Madonna

[Mer 52,726]

2 minutes ago, the ocean said:

ohh ok

that video is honestly probably one of the best things i've ever seen in my life - it's absolutely terrifying to watch but it's completely true and she had BALLS for doing that especially after the music era

also i don't think that the VMA's helped either

and that's just scratching the surface there was probably other stuff going on behind the scenes

i think that's the only time i think where she had to do TRUE damage control and she never fully recovered from it - of course she still had a lot of success from confessions & hard candy but she pretty much free fell after the super bowl in the US

and she wasn't even the only person that this happened to
not the right thread though

the directors cut of the video (with a different ending) is even more violent. It features a woman screaming on fire, and a soldiers leg being blown off during the fashion show. 
 

I understand why she pulled it tho. She had a family to protect. 

[Mer 52,726]

I forgot how graphic and violent the "God Control" video is. Truly one of her best songs from the modern era. If it was on COADF everyone would be eating it up. 

[sempervirens 15,232]

I wish a thousand plagues on the bloodlines of all scalpers who are hoarding the finally enough love 6lp vinyl at such exorbitant prices

[Inferno Euphoria 6,483]

3 hours ago, Mer said:

I forgot how graphic and violent the "God Control" video is. Truly one of her best songs from the modern era. If it was on COADF everyone would be eating it up. 

If only the vocals weren't so badly edited it would be her best song of the last decade

[the ocean 67,623]

2 hours ago, Inferno Euphoria said:

If only the vocals weren't so badly edited it would be her best song of the last decade

i don’t even hear what you’re talking about here

[Inferno Euphoria 6,483]

On 12/22/2022 at 1:30 AM, the ocean said:

i don’t even hear what you’re talking about here

The robotic mumble effect (Especially on the first verse) is laughably bad, I almost always listen to a radio edit that cuts the beginning off

[Let the Light In 15,347]

The Power of TikTok

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2gDxombRu8s5Acs8EPKpqt?si=Pw3PM-xiQ72iNeP2hSKIsw

[the ocean 67,623]

3 minutes ago, Thoth said:

The Power of TikTok

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2gDxombRu8s5Acs8EPKpqt?si=Pw3PM-xiQ72iNeP2hSKIsw

is this official or is this a fan upload….

[Let the Light In 15,347]

1 minute ago, the ocean said:

is this official or is this a fan upload….

It’s official, planned to be released tomorrow.

[the ocean 67,623]

1 minute ago, Thoth said:

It’s official, planned to be released tomorrow.

her tik tok pandering era 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

[Let the Light In 15,347]

25 minutes ago, the ocean said:

her tik tok pandering era 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

If it means we will get more unreleased songs or demos being officially released, I’m here for it. Artists like Lana, Madonna and Kesha have so many good unreleased stuff.

[SoftwareUpgrade 19,231]

35 minutes ago, Thoth said:

The Power of TikTok

 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2gDxombRu8s5Acs8EPKpqt?si=Pw3PM-xiQ72iNeP2hSKIsw

What's this (I don't wanna click the link )

[the ocean 67,623]

4 minutes ago, SoftwareUpgrade said:

What's this (I don't wanna click the link )

it’s a real spotify link - the 2014 back that up to the beat demo is getting released as a single tomorrow because of tiktok

[Im a ghost now 9,426]

Ummm can she release all the Erotica demos next? I'd collapse 

[willfoshizzle 1,376]

3 hours ago, Thoth said:

It’s official, planned to be released tomorrow.

WOW that’s pretty crazy tbh 

rebel heart avicii version next pls 

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,309]

On 12/24/2022 at 2:58 AM, Inferno Euphoria said:

The robotic mumble effect (Especially on the first verse) is laughably bad, I almost always listen to a radio edit that cuts the beginning off

Didn't she do that on purpose to create the effect of her speaking through her clenched teeth/sewn together lips?

Basically this:

 

 

[the ocean 67,623]

quoting from the unpopular music opinions thread but it deserves to be posted here too

Just now, the ocean said:

tbh my madonna album ranking probably qualifies as an unpopular opinion so let me just post it

  Hide contents

proper albums, plus the Who's That Girl soundtrack, I'm Breathless & Something To Remember are listed as normal - other albums I felt were notable enough to rate but aren't proper albums or the listed exceptions I italicized

*ascending* (virtually perfect, all killer no filler)

American Life
Erotica

(these 2 are equally rated at 10/10 - they're basically perfect albums to me where every song is memorable and contributes to the album, excellent sequencing, just a perfect execution)

Weddings! Funerals! (extremely good, might have one slightly weaker track or might be less memorable than the first tier but it's still at least 9.5/10)

