Madonna

[Westen]

The fact that this anniversary edition of LAP is charting in ZERO countries on itunes shows how much we didn't needed it

I prefer having no re-releases over having cash grab in crap like that.

[jio]

I would have bought it had it come out in physical form

[Artoo]

The fact that this anniversary edition of LAP is charting in ZERO countries on itunes shows how much we didn't needed it

I prefer having no re-releases over having cash grab in crap like that.

It wasn’t designed to chart. It was done for the fans within the realms of actual possibility. It’s literally a few remixes and an original song added to streaming platforms. Did you expect it to be treat like any new release?

[RayRay]

I always considered it Madonna's fifth studio album.

I do too. That's how it was promoted back in the day. Also, Madonna said in an interview it is one of her favorite albums.

[Artoo]

I do too. That's how it was promoted back in the day. Also, Madonna said in an interview it is one of her favorite albums.

I suspect that’s not a recent interview

[music126]

The fact that this anniversary edition of LAP is charting in ZERO countries on itunes shows how much we didn't needed it

I prefer having no re-releases over having cash grab in crap like that.

I pray you like M14!

[RayRay]

I pray you like M14!

I hope Westen doesn't like it, because that will probably mean it will be up there with Like A Prayer.

[RayRay]

I suspect that’s not a recent interview

Not recent. But also not from the early 90s like you would expect.

[Angeman]

Its not even on Itunes. If it is it doesnt show up when searched.

[AlphaMale]

Supernatural (Original Arms House Mix) for the Red Hot and Dance complitation

[AlphaMale]

this is how Like A Prayer was announced to the world during a full week!

[AlphaMale]

And this is how the whole world heard Like A Prayer for the first time. Yes the whole world and before the interne was a thing!

[AlphaMale]

There are several reasons why this music video is incredibly controversial. The main reasons for it being controversial are due to the main themes of the video; religion and race. Religion is the main focus of this music video, Madonna basing herself within the church, is a hint at her star image.

Firstly, one example of where symbolic techniques have been used to convey the controversy is when Madonna is dancing, at night, in front of 6 burning crucifixes:


The symbol of a burning crucifix is a Klu Klux Klan symbol, showing that they had, or were about to ‘lynch’ a black person. The Klu Klux Klan, or KKK as they are popularly called, are a violent white supremacist group that were incredibly dominant during the cold war era, but their echoed ideals can still be seen today, as shown by this photo of a rally held just last year.

The use of mise-en-scene in this context further accentuate the racial injustice undertones, suggesting that black people, even in the time of Madonna are still threatened by gangs such as the KKK, and further than that, the usual social injustice from the American Government system.

The reason I say this is because, what is most shocking about the church is the use of race. The main factor is that Jesus is portrayed to be black. Even though his actual race was not known (though most likely he was dark skinned and Iranian), the fact that his change of skin colour shocks an audience, reveals the fact that we have been institutionally been taught to think that one race is superior than another.

This is further shown by portraying God to be the exact opposite of what we might picture it to be. The video subverts the unspoken Western belief that 1) God is a man, and 2) God, if he exists, is white. The very fact that people find it hard to believe that the person in the video is in fact God, or that they find it inappropriate supports my point aptly.

Another case where symbolic techniques are used, is in the use of Madonna’s costume. She is in a church, a conservative house of God. People are taught to be modest, and to avoid any sort of devious thoughts or behaviour. As you can see from the GIF below, Madonna completely subverts this.

One could argue that the reason the director has told her to do this, is because it brings out the fact that women are too often sexualised by the media. This is shown by the fact that people find fault with the above scene, purely due to the fact that we have been taught and told that women’s bodies should be acknowledged and not seen, and that any exposure of parts that men don’t have, is indecent.

Another symbolic convention used is when Madonna both kisses Jesus’ feet and kisses him. The kissing of the feet is quite clever; Madonna is another name for the prostitute, turned follower of Christ, Mary Magdalena. On her first meeting with Jesus, when he saved her from stoning, she bowed down to him and began weeping profusely. Her tears ended up on his feet, and so she began to clean them with her hair, ending with a kiss. This would further generate her star image, as those who would see this connection would be outraged. The outrage would develop hype, and portray Maddona as almost God/saint like, just like Dyer’s Star Theory suggests.

