL she started out with the dark hair, but then she went back to blonde later in the campaign and for the RIT tour. Confessions is interesting because even though it's a forward modern dance record in some ways, it also has echoes of 70's and 80's dance songs.
What i love with both American Life and Confessions as albums they kinetically marry the coldness and darkness with bright organic light and warm textures to it too....its unparalleled.
And yeah it annoyed me when the AL campaign started so damn cool, every interview was an event and she had such a slick look...yet by the time Hollywood was released she went back to blonde and she had a very "British" kinda look and her outfits looked a bit "plain" bar of course her VMAs in Sept performance it was all very dull in look until the RIT again which was a shame...i just wished she kept her AL look for the majority of 2003.
And yeah COADF as an era had that flow...it had a slow evolution in style from her red tinted/golden blond bangs, her pink leotard/leather jacket which stemmed out into live performances when the album was released then retro style looks came out thn the SOrry video with her metallic purple (my favorite) leotard and longer bangs which she sported at the grammys with the gorillaz for that iconic mashup of Feel good Inc and Hung Up....and then Coachella sported her world tour look which was a more punkish kinda spin on the album look too which was slick. And then for randoms on her Japanese shows she utilised a peroxide bob cut with it
RESULT - 16 months of iconicnessness :cool:
And yeah Confessions i think is what Daft Punk are to do on Random Access Memory...COADF i feel is a checklist of
I think that lyrically across Madonnas albums she has a consistency about all 12 really (13 if you count Im Breathless in the equation) i mean each album has thematic themes that dig beneath the surface...i mean just compare her album release with her contemporaries and you can hear and see how far ahead in the game she is on all fronts.
i mean sure on Confessions Hung Up and I Love New York and Jump are not "lyrically efining" but they are insane fun and can translate into every territory....plus the original demo of Hung Up showcases that the song coud indeed stand on its own boogie boots without the sample...just the inclusion of ABBA on there kinda gave it a bit of a retro feel and time capsular vibe about the song....yes that was the mid 70s...bu this song is mid-00s...infact no its mid 3000s and a great way to introduce and album and an era that odes to the past and pushes to the future. Confessions is not necessarily a step back lyrically...in fact in many ways it is so on par with all her albums really....each album in fact has -
a quirky song
a commercial song or two
a left of centre song at least
a WTF song
a how did that happen song?
American Life is her at her lyrical best. Way more than Ray Of Light imho.
Its not so much being political, the most political song from that era was Set The Right and it didn't even make the album. It was personal. I'm So Stupid about the culture of showbusiness, Hollywood's ageism, her childhood, Mother & Father, her place in life, X-Static Process. With the exception of Miles Away and Love Spent she hasn't gone that personal since.
So to go from a song like Nothing Fails to a song like Hung Up (which while great is nothing without the Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie sample) is a step back imho. She went from deep meaning to generic. Don't get me wrong not all Confessions was like that. Its one of my favourite albums but lyrically she did go backwards.
I like American Life, but I don't think it's her best lyrically. The lyrics have meaning but for me it's too literal and simplistic sometimes like with songs like Mother and Father. I think LAP and ROL are better lyrically because there's more ambiguity and room for interpretation. I don't think it's a matter of going backwards. I think it's just her showing different sides of herself. She's not one thing. She has her serious deep side and her lighthearted sort of goofy side.
Also speaking of Hung Up and the sample i do find it funny that nowadays whenever that riff is heard people think AAAH its Madonna and then it turns out its imme gimme gimme
I like American Life, but I don't think it's her best lyrically. The lyrics have meaning but for me it's too literal and simplistic sometimes like with songs like Mother and Father. I think LAP and ROL are better lyrically because there's more ambiguity and room for interpretation. I don't think it's a matter of going backwards. I think it's just her showing different sides of herself. She's not one thing. She has her serious deep side and her lighthearted sort of goofy side.
I suppose that is true. Madonna probably needs the LAP, ROF and AL's every now and again just to exercise her demons I guess. Which means we are possibly due another one. That could bode well for album 13. Which incase no one has mentioned is Madonna's lucky number.
I like American Life, but I don't think it's her best lyrically. The lyrics have meaning but for me it's too literal and simplistic sometimes like with songs like Mother and Father. I think LAP and ROL are better lyrically because there's more ambiguity and room for interpretation. I don't think it's a matter of going backwards. I think it's just her showing different sides of herself. She's not one thing. She has her serious deep side and her lighthearted sort of goofy side.
