Category Archives: Madonna

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

Once upon a summer I threw an Illuminati Party. Ignorant of the ways of the illuminati, I only wanted to wear a crazy costume of faux deer antlers and inspire intrigue in the midst of a mid-summer night. This song provided the soundtrack for the costumed event, swirling about in frenzied delight and damnation, its beats skittering and frenetic. The invitations invoked the stereotypical idea most of us have of the illuminati, which is all a party invitation can really do; if you want depth look into a project or something more lasting than a party. Yet for party themes, this one was as good as any, and afforded guests the opportunity to dress up in whatever surreal get-up they wished.

IT’S NOT JAY-Z AND BEYONCÉ
IT’S NOT NICKI OR LIL WAYNE
IT’S NOT OPRAH AND OBAMA
THE POPE AND RIHANNA
QUEEN ELIZABETH OR KANYE

IT’S NOT PENTAGRAMS OR WITCHCRAFT
IT’S NOT TRIANGLES OR STACKS OF CASH
BLACK MAGIC OR GAGA
GUCCI OR PRADA
RIDING ON THE GOLDEN CALF

The chaotic drama surrounding the leaked release of Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’ album finds its musical accompaniment in this crazy track (and crazy in a crazy-good way). It’s an intriguing cut that sounds better than it really should. Parts of it remind one of a barking dog, parts are grating, parts are beautiful, and parts are puzzling. It almost comes together, and then it does, and then it falls apart before reassembling again. Schizo in the best and worst ways. Not unlike a summer party, when moon-drenched madness threatens drama at every turn, and romantic dalliances are just as likely to occur as knock-down-drag-out fights are. That’s summer. No one escapes the heat.

THE ALL-SEEING EYE IS WATCHING TONIGHT
THAT’S WHAT IT IS
TRUTH AND THE LIGHT
THE ALL-SEEING EYE IS WATCHING TONIGHT
NOTHING TO HIDE
THE SECRET’S INSIDE

IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI
IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI

IT’S THE ENLIGHTENMENT THAT STARTED IT ALL
THE FOUNDING FATHERS WROTE IT DOWN ON THE WALL
AND NOW THE MEDIA’S MISLEADING US ALL
TURNED RIGHT INTO WRONG

A towering angel’s trumpet lowers its pendulous blooms to eye-level, releasing its intoxicating lemon-like fragrance into the heavy air. What poison carries on its perfume? What spells does such sweetness cast? A sense of the lurid hides behind each smile, a bee ready to sting lurks in each blossom. In the summer darkness, everything turns dangerous. The pool lures chipmunks and toads to their watery graves, like the candlelight brings moths to their fiery ends. We dive beneath to escape the licking flames. No one is safe in a summer night.

IT’S TIME TO DANCE AND TURN THIS DARK INTO SOMETHIN’
SO LET THE FIRE BURN, THIS MUSIC IS BUMPIN’
WE’RE GONNA LIVE FOREVER, LOVE NEVER DIES
IT STARTS TONIGHT…

Picasso and Dali turned the world upside down, tugged at its natural order, and disturbed time so much that it literally melted before our eyes. A new world order indeed… The very best artists set such disturbances into motion. The proverbial butterfly flutters its wings in pretty, menacing fashion. The other side of the earth shudders and waits.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
IT’S NOT PLATINUM ENCRYPTED CORNERS
IT’S NOT ISIS OR THE PHOENIX
PYRAMIDS OF EGYPT
DON’T MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING SORDID

IT’S NOT STEVE JOBS OR BILL GATES
IT’S NOT THE GOOGLE OF UNITED STATES
IT’S NOT BIEBER OR LEBRON
CLINTON OR OBAMA
OR ANYONE YOU’D LOVE TO HATE

THE ALL-SEEING EYE IS WATCHING TONIGHT
THAT’S WHAT IT IS
TRUTH AND THE LIGHT
THE ALL-SEEING EYE IS WATCHING TONIGHT
NOTHING TO HIDE
THE SECRET’S INSIDE

IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI
IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI

For the Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna used this song as a late-hour interlude. Her dancers climbed atop impossibly flexible poles, which soon swayed and turned to their own fantastical form. Defying gravity and physics (or masterfully employing them as the case may be) they were a show unto themselves, because even when she’s absent the stage, Madonna knows how to entertain.

YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING THAT GLITTERS AIN’T GOLD
SO LET THE MUSIC TAKE YOU OUT OF CONTROL
IT’S TIME TO FEEL IT IN YOUR BODY AND SOUL
COME ON, LET’S GO

WE’RE GONNA DANCE AND TURN THE DARK INTO SOMETHIN’
SO LET THE FIRE BURN, THIS MUSIC IS BUMPIN’
WE’RE GONNA LIVE FOREVER, LOVE NEVER DIES
IT STARTS TONIGHT

IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI
IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI
IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI
IT’S LIKE EVERYBODY IN THIS PARTY’S SHINING LIKE ILLUMINATI

SONG #157: ‘Illuminati’ – Summer 2015

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

I WENT TO THE FAR RIGHT
THEN I WENT TO THE FAR LEFT
I TRIED TO RECOVER MY CENTER OF GRAVITY

I GUESS I’M LOST
I HAD TO PAY THE COST
THE THING THAT HURT ME MOST
WAS THAT I WASN’T LOST

The current ‘Madame X’ run we have going remains unbroken, as this marks the fifth Madonna Timeline in a row from the latest album. I was just about to suffer from some overplaying fatigue – a danger for any new Madonna album – but this has jolted me into an early Renaissance of celebrating that recent release. This is one of the more intriguing songs on ‘Madame X’ – with an old-world sound and ambivalent lyrics. Madonna returns to the well-tread (perhaps overdone) circle metaphor, but that is the only time when things dip a bit. The sparse arrangement of plucked strings and piano is a slice of atmospheric charm and drama, with searching lyrics that find Madonna ricocheting through time and space, touching on her own history, with a Wizard-of-Oz-like denouement.

I CAME FROM THE MIDWEST
THEN I WENT TO THE FAR EAST
I TRIED TO DISCOVER MY OWN IDENTITY

I GUESS I’M LOST
I PAID A HANDSOME COST
THE THING THAT HURT THE MOST
WAS THAT I WASN’T LOST
I WASN’T LOST

In a sunny summer dominated by the ‘Madame X’ album, this was a reminder that summer could go dark, and ruminations on finding oneself could run deep. Self-exploration and self-examination have earned dirty named for themselves in our selfie-obsessed society, but there is room for them when the intent is pure and the goal is noble and genuine.

{Spoiler alert: life is a circle.}

NO, I WASN’T LOST
IT WAS A DIFFERENT FEELING
A MIX OF LUCIDITY AND CRAZINESS
BUT I WASN’T LOST, YOU BELIEVE ME
I WAS RIGHT, AND I’VE GOT THE RIGHT
TO CHOOSE MY OWN LIFE LIKE A FULL CIRCLE
LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE
LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE, LIFE IS A CIRCLE

Alone in a strange country… isn’t that everyone at some point? Even if you’ve never left home, there are moments when we all feel like a stranger, even in our own space, even in our native land. We are but visitors on this earth. Transient beings who will be turned over into the earth without much fanfare or remembrance. Not in the grand scheme of things, not in the infinite history of the universe. And such is the danger of ‘Extreme Occident’ if you let it get that far. Such is its beauty, too.

AQUILO QUE MAIS MAGOA
QUE EU NÃO ESTAVA PERDIDA
AQUILO QUE MAIS MAGOA
QUE EU NÃO ESTAVA PERDIDA 

SONG #156: ‘Extreme Occident’ – Summer 2019

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

IT’S A LONG WAY (IT’S A LONG WAY)
IT’S A LONG WAY (IT’S A LONG WAY)
IT’S A LONG DAY (IT’S A LONG DAY)
IT’S A LONG DAY (IT’S A LONG DAY)

LORD HAVE MERCY (LORD HAVE MERCY)
THINGS HAVE GOT TO CHANGE (THINGS HAVE GOT TO CHANGE)
THERE’S A STORM AHEAD (THERE’S A STORM AHEAD)
I HEAR THE WIND BLOWING (I HEAR THE WIND BLOWING)
LET ME CATCH MY BREATH (LET ME CATCH MY BREATH)
WILL WE WIN THIS RACE? (WILL WE WIN THIS RACE?)
SWEAR THE ROAD IS LONG (SWEAR THE ROAD IS LONG)
AND THE HIGHWAY LISTENS (AND THE HIGHWAY LISTENS)

‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY (‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY)

Madonna’s magnificent ‘Madame X’ album ushered in this summer season, which made for some happy music and some gloriously sunny days. How many more Madonna albums will christen a summer? I’m not sure it will happen again. (The quintessential Madonna summer album is, and remains, ‘True Blue’ – but I’d venture that ‘Madame X’ comes close (consider future timeline entries ‘Crazy’, ‘Crave’, and ‘Come Alive’ – all carry an easy-breezy summer vibe.) That leads us to the latest official timeline post: ‘Batuka’ – which joins ‘Future‘ and ‘Killers Who Are Partying‘ as a modern-moment music recollection.