On the first shot inside the church, we see all that we would expect inside a church, until we see an American flag in the right hand corner.

This may be a hint at the gross mishap that has occurred within the United States, a slow convergence of Church and State, which is exactly how the constitution didn’t want the country to be. This could further exemplify the racist undertones listed above, as the KKK are known to be extremist Christians, and support the merger of church and state in the US.

In conclusion, the music video accomplishes what it sets out to to; cause controversy and to shock. The music video, even to this day is still arguably one of the most controversial ever made. However, it could be said that Madonna might not be as big of a star as she is today, perhaps without the help of this music video. The video cemented her image, and attracted her target audience; rebellious young/30's adults that were part of the 'counter-culture,' pro civil rights, that would further be shown in the years to come, and to still remain today.

[AlphaMale]

When you’re the queen of pop, only the most over-the-top music video will do. So for the second single off her Like a Prayerthis link opens in a new tab album, Madonna teamed up with director David Fincher, who was working almost exclusively on music videos at the time. (It’d be another six years before he broke big as a film director, with Se7enthis link opens in a new tab.)

Inspired by Fritz Lang’s dystopian film Metropolisthis link opens in a new tab, the clip starred Madonna as a crotch-grabbing doyenne of a factory filled with enslaved shirtless Adonises, most notably model Cameron Alborzian (who’s now a noted yogi). Not surprisingly, “Express Yourself” was an instant sensation on MTV — and, at the time, the most expensive video ever made — raking in accolades for its flipping of gender norms. “Madonna was a strong female presence,” says producer Gregg Fienberg. “In that video she really stepped into the forefront, promoting women’s power.”

[AlphaMale]

A black-and-white music video for the song was directed by photographer Herb Ritts at the Paradise Cove Beach in Malibu, California. In the video, Madonna plays herself, while three co-actors dressed as mermen swim in and out of the sea. Academics noted that the mermen became symbols for the homosexual community and the oppression it faced.

[AlphaMale]

On November 11 1989, the music video for Oh Father premiered on MTV in the US. Filmed at Culver Studios, California in late October, 1989 by director David Fincher, the black & white clip drew cinematic influence from the 1941 Orson Welles film, Citizen Kane. Its narrative expanded on darker elements from Madonna’s life – focusing on the death of her mother, her relationship with her father and the recurring effects of childhood trauma in her adult life. The clip’s icily detached symbolism and heavy subject matter are counter-balanced by overarching themes of forgiveness and inner-strength.

In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, Fincher recalled:

“I had kinda talked Madonna into releasing Oh Father as a single and we did this video and were very happy with the video – but nobody ever saw it because the song wasn’t a hit.”

Although the video was put into rotation on MTV, the channel had requested that Madonna remove a scene that displayed a close-up of the deceased mother’s lips sewn shut – a request that she refused to consider. Compounded by a tepid response to the song from radio, where its bleak overtones clashed with playlists of the day, the single stalled at number twenty in the US – her lowest peak on the Hot 100 at the time (excluding her first two singles, neither of which broke into the Hot 100). In Canada the video was put into heavy rotation and the release fared slightly better on the charts, peaking at number fourteen.

Despite its relative lack of commercial appeal, the song and video are frequently cited as a creative triumph for Madonna by fans and critics alike.

[AlphaMale]

The music video was produced by Animation City, an animation company in London, England, and was directed by Derek Hayes. The video is mainly animated and does not feature Madonna, except as the cartoon fairy Tinker Bell.[31][32] Along with Hayes, there were six animators who worked on creating the fantasy imagery.[31] It was included on the 1990 promotional-only video compilation She's Breathless.[33]

The video opens with a shot of a little girl sleeping in her bed. As the music starts, rays of light emanate from the bedside radio with cartoon violins playing the music. The sun rises inside a picture on the wall and the girl wakes and starts playing with her doll. A fairy goes around tapping all her toys on the floor and a large, golden teapot comes alive and shoots a rainbow from its spout. A cartoon version of the girl then slides along the rainbow and, interpreting the lyrics of the song, catches a falling star and rides over the moon.