Its funny because Kate Bush with Aerial also garnered the same reception M had with Confessions the idea of growing forward and echoes back to the past....funny that :cool:
But yeah i mean the front cover showcases it all really...a blaze os Psychy reds/pinks/orange in the middle of a darkened dance studio...a blaze of colour within a darkened room/atmosphere....and you feel that across the 12 songs...the euphoria and the intensity the coldness and the warmth....its quirky and baroque and i love it
Yeah 13 is Madonnas lucky number, it is a number connected with spirituality too.
As said earlier though MDNA has a relationship with the Music album...i mean Music was her marriage album, moving to a new land style....MDNA was her divorce album and homecoming vibe record....and on MDNA i think we got some of her demons exorcised a lot across it too bar the three singles and the commerciality sounds of Superstar for example....we have a load of demons across the album expelled and confronted and taken down a peg or two too....quite intense really. Which i guess was why it didnt really translate too well worldwide either. Its very all 12 sonvs are 12 different directions...well 16 really...which is a plus and minus in one foul swoop really.
But its provided the landmark for album 13 for her to branch off into a new defining moment...I am ready for a new iconic look, feel, direction anyhow :cool:
Take Beautiful Killer, Some girls, Falling Free, I F-d Up, Im Addicted and Love Spent as seeds for example...throw them in her orchard and see what delicious fruit will grow of it for album 13...
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Yeah Hung Up is her biggest selling single in Europe and i think is her third best selling single of all time behind Like a Prayer and Vogue....However Into The groove is still her biggest selling in the UK i believe...but indeed...i do get fed up with people saying "she hasnt done anything massive/successful/defining since ROL" what balls to it! Music two year later was commercially successful and sold almost as much....7 years later COnfessions also sold almost as much....and AL and Confessions as you say are highly regarded in two different areas of course...but notheless highly regarded!
I personally feel MDNA is a very underrated album. People say Erotica is underrated but even though I like it, I don't think it is, since it was widely praised by fans and the media. Now obviously as far as the promotion and the choice of singles, the MDNA era had its problems. But for me as an album and as music and art, I actually really enjoy it a lot and I don't agree with a lot of Madonna fans who bash it. I also think one reason HC got a lot of press was the other producers on it, such as Timberlake and Timbaland because they are stars in their own right and that made people maybe more interested in it, than MDNA, whose producers aren't as well known to the general public. I personally am not big on HC just because of the whole R&B/hip hop vibe plus I really don't like the artwork on the cover. MDNA to me seems more personal and more Madonna to me regardless of the sales or the promotion or the public perception of it. I think over time fans will come to appreciate MDNA.
By "underrated" it generally mans an album that is either commercially not as successful or critically not as successful compared to previous work so in that sense Erotica, Bedtime Stories and American Life in so many ways are very underrated...but also very much accepted and in time appreciated...I personally despite its success feel Hard Candy is a very underrated album...and in many ways it also feels like a "what if??" album...what if she stuck to her guns a lot more...look how ahead it would have been also...MDNA i must say has gems on it...but ultimately the three singles really havent grown with time unfortunately...but one thing the majority of the songs on MDNA have is that middle of song switch up which i love...the melodies shift up into gear a lot like Im Addicted goes from Throbbing ELectro/disco to a massive Trance finale...Some girls goes from Dub/Techno to a very guitar driven final third of the song, Im A Sinner starts Psychy and then goes all Indian melodically, Love Spent showcases it at its best with Electrodisco style shifting up to more of a punchy/guitar driven finale...so in that sense MDNA showcased this as a strength ultimately not showcased to the world....and i think HC and MDNA have in common that imagery and music do not add up...a massive gamble and weakness in a world where both matters moreso than ever....however i do feel critically MDNA was taken too harshly in some areas...in no way is it a "leap on bandwagon/on trend" style album...i mean Britney, gaga, Katy Perry, RIhanna haven made an album like MDNA...but post-MDNA there has been a rise in EDM in Pop...wonder why??
I have mixed feelings as to where she should go next. She has always had a natural feeling for dance music and she does it well, but as a whole I think the world is becoming bored with EDM so even when someone does a good dance record, people sort of write it off as more of the same and just jumping on the bandwagon. It's hard to stand out in the dance world because there is just so much of it. Looking at music now, the music that is exciting me now is leaning more towards punkish stuff and guitars/bass/drums. I really think that is making a comeback. I'm just becoming really interested in the whole punk thing with the Metropolitan exhibit. There is this great new post-punk female bank called the Savages. They sound like PJ Harvey when she used to be good and accessible. It all started for me with Kate Nash's album where she is the new Courtney Love. I just love the whole female punk riot grrl thing right now. I wish Madonna could somehow tribute that tying it in with the Pussy Riot thing somehow. That is what is exciting to me right now. Madonna has also said how much she admires Patty Smith. The dance thing is just becoming too much the same. Now maybe there is a way she can reinvigorate electronic music somehow, but I just feel if she does another straight up electronic dance record, no matter how good it, is people are not going to pay attention. She needs something slightly different.