Like A Prayer - 9.5/10 (all killer no filler, only downmarked because love song & promise to try are not necessarily her most iconic tracks although they are still incredibly great tracks that are integral to the album)
The Immaculate Collection - 9.2/10 (well sequenced & the remixes often improve the song - i also really like the mixing on the album - marked points off for not including dress you up & oh father but i also understand that you can only fit so many songs on a CD)
Ray Of Light - 8.9/10 (very good album, shanti/ashtangi is slightly less good than the rest)
Bedtime Stories - 8.5/10 (a really solid effort but a bit uninspired, obviously took some notes from the current trends at the time even if they were executed very well - survival & don't stop are a bit fillery, take a bow should've been saved for something to remember)
The Confessions Tour - 8.2/10 (notable enough to include on it's own because it improves on the weaker confessions tracks, reworks beloved hits & is just a well mixed live album)
Madonna (The First Album) - 7.9/10 (every song on this album is good and i wouldn't say there's any filler but the quality of each song is generally lower than the above albums, even if the above albums might include weaker songs than the weakest song on this album)

It Was A Moment (the album has some incredibly good songs but it's not her best work and it could've been better)

You Can Dance - 7.4/10 (some of the remixes weren't needed & it's suited more for dancing than listening but that's what it was intended for lol - still a generally fun listen)
True Blue - 7.2/10 (6 of the songs are career defining songs, the other 4 are mediocre filler - however the 6 iconic songs are so iconic that the album has to be rated highly)
Confessions On A Dance Floor - 7/10 (the production is god tier & the transitions are god tier but the songs themselves are just very good - also there's a very noticeable lull in the middle of the album)
Finally Enough Love - 6.8/10 (good remix selections - i think they could've selected better songs for the standard and it's not super essential overall)
Hard Candy - 6.6/10 (very underrated and a lot of songs are really good - she's not me could've been trimmed down, incredible & spanish lesson could've not been released)
Music - 6.4/10 (it's a bit limp ngl - impressive instant & don't tell me onward are excellent, the other 5 tracks are a bit stale and uninspired - nobody's perfect in particular makes me want to turn the album off and throw it into a fire)
Madame X - 6.1/10 (she shouldn't sing in portuguese again, and it could've been a LOT shorter - still there's some absolutely essential songs here and i think it's overall an underrated album)

She Tried (the album could definitely be better, some songs are really good but overall it's not essential)

Rebel Heart - 5.7/10 (a definite step up from MDNAY but not as good as madame x - it's overall really solid but there's also some extremely obvious filler that was just an attempt at grabbing a younger audience that didn't buy what she was selling)
Something To Remember - 5.5/10 (a well compiled compilation of her ballads up to that point, i don't think that it's generally that memorable though - the new tracks for the most part are not great & the previously released songs shit on the new ones - this used to be my playground is a notable exception because it's one of the worst songs she's ever made)
Celebration - 5.2/10 (there's really nothing to complain about other than it simply just not being iconic enough - it's boring)
Who's That Girl soundtrack - 4.6/10 (causing a commotion is a bop and a half, can't stop is cute, the other 2 are not that good)
I'm Breathless - 4.3/10 (it's not a bad album at all and there's some genuine highlights - i just don't like show tunes or anything show tunes-adjacent)
GHV2 - 4/10 (obviously all the songs are good but it's not compiled well at all for a greatest hits album)

B-A-D Madonna (these are bad albums with the exception of a few songs on each album because madonna still has decent songs on her flop albums)

Like A Virgin - 3.5/10 (shoo-bee-doo & angel are cute, the rest of the album is either mixed poorly or just bland - dress me up is the best song on the album but the single remix shits on the album version so hard that the album version sounds bad in comparison)
MDNA - 1.5/10 (what is this hunny... taking i don't give a, love spent & falling free and the rest can go to the cokehead gaga stans that like chromatica)

i would like to see everyone's madge album rankings as well

[Wait For Life 15,462]

I don’t have a full blown ranking but I totally agree with American Life

[Im a ghost now 9,426]

@the ocean thanks for the essay 

 

   

 

 

[Im a ghost now 9,426]

Ok I'll only do this for the official albums she's literally ancient (with all due respect) and there are too many releases   in ascending order

 

Spoiler

14. MDNA 

This album for me is the one that has aged the worse. I don't think she was very inspired tbh, and she was going through this messy divorce and she probably didn't have the energy;  I saw her live on the MDNA tour though, it was mindblowing. She (as always) did a great job remastering the songs for the tour + creating interludes, but the album itself is annoying and some lyrics are corny af. She didn't play to her strenghts at all on this album, but she still managed to make some good songs, like Masterpiece. But most of it shouldn't exist  (B-day song, girl  and Gang Bang)

 

13. True Blue

I think this album is stronger than LAV but I don't like it that much I hate that True Blue is about Sean Penn. But she outsold with all the singles, they're textbook pop perfection. White Heat is good too, I just don't have a connection with this album, that really matters to me

 

12. Like a Virgin

This era was so iconic for her, but mostly because Material Girl + Like a Virgin + Into the Groove CARRIED IT. Like a Virgin is (at least) one of the top 10 most iconic female pop songs ever, and Into the Groove is one of her best songs period. I can excuse an album with fillers if the singles are absolutely iconic. I like Stay too, the demo version is funky af.

