Madonna

[Glitter Boy 16,558]

20 hours ago, the ocean said:

the fact it's been 30 minutes and no one has said anything or even liked the post completely proves my point

Now it's been 20 hours but let me just say I might need to revisit American Life to see if it could climb in my ranking. I remember listening to it often but not much really clicked - X-Static Process, title track, Hollywood and Nothing Fails were my favourites iirc but maybe it's time for a revisit  

[the ocean 67,601]

2 hours ago, Glitter Boy said:

Now it's been 20 hours but let me just say I might need to revisit American Life to see if it could climb in my ranking. I remember listening to it often but not much really clicked - X-Static Process, title track, Hollywood and Nothing Fails were my favourites iirc but maybe it's time for a revisit  

it's definitely one of her more difficult (if not most difficult) album to get into since it's very much NOT pop and probably the most sonically experimental she's ever been until MAYBE madame x and even then that album has its pop moments while AL doesn't really

and obviously music is music it really doesn't matter TOO much because it's subjective and people are entitled to their opinions and what not - but i do highly encourage a revisit because it's a great album

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,354]

Obviously Ray Of Light is Ray Of Light and Confessions is Confessions, but I will say that on certain days American Life is her best album to me. 

[SalvaWHORE 34,006]

What makes American Life iconic for me was the concept, the lyrical content,the subject matter she disussed throughout the album. American Life helped me to see a different side of Madonna - not just a privileged Hollywood blonde icon but rather something very human,very relatable about her: A human being whos also struggling with fame, insecurities, fear, everydaylife, social norms/prejudice & having her thoughts & knowledge about whats going on in the world.

 

The main sound of the album wasnt for me, and it still isnt now. However: i appreciate her effort & atempt to experiment w electro-clash beats but its just not good enough or timeless in my opinion - therefore the sound of the album is what keeps it from being S-tier in my book. But still, i did rank it only 1 tier lower because she was such a baddie,a  nonconformist in this era, from her brunette look, to her acoustic stripped down ballads - where her songwriting & vocalperformance really shine through.

 

And its weird that her presentation of American Life doesnt sound 'human' (since the electro-clash, the autotune vibes took control, she sounds like a creepy robot),but it still sounds human through her writing AT THE SAME TIME. 

[the ocean 67,601]

8 minutes ago, SalvaWHORE said:

And its weird that her presentation of American Life doesnt sound 'human' (since the electro-clash, the autotune vibes took control, she sounds like a creepy robot),but it still sounds human through her writing AT THE SAME TIME. 

i think that's part of the point a bit

the most personal songs on the album are definitely either extremely warped or incredibly understated (nobody knows me & mother and father for the former, and intervention & easy ride for the latter)

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,354]

Can we talk about how amazing Mother And Father is? Both the studio version and the live performances:

 

[the ocean 67,601]

i'm listening to some of the demos for older stuff right now and it's very interesting how some songs got completely facelifted (almost always for the better) and how some sound virtually the same

the gone & get together demos especially were really shocking to hear because they sound SO different from the final tracks and not necessarily in a good way

but also hearing like a prayer, a lot of the erotica demos & the earlier confessions demos have the same or very similar vocals is just a testament to her singing capabilities i mean like she was SANGING on that like a prayer demo

i don't usually enjoy demos as separate tracks on their own - i appreciate having them for historical context but i never seek them out on their own but some of those erotica & music demos kinda slap in their own right

[Lasso 13,199]

1 hour ago, SalvaWHORE said:

What makes American Life iconic for me was the concept, the lyrical content,the subject matter she disussed throughout the album. American Life helped me to see a different side of Madonna - not just a privileged Hollywood blonde icon but rather something very human,very relatable about her: A human being whos also struggling with fame, insecurities, fear, everydaylife, social norms/prejudice & having her thoughts & knowledge about whats going on in the world.

 

The main sound of the album wasnt for me, and it still isnt now. However: i appreciate her effort & atempt to experiment w electro-clash beats but its just not good enough or timeless in my opinion - therefore the sound of the album is what keeps it from being S-tier in my book. But still, i did rank it only 1 tier lower because she was such a baddie,a  nonconformist in this era, from her brunette look, to her acoustic stripped down ballads - where her songwriting & vocalperformance really shine through.

 

And its weird that her presentation of American Life doesnt sound 'human' (since the electro-clash, the autotune vibes took control, she sounds like a creepy robot),but it still sounds human through her writing AT THE SAME TIME. 

 

She was a total baddie. She knew she was going to get cancelled, but she did it anways. US radio banned her for  10 years (if I'm not mistaken) , and when those 10 years expired they stopped playing her bc she was too old.

But the way she still came out with Confessions and her career peaked again was icon material

[the ocean 67,601]

5 minutes ago, honeymoonwhore said:

US radio banned her for  10 years (if I'm not mistaken) , and when those 10 years expired they stopped playing her bc she was too old.

they gave her a brief reprieve for 4 minutes and then they cut her off again (it's her last top 10 hit in the US )

also i do remember hearing give me all your luvin' but that was probably because of the super bowl

edit: 4 minutes was her last top 5 hit in the US, GMAYL was her last top 10 which is probably why i heard it

Edited December 16, 2022 by the ocean

[the ocean 67,601]

looking at this is so shocking tbh

madonna pretty much hardcore flopping after 4 minutes to make a very brief comeback because of the super bowl and then flop even harder

europe was a little kinder but she freefell after living for love

the ageism is very apparent here teebs especially since rebel heart had all the ingredients to smash in the US - madame x is a little more understandable in it's floppage but considering that american life was a major success everywhere that wasn't the US it's still pretty obvious ageism