I WAS UP ALL NIGHT
I SAID A LITTLE PRAYER
GET THAT OLD MAN
PUT HIM IN A JAIL
WHERE HE CAN’T STOP US (WHERE HE CAN’T STOP US)
WHERE HE CAN’T HURT US (WHERE HE CAN’T HURT US)
WE WILL STAND TALL (WE WILL STAND TALL)
UNDERNEATH THIS TREE (UNDERNEATH THIS TREE)

‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY (‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY)
IT’S A LONG WAY (IT’S A LONG WAY)
‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG DAY (‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG DAY)
IT’S A LONG DAY

BUT WHEN WE CAN STOP IT ALL (BUT WHEN WE CAN STOP IT ALL)
IN THE RIGHT WAY (IN THE RIGHT WAY)
WILL WE STAND TOGETHER? (WILL WE STAND TOGETHER?)
IT’S A NEW DAY (IT’S A NEW DAY)
SO DON’T JUDGE A HUMAN (SO DON’T JUDGE A HUMAN)
‘TIL YOU’RE IN THEIR SHOES (‘TIL YOU’RE IN THEIR SHOES)
IF YOU HAVE A DREAM (IF YOU HAVE A DREAM)
THEN YOU CAN’T STOP US (THEN YOU CAN’T STOP US)

The call-and-response chant that will likely form a rousing portion of her upcoming theatre tour is the best part of ‘Batuka’ – and while the conceit has its limits and repetitive drawbacks, it proves effective enough, and this song gives the ‘Madame X’ album part of its world-music pedigree. The video is a joyous celebration of the beauty that Madonna found in other parts of the world. You have to love her for that, and this one grows on you like some of her best summer music.

SING, “HALLELUJAH” (SING, “HALLELUJAH”)
SAY, “AMEN” (SAY, “AMEN”)
SING, “HALLELUJAH” (SING, “HALLELUJAH”)
AND SAY, “AMEN” (AND SAY, “AMEN”)
I SAY, “OH, YEAH” (I SAY, “OH, YEAH”)
I SAID, “OH, YEAH” (I SAID, “OH, YEAH”)
I SAY, “AMEN” (I SAY, “AMEN”)
I SING, “HALLELUJAH” (I SING, “HALLELUJAH”)

‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY (‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG WAY)
IT’S A LONG WAY (IT’S A LONG WAY)
‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG DAY (‘CAUSE IT’S A LONG DAY)
IT’S A LONG DAY 

SONG #154: ‘Batuka’ – Summer 2019

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

I suppose I should be grateful that the worst songs from Madonna’s ‘Madame X’ album are getting thrown out here first, not unlike the way the roll-out happened earlier this year. It will make the cuts to come that much sweeter. This is the dour ‘Killers Who Are Partying’ and the sooner it’s finished, the better. I like the sonics of it but the lyrics are messy and the melody mostly misses. Almost every Madonna album has a head-scratching clunker. (Even ‘Like A Prayer‘ had ‘Act of Contrition‘.) This is the one for the otherwise-excellent ‘Madame X’ opus.

I WILL BE GAY, IF THE GAY ARE BURNED
I’LL BE AFRICA, IF AFRICA IS SHUT DOWN
I WILL BE POOR, IF THE POOR ARE HUMILIATED
I’LL BE A CHILD, IF THE CHILDREN ARE EXPLOITED

I KNOW WHAT I AM
AND I KNOW WHAT I’M NOT

Despite my non-enthusiasm for the song, I’m interested in seeing what Madonna does with this for her Madame X Tour. It’s screaming for drama, and nobody does drama better than Madonna. It may also grow on me. I was playing the album while lounging by the pool and this one was surprisingly effective. Maybe it was the sun and mental meanderings of Portugal. Maybe it was the tequila.

I’LL BE ISLAM, IF ISLAM IS HATED
I’LL BE ISRAEL, IF THEY’RE INCARCERATED
I’LL BE NATIVE INDIAN, IF THE INDIAN HAS BEEN TAKEN
AND I’LL BE A WOMAN, IF SHE’S RAPED AND HER HEART IS BREAKING

I KNOW WHAT I AM (GOD KNOWS WHAT I AM)
AND I KNOW WHAT I’M NOT (AND HE KNOWS WHAT I’M NOT)
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? (MM)
WILL WE KNOW WHEN TO STOP?

SONG #153: ‘Killers Who Are Partying’ – Summer 2019

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

The first Madonna Timeline entry from the ‘Madame X’ opus, this is one of my least favorite cuts, and oddly enough one of the first pre-release singles chosen to prime the album. It follows in the reggae-influenced vibe of ‘Unapologetic Bitch’ but resolves the melodic shortcomings of that with a catchy-enough chorus.