 

11. Madame X 

I didn't listen to this album when it debuted so I still need my time with it, but I'm familiar with the lyrics and honestly I love it. Sometime she has a bad choice of words but she is woke af (always has been); I tear up everytime I hear her singing in my language and I love Anitta lol I still don't have an opinion about it, that's why it's kind of in a limbo.

 

10. Madonna

I'm not really a fan of 80s music but the bass on this album makes pregnant. I love her over the top style, and she sounds particularly good on this album (I love the rasp on her voice, it was really bad for her though ). It's a very strong debut, crazy to think she was only a 1 hit wonder back then.

 

9. Like a Prayer

I don't like this album that much tbh. Aside from the title track and maybe 3-4 songs I think it's kind of weak production wise. The volume sounds low, even remastered versions (I think this was her first digital recording so maybe that's why). I don't really have a connection with it. The title track is perfect though, imagine having that in your catalogue. That was when she really started to come through with the music videos too, so I put it a little higher.

 

8. Rebel Heart

The fact that she has delivered a poised lady era (well, kinda) and people say she should be aging gracefully  anyway, it's very sad that it leaked because I think it had potential to be her comeback album like COADF. I think that the standard version is great and she didn't need deluxe tracks (but she wanted money). Also she PROMOTED the hell out of this album and gave fans a full tour even though she had fallen downstairs on live TV? Iconic.

 

7. American Life

As I've said, it's hard to listen to this album because production is so aggressive and it hurts my ears, but it is comprehensible because she was angry. I also think this is her saddest album. But she never misses with her ballads/introspective songs, the trio Nothing Fails + Intervention + X-Static Process is just I think I'm gonna appreciate this album a lot more when I have a moment with it again, being older and all.

 

6. Hard Candy

This album is my whole childhood, I was like 10 when it came out and it helped a lot with learning English. Most songs sound dated but the first 3 songs are so good wtf Madonna is the ONLY person who'd ever make me listen to Justin Timberlake. Give it 2 Me is probably her best critic clapback track, the Sticky & Sweet Tour is iconic, idc I'm a Hard Candy apologist. I think she looked so great on this era too, I unironically love her cheek implants and fried hair.

 

Spoiler

 

5. Confessions on a Dance Floor

COADF is very nostalgic to me and it's one of her best eras overall, she served in basically every aspect. I just think that some songs sound much better live, and that it is one of her least personal albums too, so sometimes it sounds a little cold and distant. I get it though. She wanted money after the inevitable AL flop.

 

4. Music

I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH, I've been vibing with it a lot lately. I think it's one of her most creative ones. Lowkey this is what I expected Lana would do with COCC lmao folk music with a twist. I had to say it, but at the same time I don't think it's fair to compare M and Lana, they're very different Don't Tell Me is one of my favorite songs ever, I love all the songs except tbh for Nobody's Perfect I think she just wanted to experiment with autotune tbh. 

 

3. Erotica

So yeah, the 90s; it was a great decade for her because she managed to explore many aspects of womanhood (sexuality, love, motherhood, fear of rejection, inequality, shame) and I appreciate that. All songs on this album are worth a listen, it's very cohesive; filled with sexual innuendos but also very introspective, beautiful and feminine, with deep house/hip hop beats and jazz influence? YES PLEASE

 

2. Bedtime Stories

Aesthetically this is my favorite album of hers. She came through with all the music videos, her voice never sounded more gorgeous and soft. Most of her best ballads are in this album as well (Take a Bow, Love Tried to Welcome Me, SECRET) and Bedtime Story is the perfect trance song. I have the original 90s vinyl which was my dad's and it's a treasure to me.

 

1. Ray of Light

My favorite album of all time, not only because it combines everything that Madonna does the best (great production, upbeat songs with introspective lyrics, mellow ballads, crazy dance songs), but also because it's very personal to me - I discovered this album when I was 11 years old and it seriously helped me mature, it was when I started grasping the concept of death. I was also bullied in school and this album helped me get through it. I really don't think it has a single flaw, I can recite Shanti Ashtangi from memory just because I've listened to it so much. 

 

 

Just realized I have a lot of feelings but anyway