The Look of Madonna

( The official album cover) Welcome back on Blogger! Earlier this year I started a series dedicated to Madonna's peers with my review for Cyndi Lauper's debut album She's so Unusual.  It's now time to add another piece to the series and review the iconic Please by the British duo Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe). Let's get right into this article! HISTORY A synthpop record, Please was released on March 24, 1986. It was preceded by two singles, the smash hit West End Girls, released in the fall of 1985, and Love Comes Quickly, which came out in February 1986. Two more singles, Opportunities and Suburbia, were released to promote the album in May and September respectively.  Please was an original release at the time, as the heavily electronic and dance nature of the songs was accompanied by socially conscious lyrics. This would eventually become the main characteristic of Pet Shop Boys' music. Also Neil Tennant's supposed bi...

Welcome back on Blogger!  This is a different article, more about my own interpretation of Madonna's music. I'm going to discuss Madonna's career and how it can be divided into trilogies, how her life and career have always gone hand in hand and how she progresses with every new release artistically and personally.  Every trilogy has a defined theme, intent, coherence and story.  Let's jump into this article! The "Pop Queen" Trilogy This trilogy includes Madonna's first three albums ( Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue). During this era Madonna was at the peak of her pop sensibility. She was able to blend artistic depth and commercialism, she became a fashion icon and a visual artist. With every album she added something new to her status of "Pop Queen". Madonna was about her love for dance-pop music, Like a Virgin took that type of music and gave it an irresistible aesthetic, True Blue took both things and added concepts,...

( Album artwork by Herb Ritts) Welcome back on Blogger! The day has finally arrived and we are going to get right into it!  " You can dance, you can dance if you want to....get into the groove".  You Can Dance was released on November 17, 1987 and it was Madonna's first remix album.  Initially she was not so keen on hearing remixed versions of her songs, as she thought people drastically changed them, erasing her original vision: " I hate it when people do master mixes of my records. I don't want to hear my songs changed like that". For this reason Madonna decided to remix some of her songs by herself. With the help of Patrick Leonard and John "Jellybean" Benitez, she took six songs from her previous three studio albums ( Holiday, Everybody, Physical Attraction, Into The Groove, Over and Over, Where's The Party) plus one unreleased demo from the " True Blue"  sessions ( Spotlight) and remixed them all in a dance ...

Welcome back on Blogger! August 16th is, to us fans, the day the music was born. To celebrate Madonna's birthday I decided to go through some of her most memorable and unforgettable moments on stage. Are you ready? Let's go! 10. Dress You Up , Virgin Tour, 1985.  The opening number of Madonna's first concert tour couldn't have been ignored. This colorful, energetic performance was the perfect introduction to Madonna "the stage chameleon". Her signature 80's look, a microphone and her dancing skills were all she needed to completely rock this one. It's a performance that exudes vitality and youth. 9. Like a Virgin/Love Spent Medley, MDNA Tour, 2012.  Performance art at its best from one of the greatest tours of all time, the legendary MDNA Tour. Madonna shows the audience the birth and death of a relationship and the disillusionment the character she embodies goes through. The woman realises her man doesn't love...

(Photo by Herb Ritts) Welcome back on Blogger! Yesterday, Patrick Leonard shared three unreleased demos from the " Like a Prayer " sessions on his official YouTube channel: Cherish, Like a Prayer and a scrapped song titled Angels With Dirty Faces. As fans, we are obviously happy but there is more to this news. Let's jump into the article!  (Darlene Lutz) Darlene Lutz, Madonna's ex-art advisor and friend, is selling our diva's personal belongings after winning a two-year lawsuit. Cassette tapes, lingerie, private letters and a brush full of hair are among the items, which were left by Madonna and her brother Christopher in Lutz's loft.  Lutz justified her desire to sell the stuff as it follows: " Why shouldn't I be able to make money off of this? When did it become a sin to make money ?  Madonna, on the other hand, has stated: " Lutz has betrayed my trust in an outrageous effort to obtain my possessions without my kn...

Welcome back on Blogger!  Four days ago, Madonna released what I think is the best and most important video of her career: God Control. A nightclub, a typewriter, a gun. These are just a few key elements of this incredible video.  Without further ado, let's jump into the review! REVIEW The video starts with a premise: " The story you are about to see is very disturbing. It shows graphic scenes of gun violence....but it's happening everyday. And it has to stop". After this we are catapulted in America. It's night-time, we see bloodied dead people lying on a dance floor. At the same time we are inside Madame X's house. She is seen in her room, in front of a typewriter, surrounded by books and three portraits (of Frida Kahlo, Simone de Beauvoir and Angela Davis). The radio is on and we can hear news about a shooting inside a nightclub. As the song starts, she simultaneously types the lyrics.  The scene moves insid...

Welcome back on Blogger fans! The day has finally arrived. Madonna's 14th studio album " Madame X " is now available everywhere. Are we ready to go around the world with our queen? I sure am! Let's start by saying that this album is a journey, there is a lot to discuss, a lot to experience, a lot to feel, a lot to learn. The first time I listened to it I couldn't believe my ears. Let's jump right into the tracks.... ven conmigo, let's take a trip! Medellin: The album starts with the first single, Medellin , an electronic-reggaeton track. It is a collaboration with Colombian singer Maluma. I already reviewed the song days after it came out ( read my article here ) and my opinion hasn't really changed since then. I appreciate the lyrics, I appreciate the watery production, I appreciate Madonna's melodic and smooth vocals but there is a bit too much Maluma on the track for my taste. I don't think the tone of his voice b...