Yeah MDNA the singles were a waste...i also feel that vocally she didnt push herself on every song either across the album...it is all so middle of the ground with a mish mash of styles and ideas.
Next up...Alternative Dance/Punk Pop...get ahead of the game Madonna! Marry her earlier Punky looks with lternative Dance and really make a new look and style and reinvention that will be applied to her for the futuremore...something in her last two albums and eras she has never had! I mean M-Dolla? that gang bang pvc suit thing? nah! SOmething iconic and steppin it up several nothces.
I want and would love for her to revisit her "Rock Theatrical Album" ideas and her "Album like a FIlm soundtrack" ideas and blur them together somehow...marry Alternative Dance styles with Punky Pop grooves...i mean Dance music is still very IN and cool and udnerground see Friendly Fires, gossip, Sneaky Sound System, Pnau, Cut Copy etc and the current trend of Alunageorge for example....I reckon Madonna can really push these Indie Dance/Alternative Dance styles and mix it with real Rock music and a raw and powerful vocal too....and agreed her Pussy RIot/Political rebellion has obviously inspired her to make material to showcase this...its how she can utilise these elements.
Maybe create visuals of 1958...Twilight Zone-esque meets I Love Lucy Pop ArtLowbrow artistry and marry them together in imagery...a Comic/Punk look and fuse together Dance and Punk :cool: And push it to the extremes...so ahead of trend and will mark a new peak i reckon...it is so damn possible for her to do!
But I've always thought it's a misnomer to call Madonna an EDM artist or MDNA an EDM album. To me, Madonna is pop/dance. When I hear the word EDM, to me it brings to mind club dj's who do more of the pounding thumping type of music with very limited vocals. Obviously she uses electronics, but I really don't see her as an EDM artist. A lot of EDM music has no personality or point of view. Even on MDNA she brings some originality and personality and attitude to what she does. But a lot of times even fans will say Madonna is an EDM artist, but she really isn't. Madonna has a club influence but on her tours she always adds other influences, whether it's guitar or world music, so she is not limited to purely club culture which to me is so boring and one dimensional.
who has called Madonna an EDM artist??? I mean on her first album ELectronica/Synthpop and Pro Tools were necessary as well as the Pop Dance, Post-Disco vibes and Punkish injection there....Dance has been related to every Madonna album thus far...be it uptempo, mid-tempo or pure adrenaline shot! Even on Confessions On A Dance Floor so many elements across all 12 songs were utilised...much like the people she was influenced by to make that album (Moroder, Rodgers, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode) live instrumentals, classical music, middle eastern influences, tribal, mixed with the Techno, Trance rhythms...so much style utilised...and i dont necessarily think Club culture can be associated (ironically) with "Club music" Club music was and is essentially what EDM is yeah, i mean House music can be progressive, they can tell a story much like in the late 80s and early - mid 90s when House was new and fresh...it was an analysis on pop culture then when it came out...and over the years it lost itself in so many ways..then all of a sudden we saw an emergence of Lady gaga, Black EYed Peas etc making "EDM" for commercial use and ever since we have seen Skrillex, guetta, Deadmau5 basically Popping it up and ating "edgy" when in reality there is basically nothing real stemmed from there....And like isaid earlier MDNA actually feels like a sequel to Music....Music was about Marriage and the quest for her new life...MDNA is about divrce and her yearning back to her earlier life....a homecoming Divorce Disco album....well she is back, she got pised several times and now she is ready to take it all on.
Cause quite frankly Pop right now bores me....its a yawn fest and we need Madonna back to bring something exciting out please...it upsets me...
I rate it in my top 6 Madonna albums though. From 1995 right up until 2005 she was maturing her style of lyrics really well and was taking on her position as a matriarchal figure quite well. While I love Confessions it was a backward step and a panic because of American Life under performing. That I think has harmed the rest of her career. The last time it felt like Madonna really had anything to say was American Life. She has been great on the MDNA tour. For her next album she needs to put that emotion into the record. Say something real again. She is obviously pissed off at elements of society. Its time for her to put it down in lyrics once more. Stop singing about turning up the radio and start singing about how you are being sued for standing up for gays in Moscow. That's what Madonna always did best and its what made her stand out more.
Sorry for going off topic but MDNA did come up..
