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{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.}

When I first heard the demo for this, it was rough, raw, and so unpolished I honestly didn’t see how it could be salvaged. So awful was it that I actually doubted it was a proper Madonna demo at all. I was wrong. With the power and precision of a well-seasoned pro, Madonna turned it into a pop gem, all bright shiny surfaces and perfectly chiseled angles. I should have expected no less, and its performance on her ‘Sticky and Sweet Tour’ was a fun intro to a flawless show.

Don’t sit there like some silly girl
If you wait too long it’ll be too late.
I’m not telling you something new,
There ain’t no time to lose,
It’s time for you to celebrate.

As is her habit, she crafted a fun, catchy pop song. Mindless in some ways, but mindful in others – a warning, perhaps to herself most of all, on the fleeting nature of time. Like much of the ‘Hard Candy’ album, time is the main concern – the way it goes by too fast and too relentlessly.

You don’t have the luxury of time,
You have got to say what’s on your mind.
Your head lost in the stars
You’ll never go far
It’s time for you to read the signs.

The time is right now,
You’ve got to decide
Stand in the back or be the star…

I won’t say much on the Kanye West rap interlude that somewhat mars the song. It’s interesting that the collaboration happened just prior to his going ballistic on live television and stealing Taylor Swift’s moment (she’s more than made up for it in successive successes, while he, though musically still a powerhouse, has owned up to his douche-bag image and held onto it defiantly). In these swift-to-forgive-if-not-forget times, Madonna got absolutely no negative publicity for her tenuous ties to Mr. West – though if this played out in the 80’s or 90’s far more damage may have been wrought upon both. Yet another reflection on the changing times – and the mirror ball of pop spins on.

I can’t keep waiting for you,
Anticipating for you
No time to lose…

Get down, beep beep, gotta get up out of your seat!
Get down, beep beep, gotta get up out of your seat!

Song #44: ‘Beat Goes On’ – Spring/Summer 2008