August
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Post by August on Apr 15, 2020 8:45:23 GMT -5
A year later, anyone have any insight into what some of the imagery in the Medellin video means? For example: -The prayer scene at the beginning of the video -MX wearing the robe, looking frightened, running at night, continuously looking behind her -the scenes with MX standing on the ground and the horseman dressed all in black, riding the white horse For me, the Medellin video built up expectations of a continuous story to be played out during the rest of Madame X era. Expectations that ended up not being fully fleshed out. A lot of her themes are rarely fully fleshed out or they are brief. It reminds me of what she has been doing in the bulk of her 'reinventions." She launches each era with a theme and then it morphs into something else by the second or third single. I actually kind of like the shape-shifting as it keeps things interesting. Like a Prayer had morphed into a different look and theme by the time she rolled out Express Yourself...Bedtime Stories shifted by the time she released Take a Bow...Ray of Light went through a big change from Frozen to Ray of Light to Power of Goodbye to Nothing Really Matters (Goth - electronic - lush romantic - geisha)...Music (R&B ghetto fabulous...cowgirl...Tarantino badass)...etc. Madame X sort of stuck to a general idea. The whole premise was that you never really knew who Madame X was because she took on all these different disguises / personas...dancer, spiritual teacher, lover, politician, etc. She explored each theme in the videos. I liked it, but to your point, it shifted around and didn't stick to a continuous storyline. In the live show, her performance of "I Don't Search I Find" held a lot of promise and could have served as the launching point of the era in its idea...she is pursued and she changes guises to outrun all those seeking her. She could have done more with that to launch the era. But in total, I was not disappointed with how she executed, just with how quickly she would drop an idea and move to the next. I would started out with the idea of being pursued and shifting guises and use that to tie each video together. She is more of an album / video artists these days as opposed to a singles artist..so it would make more sense to tie an entire body of work together.
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PGriffin
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Post by PGriffin on Apr 15, 2020 8:59:21 GMT -5
I had never heard burning up before the Lip sync for Your Life on Drag Race last week. I must admit I'm not really familiar with her music pre Bedtime Stories.
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August
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Post by August on Apr 15, 2020 10:16:21 GMT -5
I had never heard burning up before the Lip sync for Your Life on Drag Race last week. I must admit I'm not really familiar with her music pre Bedtime Stories. You must be a youngin' :) I remember listening to Burning Up in 7th grade, way back in 1983.
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PGriffin
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Post by PGriffin on Apr 15, 2020 10:36:12 GMT -5
I had never heard burning up before the Lip sync for Your Life on Drag Race last week. I must admit I'm not really familiar with her music pre Bedtime Stories. You must be a youngin' I remember listening to Burning Up in 7th grade, way back in 1983. Uhhh....I was born in 85 so not really. I am more familiar with pop music post 1993. I did listen to some of her albums from the 80's this morning though.
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chartfreak
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Post by chartfreak on Apr 15, 2020 16:16:39 GMT -5
You must be a youngin' I remember listening to Burning Up in 7th grade, way back in 1983. Uhhh....I was born in 85 so not really. I am more familiar with pop music post 1993. I did listen to some of her albums from the 80's this morning though. Did you enjoy what you heard?
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jumpb4uthink
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Post by jumpb4uthink on Apr 15, 2020 16:34:48 GMT -5
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Post by rizingforce on Apr 16, 2020 5:57:27 GMT -5
Madonna needs to stop her ramblings on twitter and Instagram posts . The Madame X Era is over and done with. Madonna please get some quality rest and come back in the next couple of years stronger physically, mentally and for god sakes MUSICALLY!
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Dreams
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Post by Dreams on Apr 16, 2020 6:44:56 GMT -5
"Crazy For You" at #66?! fuck off!!
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spiritboy
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Post by spiritboy on Apr 16, 2020 8:19:16 GMT -5
I can't complain about music because Madame X is a great album. I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it surely made her fanbase happy.