By the second verse, pink elephants float over the girl's bed and an animated fairy version of Madonna emerges from the picture and winks. She takes the little girl through another picture, displaying mythological and fairytale beings such as dragons, princes and unicorns as well as a castle where Madonna dances with the moon. An underwater scene with mermaids and fish follows, then a parade of all the girl's toys around her room. As the song wraps, the fairy taps on the girl and causes her to yawn. She falls asleep again and her toys go back to being as they were. The violins and the instruments gradually fade inside the radio and the song ends.

[AlphaMale]

Madonna has performed the song only on her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour, where it was the closing song of the set list.The staging of the performances was inspired by the 1971 science fiction film, A Clockwork Orange. The shows featured an introductory verse from "Family Affair" by Sly and the Family Stone. Madonna wore an all-black ensemble involving a cage vest, the longline bra, skintight shorts, knee-pads and a bowler hat. Her getup was a nod to actress Liza Minnelli in the film Cabaret.The performance started with her dancers appearing on the stage, with chairs on their back. Madonna appeared in their middle and started doing push-ups on the stage. She started singing "Family Affair", then midway through the song, changed to "Keep It Together". During the intermediate music, Madonna and her dancers performed an intricate choreography with the chairs. At the end, all the musicians, dancers and collaborators came to say good-bye to Madonna. The singer was left alone on stage to finish with a powerful repeat of her line "Keep people together forever and ever".

In an interview with Stephen Holden from The New York Times, Madonna explained the significance of the performance: "Finally, right when you think I'll end [the concert] on a happy note, I come out with my family to do a Bob Fosse-meets-'Clockwork Orange' rendition of 'Keep It Together'. It's the show's ultimate statement about the family, because we're absolutely brutalizing with each other, while there's also no mistaking that we love each other deeply." Author Lynne Layton complimented the performance, saying that "as in her double attitude to materialism, femininity, and everything else, what marks the performance is not that Madonna is in control, but that she is open about the pros and cons of family life and obviously echoes the experience of many." Her thoughts were shared by John LeLand from Newsday, who complimented the aerobics performed onstage by Madonna and her dancers. Conversely, author Allen Metz commented that although the performance was tightly choreographed, the overall feel was marred due to the song's own "shortcomings". Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune felt that the addition of lines from "Family Affair" underlined the "home-is-where-the-heart-is" theme of "Keep It Together". Louis Virtel from The Backlot praised the performance of the song, stating that it served as the "perfect concluding performance." Two different performances were recorded and released on video: the Blond Ambition – Japan Tour 90, filmed in Yokohama, Japan, on April 27, 1990, and the Blond Ambition World Tour Live, filmed in Nice, France, on August 5, 1990. It was also shown on the HBO special titled Madonna Live! – Blond Ambition World Tour, and was added in her 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare.

[music126]

I hope Westen doesn't like it, because that will probably mean it will be up there with Like A Prayer.

Lol...good thinking.

[RayRay]

So many memories. With some of my favorite songs ever like Dear Jessie.

[BodyShop]

And this is how the whole world heard Like A Prayer for the first time. Yes the whole world and before the interne was a thing!

25 years after falling in love with her,I'm still trying to have those shoulders and nothing...
Bitch !

[BodyShop]

Yas , [MENTION=31471]RayRay[/MENTION]!
Slay that taste

[spiritboy]

If Madonna shot a video of a LAP album track to celebrate its 30th anniversary, which song would you prefer and how would you imagine the video?

[Artoo]

If Madonna shot a video of a LAP album track to celebrate its 30th anniversary, which song would you prefer and how would you imagine the video?

Something unreleased

[AlphaMale]

Keep It Together