She may not be our usual listening (although I will still defend the Like A Prayer album and The Immaculate Collection still gets a spin every now and again), but she is almost certainly a cultural icon and has been around as long as a lot of us.
When I was younger, the expectation of a female artist that was approaching 70, would very much be Easy Listening, appearances on Val Doonican etc etc. The new long form video that has just been released by Madonna is kinda like that……
– lasers firing from crotches – check
– raunchiness in a male toilet (with Richard E Grant, Benny Cummerbund….) – check
– Kate Moss and references to cocaine – check
I like it.
I am a bit scared to press play above, but I have been a fan in the past. Think most of the albums up to Ray of Light were good to great. After that, I kind of gave up apart from seeing her live once in 2005 which was an interesting experience
Far be it for me to be telling ANY nearly 70 year old woman, let alone one of global fame what she should be doing, and she has obviously made many songs that millions of people love, but to me it all just seems like so much EFFORT has gone into it all…the hours, days and months in the gym, the choreographed and extremely studied videos, the obsessive attempt to try and look current to the Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa generation…none of it looks like it has any genuine spontaneity, joy or fun present. It looks like a sort of curated “sexiness” that is seen in adverts, which I guess is what the video actually is, an advertisement to sell the idea of Madonna, the cultural icon, being back and still a contender. And oh yes, the song… it’s not exactly “Into The Groove” is it? Still…bet it’s massive.
Hear, hear. I liked her when she didn’t have to try, and lost interest after “Ray of Light”. She now has all the credibility of Motley Crue or Guns n’ Roses affecting to remain dangerous rock n’ roll. Interestingly, they are (allegedly) keen users of pre-recorded backing tracks for vocals, too.
I like the song, although the tune/beat seems to come and go quite a bit over the course of the 10-minute video.
But as you say, the whole thing feels a bit forced and not much fun. I imagine every single ingredient was planned to the nth degree, and it doesn’t have the more carefree, spontaneous attitude of some of her earlier work (even if, say, the video for Justify My Love – to pick one vid that got a lot of attention – was ruthlessly planned, it looked more relaxed and certainly more fun).
I’m a long-term fan, and she’s done some great songs and albums, but I fear the days when a new Madonna video was a headline grabber are well behind us.
Mind you, those laser beams coming from her crotch must really sting. Don’t try it kids.
But is it “a song”? If you stay all through the credits it ends with four or five song titles with the credit for each one of them. So is this video a sort of song sampler in videoform, all remixed together?
That would explain why it was a bit all over the place!
I remember many years ago when she released her,at the time, highly controversial coffee table book SEX. If I recall there was a full page photo of her vagina. As far as I know it wasn’t a double.
No idea why she would want to do this but it wasn’t quite as awful as the pointy bra.
She has made some great records but not for a very long time.
Double vagina? Interesting!
My wife will tell me here to point out it was likely her vulva, rather than the vaginal cavern behind it.
A couple of TMFTL candidates there!
Also: “has made some great records but not for a very long time” could refer to quite a few of the acts who get the lion’s share of the coverage on this here blorum..
I started but I didn’t finish. Bland song/s. Video made me concentrate on how they shot it to make Madonna look younger. It may as well have been a cartoon.
Madonna is my age. As would be Prince and Michael Jackson if they were alive. Last time I was her, I didn’t recognise her because of “work”. I have to say, her face has settled and she looks amazing. She is moving her smoothly, though not exactly dancing. I couldn’t stand up in those heels, let alone walk.
Post Ray Of Light, Music and Confessions Of The Dancefloor are pretty good.
She doesn’t look amazing.
People who are natural look amazing.
I saw her described very recently as “The Trigger’s Broom of Pop”. Not sure that it’s deserved, but it did make me laugh.
Fair play to Madonna. She fought and won her battle to look, sound and act however she chooses a very long time ago. In fact, that was always rather the point.
Did you notice Cole Palmer (Chelsea) in the bathroom/toilet scene. (As confirmed in credits). No wonder his form tailed off.
Was he snorting white powder?