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PGriffin
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Post by PGriffin on Apr 16, 2020 8:39:28 GMT -5
Uhhh....I was born in 85 so not really. I am more familiar with pop music post 1993. I did listen to some of her albums from the 80's this morning though. Did you enjoy what you heard? I did! I need to spend more time with her earlier albums. I had no Vogue was from a soundtrack :| . I need to brush up on my Madonna trivia.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 16, 2020 8:47:03 GMT -5
May not agree with all, but an interesting article on Blond Ambition (one of a number, as it is the 30th anniversary). A nice throwback to "The Madonna Studies" days, when there were countless articles, essays, books, etc. written about her and her impact/influence/legacy. www.lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-death-and-life-of-blond-ambition-madonnas-entrancing-contradictions/PGriffin- I'm Breathless is "Music From and Inspired By the Film Dick Tracy"- not technically a soundtrack, as just three of the recordings are heard in the film (a fourth, "Now I'm Following You," is sung solo by a male). Billboard charted it on Soundtrack Album Sales recently, nonetheless, after the vinyl reissue. And glad you enjoyed your exploration into early M. :)
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So Pure
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Post by So Pure on Apr 16, 2020 9:08:29 GMT -5
What a fucking hit piece...especially when it comes to her most recent work. No, “Turn Up The Radio” is no “Into The Groove” but those heights aren’t reached easily.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 16, 2020 12:10:38 GMT -5
Just a general FYI- Slant first posted the Singles Ranked list in 2018 (78 singles); this update was done to include the MX singles.
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chartfreak
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Post by chartfreak on Apr 16, 2020 12:17:03 GMT -5
Some videos approaching their next milestone! (Hey, I'm bored in quarantine.) GMAYL 75.9 million Live To Tell 56.9 million Take A Bow 19.9 million God Control 6.9 million Bad Girl 5.9 million Erotica (Confessions) 2.9 million
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 17, 2020 14:58:07 GMT -5
One year ago, Medellin premiered!
I'm not a big fan of it, but they should have pushed it worldwide as an official single.
Spotify:
Medellin 48,134,195
I think it's #10 for her top Spotify songs.
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Juanca
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Post by Juanca on Apr 17, 2020 15:08:17 GMT -5
One year ago, Medellin premiered! I'm not a big fan of it, but they should have pushed it worldwide as an official single. Spotify: Medellin 48,134,195 I think it's #10 for her top Spotify songs. Fully agree! Any kind of push would’ve helped. The music and video premieres were great and all, but on Wednesday? And the live performance was cool, but could’ve been more effective with some sort of push. A radio edit was needed to make it shorter and easier to appreciate. But I think it was worth it. Fun song!
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josh
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Post by josh on Apr 17, 2020 15:15:10 GMT -5
Madonna videos that I’m surprised don’t have more views on YouTube: -Ghosttown -Die Another Day -Don't Tell Me -Music -Ray Of Light -Frozen -Human Nature -Bedtime Story -Take A Bow -Rain -Express Yourself (really needs to be upgraded to 4K) -Open Your Heart
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jumpb4uthink
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Post by jumpb4uthink on Apr 17, 2020 15:42:03 GMT -5
Medellin just gets better and better when played on good headphones.
Many of M’s YouTube videos were wiped clean when her channel got its shit together. Never did understand why her views were not combined for each video.