[Lasso 13,199]

2 minutes ago, the ocean said:

looking at this is so shocking tbh

madonna pretty much hardcore flopping after 4 minutes to make a very brief comeback because of the super bowl and then flop even harder

europe was a little kinder but she freefell after living for love

the ageism is very apparent here teebs especially since rebel heart had all the ingredients to smash in the US - madame x is a little more understandable in it's floppage but considering that american life was a major success everywhere that wasn't the US it's still pretty obvious ageism

 

Really, I try not to care much about the charts, but the way people paid Rebel Heart dust is a hate crime  

She served so many good performances and so many good ballads , and it's like she can't win. When she makes very dance songs she's trying to hard, and when she does ballads they flop.... but nothing can erase her legacy, she changed pop music forever 

[ChaoticLipster 24,618]

30 minutes ago, the ocean said:

looking at this is so shocking tbh

madonna pretty much hardcore flopping after 4 minutes to make a very brief comeback because of the super bowl and then flop even harder

europe was a little kinder but she freefell after living for love

the ageism is very apparent here teebs especially since rebel heart had all the ingredients to smash in the US - madame x is a little more understandable in it's floppage but considering that american life was a major success everywhere that wasn't the US it's still pretty obvious ageism

I don’t think it’s all ageism though, I think she acts cringy and tries too hard to be hip and cool. She had a long time at the top and it’s the natural order of things for success to dwindle.  Some of it may be her ability to relate to the public these days.  

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,354]

1 hour ago, the ocean said:

the gone & get together demos especially were really shocking to hear because they sound SO different from the final tracks and not necessarily in a good way

but also hearing like a prayer, a lot of the erotica demos & the earlier confessions demos have the same or very similar vocals is just a testament to her singing capabilities i mean like she was SANGING on that like a prayer demo

 

It was mentioned somewhere that the very first vocal take they did for Hung Up actually ended up being the one they put in the final song, which I think it pretty fascinating considering it's one of those songs that's literally produced to perfection. And I totally agree, like I already think she doesn't get enough credit as a performer and cultural influence, but even less so as a vocalist. 

[Lasso 13,199]

11 minutes ago, SlowGinFizzzz said:

And I totally agree, like I already think she doesn't get enough credit as a performer and cultural influence, but even less so as a vocalist. 

 

her voice is so versatile, she can sing any type of song honestly

[Inferno Euphoria 6,494]

This radio ban thing is so weird to me considering that here in Quebec (Don't know if it's the case in all of Canada tough) Celebration, 4 Minutes, Give It 2 Me, Sorry, Hung Up, Jump, Miles Away, Girl Gone Wild and Give Me All Your Lovin have all been played A LOT on the radio

[TRENCH 15,450]

2 hours ago, Inferno Euphoria said:

This radio ban thing is so weird to me considering that here in Quebec (Don't know if it's the case in all of Canada tough) Celebration, 4 Minutes, Give It 2 Me, Sorry, Hung Up, Jump, Miles Away, Girl Gone Wild and Give Me All Your Lovin have all been played A LOT on the radio

I dont think the radio ban is as prevalent anymore... she's usually played on throwback 80s radio stations... Isla Bonita, Like a Prayer, Holiday, Lucky Star, Material Girl, Papa Dont Preach are the ones that still spin. But that does mean that her newer stuff past the 80s is definetly not played, so its more of a half-ban  

[Mer 61,781]

I don’t believe the radio ban is ageism. Living For Love was building up in the UK and Radio 1 flat out refused to put it on their playlist, even tho they’ve had Cher, Sia, David Guetta, Paul McCartney and other comparably aged singers on their playlists. 
 

I genuinely think Madonna shook something up behind scenes in the mid 2000s that pissed off a LOT of execs. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it feels like someone has sabotaged every single one of her projects since. From the “Black Madonna” concept for Hard Candy to the Rebel Heart leaks to the early rumors of Madame X being a rap album to purposefully undermine her artistry. 

[the ocean 67,601]

16 minutes ago, Mer said:

I don’t believe the radio ban is ageism. Living For Love was building up in the UK and Radio 1 flat out refused to put it on their playlist, even tho they’ve had Cher, Sia, David Guetta, Paul McCartney and other comparably aged singers on their playlists. 
 

I genuinely think Madonna shook something up behind scenes in the mid 2000s that pissed off a LOT of execs. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but it feels like someone has sabotaged every single one of her projects since. From the “Black Madonna” concept for Hard Candy to the Rebel Heart leaks to the early rumors of Madame X being a rap album to purposefully undermine her artistry. 

i'm pretty sure it started with american life, and confessions (and hard candy to an extent) being so successful didn't help

also i would NOT call sia comparably aged sia is like 15 years younger (and also never really had commercial success before)

[Mer 61,781]

Just now, the ocean said:

i'm pretty sure it started with american life, and confessions (and hard candy to an extent) being so successful didn't help

also i would NOT call sia comparably aged sia is like 15 years younger (and also never really had commercial success before)

but at the time the radio ban began, Madonna was only a few years older than Sia is now—I meant. 
 

I truly think she had them all shook when she portrayed George Bush catching a grenade in American Life lol. But there’s more to that whole era we don’t know imo. 

[the ocean 67,601]

Just now, Mer said:

but at the time the radio ban began, Madonna was only a few years older than Sia is now—I meant.

ohh ok

1 minute ago, Mer said:

I truly think she had them all shook when she portrayed George Bush catching a grenade in American Life lol. But there’s more to that whole era we don’t know imo. 

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