It’s a rather dour statement, one that perhaps went with Madonna’s darker frame of mind during the creation of the ‘Madame X’ album. It’s also a collaboration with Quavo, and like most major stars of her caliber, collaborations too often end up deflating and diminishing the power of the individuals that comprise them.

Madonna apparently liked this song enough to use it at her infamous Eurovision performance, where Quavo joined her onstage. While all the ballyhoo seems to be about some missed ‘Like A Prayer‘ notes, the show was an impressive spectacle, and a hint of what might be to come on her Madame X theatre tour. Give me an armored Joan of Arc costume and I’m on board every time. As for ‘Future’, its best bit may be the ‘Don’t Tell Me‘ quote that comes during its transfixing bridge. The rest can bumble into the past.

SONG #152: ‘Future’ – Late Spring 2019

{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}

Turning back to Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’ album, ‘Borrowed Time’ is one of the bonus tracks from that musically fertile period. Rumor has it that originally ‘Rebel Heart’ was to be a double album, with two of Madonna’s emotional sides on raw display. I think that would have been a killer concept; whittled down to one collection left the final version feeling slightly disjointed and all over the place. Still, it was a beautiful mess, and while ‘Borrowed Time’ is rightfully left off the main event, it’s a lovely-enough tune.

It’s a good point to take a look back at that era, as Madonna has just released a new album – always an exciting time.

DO WE NEED TO START A WAR
DO WE NEED TO TAKE A SIDE
IF WE OPEN UP OUR EYES
REALIZE THAT WE ARE DYING
IS IT ALL WORTH FIGHTING FOR
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO

WHO’S WRONG OR RIGHT
WHO’S BLACK OR WHITE
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU’RE BLEEDING FOR
STRAIGHT OR BI OR
GOD ALMIGHTY
DOESN’T MATTER UNDERNEATH IT ALL

‘CAUSE WE’RE ONLY HERE TO LOVE
LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
SO LET’S LIVE EACH MOMENT LIKE OUR TIME IS ONLY BORROWED

Back in 2015, after all the leaks and falls and wonky stand-up moments, ‘Rebel Heart‘ arrived with the insistent drumming and drive of a standard Madonna album, even if she was not pushing any overt boundaries. Rather than one or two main collaborators, however, Madonna and/or her management had a hefty cadre of contributors adding to its spotty feel. When it was high, it soared, as in the title track, the second single ‘Ghosttown‘ and the glorious ‘Messiah.’ When it went low on ‘Best Night,’ ‘Queen,’ and ‘S.E.X.‘ it was a reminder that not all that Madonna touched turned to gold. Still, give me a slight Madonna misfire over any current pop star’s smash hit any day. More indicative of the album and Madonna’s head at the time were songs like ‘Joan of Arc’ and ‘Inside Out‘ – two gorgeous songs that deserved more attention and honor.

DO WE NEED TO BUILD A BOMB
DO WE NEED TO FIRE A GUN
IF YOU HAVE TO STAND YOUR GROUND
IT’S A WAR THAT CAN’T BE WON
IS IT ALL WORTH DYING FOR
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO

WHO’S RICH OR POOR
VIRGIN OR WHORE
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU’RE PRAYING FOR
DEATH OR LIFE
YOU’RE TRUTH ALMIGHTY
DOESN’T MATTER UNDERNEATH IT ALL

‘CAUSE WE’RE ONLY HERE TO LOVE
LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
SO LET’S LIVE EACH MOMENT LIKE OUR TIME IS ONLY BORROWED

The ‘Rebel Heart’ album spawned the Rebel Heart Tour, something warmer and more heartfelt than previous tour outings (such as the criminally and intentionally-icy MDNA Tour). It remains to be seen where she’ll go next with her upcoming Madame X Theater Tour, but the encroachment of time has always been her greatest enemy, and the one consistently driving force that grows louder with each passing year. That must feel suffocating to someone like Madonna, and her quicksilver darting is testament to her mantra that it’s tough to hit a moving target. She hasn’t got much time to wait…

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
WHO’S RICH OR POOR
VIRGIN OR WHORE
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU’RE PRAYING FOR
DEATH OR LIFE
YOU’RE TRUTH ALMIGHTY
DOESN’T MATTER UNDERNEATH IT ALL

‘CAUSE WE’RE ONLY HERE TO LOVE
LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW
SO LET’S LIVE EACH MOMENT LIKE OUR TIME IS ONLY BORROWED

SONG #151: ‘Borrowed Time’ – Spring 2015