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HolidayGuy
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Post by HolidayGuy on Apr 17, 2020 16:49:03 GMT -5
www.billboard.com/articles/news/9359004/madonna-blond-ambition-world-tourHow Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour Changed Pop Concerts Forever4/17/2020 by Jon O'Brien "I know that I'm not the best singer and I know that I'm not the best dancer. But, I can f---ing push people's buttons and be as provocative as I want. This tour's goal is to break useless taboos." There was only one all-singing, all-dancing chart-topper who could get away with such a bold declaration at the turn of the '90s, and it wasn't Paula Abdul. From the moment that she writhed around suggestively in a wedding dress at the 1984 MTV VMAs, Madonna became the live act that you couldn't -- and didn't want to -- take your eyes off. Singing in front of a traditional guitar-bass-drums trio was never going to cut it for the woman seemingly hellbent on shocking middle America. Then the undisputed Queen of Pop by quite a margin, Madonna had already toyed with the theatrical on 1987's Who's That Girl Tour, a whirlwind of glitzy costume changes, giant video screens and dramatic reenactments that she described as "Broadway in a stadium." But 1990's Blond Ambition -- which kicked off 30 years ago -- took Madge's natural sense of showmanship to new heights. Madonna asked Jean-Paul Gaultier to create more than 60 costumes for the tour, an amount which the haute couture designer admits took 350 aspirins to get through. Luckily, all this headache-inducing work paid off. The Frenchman's conical bra creation, which was later sold at auction for $52,000, became one of the defining fashion statements of the decade. And items such as the polka-dotted blouse, clip-on ponytail and mic headset all became a part of the chart-topper's style legacy, too. Unsurprisingly, Madonna was just as fastidious when it came to the tour's choreography. "Wimps and wannabes need not apply" read the call out seeking "fierce male dancers" for the tour. Led by Vincent Paterson, the chosen army of six were put through boot camp-like rehearsals in preparation for a tour that spanned 57 dates, five months and three continents. And with its large hydraulic platform and multiple elaborate sets, Blond Ambition's staging essentially cost the same as the GDP of a small country. Simply no one else could compete, not even the King to Madonna's Queen of Pop. A few years prior, Michael Jackson's Bad Tour had impressed many with its slick moves and dazzling lights – even the BBC's cult hero John Peel hailed it as a "performance of matchless virtuosity." But Madge's elaborative high-concept, five-act production left it for dust. Blond Ambition didn't give fans a single opportunity to get bored or head for the bar. Every four minutes there was something new to digest. Take the opening 'Metropolis' section, inspired by the expressionist sci-fi of Fritz Lang, for example. Madonna simulates sex in that bra while performing "Express Yourself," straddles a chair during "Open Your Heart" and belts out "Causing a Commotion" while playfully wrestling her two backing vocalists to the ground. And this was just the first quarter of an hour. As you'd expect from an artist whose Pepsi commercial had been yanked amidst calls of blasphemy, the second 'Religious' section was even more attention-grabbing. Wildly rubbing her crotch in a red velvet bed, Madonna left little to the imagination on a sensual reworking of "Like a Virgin." And on "Like a Prayer," the track whose provocative video had caused the soft drink giants to bail, the star and her crew are kitted out as nuns and priests. Of course, much of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation of Italy didn't appreciate this type of cosplay. A second date at the Stadio Flaminio was called off after none other than Pope John Paul II implored citizens to boycott "one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity." The controversial blend of religion and erotica also incurred the wrath of the Toronto police force, particularly the "lewd and obscene" display of "Like a Virgin." But despite the threat of arrest, Madonna and her management team refused to bow down to authority. The star even referenced the furor during her second show at the city's SkyDome, asking the crowd "Do you think that I'm a bad girl?... I hope so." Madonna famously described Toronto as a fascist state in Truth or Dare, the