I also agree with Josh this time. Pop is starting to get so boring again. The dance craze is dying back out. While Madonna has always had dance within her its not always been there. Some of her greatest moments aren't even dance led. Take A Bow is her biggest hit in America for example. I would like to see her try something similar to what Kate Nash has just done with her recent album.
I like Take a Bow, but I'm not sure I want Madonna to go in that direction. To me, it seems a little mainstream and conventional for her. Madonna has always done ballads along with the dance. There are ballads on MDNA. It was only in that limited period in the 90's that she did all ballads. I love her ballads but I don't think I want an album of all ballads. I thought I was the only one who loved Kate Nash's album. I love that Riot Grrl sound from the 90's. But even though that's probably my favourite style of music generally, I'm not sure that style would sound good with Madonna's voice. I don't 'think her voice sounds good with loud guitars. But I can see her doing something like the softer songs on Girl Talk such as 3.a.m. or Are you there, Sweetheart? But I don't think her voice would work with the more screamy songs on there even though I love them.
Plus she id it on a few performance of Turn Up The Radio too
People say Music lacks direction but honestly I like albums that have more than one kind of music. I tend to get bored with albums where ever song is in the exact same style. That's one of the things I also like about MDNA. I like American Life but I'm not sure if I like the motherly super mature Madonna. I felt in some ways she was playing a role and trying to be what Guy and society wanted. I like her youthful playful spirit and I'm glad it came back. I love American Life, but I'm not sure I wanted her to continue in that direction. It was too serious and pedantic for me. I don't think Confessions was a step back. I think she needed that to feel happy and carefree again. Confessions was a high point and I do think it has good lyrics.
I totally agree with her political opinions, but I really don't want an album of all political lectures. For me, the Madonna songs that have touched me the most are not political, but are personal about relationships and heart break. For most of the career, Madonna has been outspoken politically in interviews, but in her lyrics she is more universal and personal. Even American Life wasn't political per se.
Yes, I love all those songs. Those are the kind of slower songs I like. Take A Bow was a big hit but it's more of a conventional AC ballad. I would like to see her do more mid tempo stuff.
The only song that had a political motive on American Life....was the song American Life
Ironically i find AL was an album mainly consisting of culture shift, of what was right and wrong in the world, of what constructs and what destroys...Funnily enough i find these same themes on Confessions On A Dance Floor...again definitely not a "step back" musically...in fact very much a continuation of moving forward...in fact the only song "commecially viable" recorded for that purpose was perhaps Jump....catchy, free, thumping....Hung Up was a risky song and was a surprise massive worldwide hit (even top 10 in the US despite their radio blacklisting of her) Again shwocasing that doing a "Dance album" where Hip Hop/Urban/R&B was the top of the commercial ladder 2004 - 2006 it was a massive massive gamble and it paid off...
COnfessions very much was an album of self analysis, musical variation, a return to her musical roots and the blend of sounds from Underground America in 2005, trends in Dance across the UK and Europe on the up and of course a love letter to the songs that MADE Dance....Ironically DIsco was a rebellion against the political agendas across the 1970s...so you could say this continuation from American Life and the Iraq wars going on this was a finger up to the world at the time too....But you cannot deny the musical variation, the layers and the consistency musically across Confessions...very much the relationship of singer/songwriter and producer and Price himself has mentioned it a lot and comapred his work with others post-Confessions to their sessions together.....Confessions stands as her most recent masterpeice album in terms of expertly directed cohesiveness, imagery iconic, mainstream awareness, commercial viability and a massive ass era and world tour to go with it...perfection.
Its like Madonna needs to kinda find that blend of her work with Leonard, Bray, Pettibone, Betts, Orbit, Mirwais, Price, Benitez, Lucas over the last 30 years and push it into a new direction...maybe produce it herself even :eek::cool:
I do love her work with Babyface, Dallas Austin and Nelle Hooper on Bedtime Stories....you can tell it was set to be a soft sequel to Erotica in many aspects...having an experimental feel but a far more commercial agenda to latch onto the current rise in R&B within Pop music...again pushed even further on that album too...but i have to say Take A Bow is one of the most typical "Ballad Ballads" that is indeed a rarity in Madonas catalogue which most likely is the reason why it is her longest charting hit in American history.
Yes, I always thought that. Confessions has a lot of the same themes lyrically as AL. It just has a very different style of music. Yes, Confessions was one of her most iconic releases. I think visually as far as the themes being integrated with the music it was a big improvement over AL. With AL she started out with the dark hair, but then she went back to blonde later in the campaign and for the RIT tour. Confessions is interesting because even though it's a forward modern dance record in some ways, it also has echoes of 70's and 80's dance songs.