illuminating backstage documentary which further boosted Blond Ambition's pop cultural cachet. Who can forget the scene where the star pretends to gag after Kevin Costner – then the biggest movie star in the world – summarizes 105 minutes of sense-assaulting, boundary-pushing entertainment as "neat"? Thankfully, the sell-out crowds reacted to the tour with a little more enthusiasm, even the Dick Tracy section featuring several numbers that would have been unfamiliar at the time. The comic book adaptation, which co-starred Madonna as femme fatale Breathless Mahoney, hit the big screen half-way through Blond Ambition's run. And the ever-astute star attempted to guide fans towards the cinema with a high-kicking third act dedicated to the trench coat-wearing detective. But for sheer entertainment value, the 'Art Deco' segment is tough to beat. Sporting a pink bathrobe and curlers while seated under a beauty parlor hair dryer, Madonna performed the whole of "Material Girl" in a comical Noo-Yawk accent before throwing fake dollar bills into the crowd. "Cherish" saw the star take up the harp accompanied by (what else?) a troupe of dancing mermen. And following a West Side Story-inspired routine for arguably her finest pure pop moment, "Into the Groove," she wrapped things up with a faithful recreation of the iconic "Vogue" video. By the time each and every crew member bids an on-stage farewell during the Bob Fosse-meets-A Clockwork Orange encore of "Keep it Together," it's clear that you've just witnessed a spectacle of ground-breaking proportions. As dancer Luis Camacho said, Madonna "wanted to give the audience an experience, rather than them just going to a concert. She set the stage for concert shows and experiences that followed." The tour even impressed Grammy voters, who were notoriously slow to recognize Madonna's greatness. The video of the tour won the 1991 award for best music video, long form -- Madonna's very first Grammy Award. Sure enough, no longer were audiences content to watch their pop idol simply play the hits. Elaborate production values and strong narrative arcs soon became just as integral to the superstar tour as the music itself. You only have to look at Michael Jackson's Dangerous shows, complete with catapult stunts and ghoulish illusions, two years later to recognize the immediate impact Blond Ambition had. And it has continued to inspire pop's A-listers ever since. Without Blond Ambition, it's unlikely we'd have the gravity-defying acrobatics of P!nk, the candy-colored razzmatazz of Katy Perry or the formidable conceptual journeys of Beyoncé. And it goes without saying that its footprints were all over the various balls staged by Lady Gaga. Madonna herself has refused to rest on her laurels, going even bigger and bolder on the likes of 1993's The Girlie Show, 2004's Re-Invention and 2008's Sticky and Sweet. But nothing has ever changed the game quite like her extremely blond and incredibly ambitious 1990 world tour.
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 17, 2020 18:53:32 GMT -5
Medellin is #11:
Madonna's Top 20 most streamed songs on Spotify all-time (merging album + compilation + radio edit versions):
1 - Like a Prayer - 169.472.793 2 - Material Girl - 153.962.682 3 - 4 Minutes - 129.683.782 4 - Like a Virgin - 129.547.184 5 - Hung Up - 113.355.551 6 - Vogue - 104.236.415 7 - La Isla Bonita - 102.349.961 8 - Holiday - 80.828.858 9 - B**** I'm Madonna - 60.737.650 10 - Into the Groove - 48.274.465
11 - Medellín - 48.134.195 12 - Frozen - 45.950.361 13 - Papa Don't Preach - 45.433.997 14 - Crazy for You - 39.091.679 15 - Music - 34.336.244 16 - Ray of Light - 29.929.230 17 - Sorry - 28.958.840 18 - Faz Gostoso - 28.928.534 19 - Living For Love - 28.768.104 20 - Express Yourself - 26.974.619
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August
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Post by August on Apr 18, 2020 7:30:48 GMT -5
This mix has always been my favorite mix of "Erotica" It really brings the bassline forward and feels very dark and sexy.
This mix has been credited to Ralphi Rosario on Youtube. I recall reading an article long ago that he did this mix for the Black Party. He had also submitted it her label, but Madonna rejected it because she felt it was TOO underground or something. Whatever that is supposed to mean. I think it is actually better than some of the other mixes that focus a lot on the "Jungle Boogie" sample. But really, there is no bad mix of Erotica. It was such a sexy jam.
Anyway, just enjoy. :)
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 19, 2020 9:02:54 GMT -5
SPOTIFY UPDATE through 4/16/20
ALBUM TOTAL STREAMS
Like A Virgin 306.600.962 Like A Prayer 224.428.531 True Blue 213.689.697 Rebel Heart 211.015.539 Confessions on a Dance Floor 197.736.442 Hard Candy 178.808.623 Madonna 143.832.068 Madame X 143.144.437 Ray of Light 122.395.164 I'm Breathless 110.027.922 Music 88.148.613 MDNA 86.813.662 American Life 49.621.405 Bedtime Stories 48.816.584 Erotica 33.931.576
10 albums over 110 million
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Wolfy
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Post by Wolfy on Apr 20, 2020 18:20:27 GMT -5
A link for those that haven't seen it:
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Post by areyoureadytojump on Apr 22, 2020 8:46:49 GMT -5
The album "American Life" came out 17 years ago.
I remember going to buy it at Media Play. They had 300 copies!
Had their buyers heard the first single? A lot of these were going to be returned.
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Chelsea Press 2
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Post by Chelsea Press 2 on Apr 22, 2020 22:01:28 GMT -5
Babyface shared a story about MJ, Madonna and the "In the Closet" video
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August
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Post by August on Apr 23, 2020 7:12:35 GMT -5
Babyface shared a story about MJ, Madonna and the "In the Closet" video When she was launching the Erotica album, she did an interview with Jonathan Ross where she discussed "In The Closet." She said that she asked MJ if he knew what "In The Closet" implied. He said that he did. So she presented her ideas to him and he didn't like any of them so they didn't do the song together. He then recorded it with an artist who was credited as "Mystery Girl." Years later it was revealed that "Mystery Girl" was actually Princess Stephanie of Monaco.
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Carlitoz
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Post by Carlitoz on Apr 23, 2020 11:23:37 GMT -5
This mix has always been my favorite mix of "Erotica" It really brings the bassline forward and feels very dark and sexy. This mix has been credited to Ralphi Rosario on Youtube. I recall reading an article long ago that he did this mix for the Black Party. He had also submitted it her label, but Madonna rejected it because she felt it was TOO underground or something. Whatever that is supposed to mean. I think it is actually better than some of the other mixes that focus a lot on the "Jungle Boogie" sample. But really, there is no bad mix of Erotica. It was such a sexy jam. Anyway, just enjoy. :) LOVE IT!! Was it ever made commercially available??
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August
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Post by August on Apr 23, 2020 15:33:04 GMT -5
This mix has always been my favorite mix of "Erotica" It really brings the bassline forward and feels very dark and sexy. This mix has been credited to Ralphi Rosario on Youtube. I recall reading an article long ago that he did this mix for the Black Party. He had also submitted it her label, but Madonna rejected it because she felt it was TOO underground or something. Whatever that is supposed to mean. I think it is actually better than some of the other mixes that focus a lot on the "Jungle Boogie" sample. But really, there is no bad mix of Erotica. It was such a sexy jam. Anyway, just enjoy. :) LOVE IT!! Was it ever made commercially available?? No. It is in his private collection for events he spins at. Like I said, he ultimately used it for the Black Party when Madonna rejected it. I just think it is so hot.
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August
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Post by August on Apr 23, 2020 15:35:44 GMT -5
Speaking of rejected mixes, this is another one that she turned down. This ended up being my all-time favorite mix of "Bedtime Story" by Peter Rauhofer (RIP).
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Chelsea Press 2
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Post by Chelsea Press 2 on Apr 23, 2020 16:18:53 GMT -5
This mix has always been my favorite mix of "Erotica" It really brings the bassline forward and feels very dark and sexy. This mix has been credited to Ralphi Rosario on Youtube. I recall reading an article long ago that he did this mix for the Black Party. He had also submitted it her label, but Madonna rejected it because she felt it was TOO underground or something. Whatever that is supposed to mean. I think it is actually better than some of the other mixes that focus a lot on the "Jungle Boogie" sample. But really, there is no bad mix of Erotica. It was such a sexy jam. Anyway, just enjoy. :) LOVE IT!! Was it ever made commercially available?? No. It was a on a CDr along with an acapella piece from that remix that circulated. The full mix is around 11 minutes and includes some of "You Thrill Me" later in it. Below is the long mix but has the acapella piece at the beginning.
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