Its not so much being political, the most political song from that era was Set The Right and it didn't even make the album. It was personal. I'm So Stupid about the culture of showbusiness, Hollywood's ageism, her childhood, Mother & Father, her place in life, X-Static Process. With the exception of Miles Away and Love Spent she hasn't gone that personal since.
So to go from a song like Nothing Fails to a song like Hung Up (which while great is nothing without the Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie sample) is a step back imho. She went from deep meaning to generic. Don't get me wrong not all Confessions was like that. Its one of my favourite albums but lyrically she did go backwards.
That's because each track on there contained a sample. It was a brilliant album. Everything about Confessions is perfect. The lyrics on several tracks however are not really all that. Not compared to the previous 3 albums before it.
Just my take.
What i love with both American Life and Confessions as albums they kinetically marry the coldness and darkness with bright organic light and warm textures to it too....its unparalleled.
And yeah it annoyed me when the AL campaign started so damn cool, every interview was an event and she had such a slick look...yet by the time Hollywood was released she went back to blonde and she had a very "British" kinda look and her outfits looked a bit "plain" bar of course her VMAs in Sept performance it was all very dull in look until the RIT again which was a shame...i just wished she kept her AL look for the majority of 2003.
And yeah COADF as an era had that flow...it had a slow evolution in style from her red tinted/golden blond bangs, her pink leotard/leather jacket which stemmed out into live performances when the album was released then retro style looks came out thn the SOrry video with her metallic purple (my favorite) leotard and longer bangs which she sported at the grammys with the gorillaz for that iconic mashup of Feel good Inc and Hung Up....and then Coachella sported her world tour look which was a more punkish kinda spin on the album look too which was slick. And then for randoms on her Japanese shows she utilised a peroxide bob cut with it
RESULT - 16 months of iconicnessness :cool:
And yeah Confessions i think is what Daft Punk are to do on Random Access Memory...COADF i feel is a checklist of
1960s - Psychadelia Pop
1970s - Disco/Punk
1980s - Synthpop/New Wave
1990s - House/Trance
2000s - Electronica/Techno
merged together and pushed forward to the future....beautiful
i mean sure on Confessions Hung Up and I Love New York and Jump are not "lyrically efining" but they are insane fun and can translate into every territory....plus the original demo of Hung Up showcases that the song coud indeed stand on its own boogie boots without the sample...just the inclusion of ABBA on there kinda gave it a bit of a retro feel and time capsular vibe about the song....yes that was the mid 70s...bu this song is mid-00s...infact no its mid 3000s and a great way to introduce and album and an era that odes to the past and pushes to the future. Confessions is not necessarily a step back lyrically...in fact in many ways it is so on par with all her albums really....each album in fact has -
a quirky song
a commercial song or two
a left of centre song at least
a WTF song
a how did that happen song?
Its practically a written rule
I like American Life, but I don't think it's her best lyrically. The lyrics have meaning but for me it's too literal and simplistic sometimes like with songs like Mother and Father. I think LAP and ROL are better lyrically because there's more ambiguity and room for interpretation. I don't think it's a matter of going backwards. I think it's just her showing different sides of herself. She's not one thing. She has her serious deep side and her lighthearted sort of goofy side.
I suppose that is true. Madonna probably needs the LAP, ROF and AL's every now and again just to exercise her demons I guess. Which means we are possibly due another one. That could bode well for album 13. Which incase no one has mentioned is Madonna's lucky number.
Its funny because Kate Bush with Aerial also garnered the same reception M had with Confessions the idea of growing forward and echoes back to the past....funny that :cool:
But yeah i mean the front cover showcases it all really...a blaze os Psychy reds/pinks/orange in the middle of a darkened dance studio...a blaze of colour within a darkened room/atmosphere....and you feel that across the 12 songs...the euphoria and the intensity the coldness and the warmth....its quirky and baroque and i love it
As said earlier though MDNA has a relationship with the Music album...i mean Music was her marriage album, moving to a new land style....MDNA was her divorce album and homecoming vibe record....and on MDNA i think we got some of her demons exorcised a lot across it too bar the three singles and the commerciality sounds of Superstar for example....we have a load of demons across the album expelled and confronted and taken down a peg or two too....quite intense really. Which i guess was why it didnt really translate too well worldwide either. Its very all 12 sonvs are 12 different directions...well 16 really...which is a plus and minus in one foul swoop really.
But its provided the landmark for album 13 for her to branch off into a new defining moment...I am ready for a new iconic look, feel, direction anyhow :cool:
Take Beautiful Killer, Some girls, Falling Free, I F-d Up, Im Addicted and Love Spent as seeds for example...throw them in her orchard and see what delicious fruit will grow of it for album 13...