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Why no acclaim or respect for Frozen?


Braby

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i think its better than the title track. :thumbsup:

I agree 100%

my family aren't Madonna fans but they ALL LOVE Frozen and La Isla Bonita :thumbsup:

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THAT string opening is just so lush. SO dark. Cinematic Hollywood and Middle Eastern at the same time. Then, after 20 seconds, BAM! The drum beat explodes while the electronic synthesisers slowly build before majestically pulsating throughout the intro.

:thumbsup:

The opening and the bridge are my favorite parts. The string arrangement in this song is probably one of the BEST things she's ever put her name on (musically). I think this is probably one of the most BEAUTIFUL pop songs ever written. It's also one of her more unusual tracks - it isn't an instantly accessible pop hit, but rather a slow burn.

The performance of this song on the DWT is probably one of my favorite memories. It was the first time I ever saw Madonna live and it was phenomenal.

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Guest Danny86
It's also one of her more unusual tracks - it isn't an instantly accessible pop hit, but rather a slow burn.

I don't see how, I always thought it's easily the most accessible song on ROL along with TPOG. Take away the epic strings and Orbit's trash cans and you get a track that could come after "You'll See" on Something To Remember. Its melody is really typical Madonna with a simple chorus. No surprise Warner wanted it as the lead off single.

The S&ST rendition clearly accentuates that it's a straightforward pop song, maybe even just a continuation of LAP (I used to hear fans comparing the melody with LAP). And she even downgrades the chorus as if it was just "Isaac". :demonic:

The DWT performance is divine indeed, one of her very best, same level as JML GS for me.

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Guest SuperBriGuy

I don't see how, I always thought it's easily the most accessible song on ROL along with TPOG. Take away the epic strings and Orbit's trash cans and you get a track that could come after "You'll See" on Something To Remember. Its melody is really typical Madonna with a simple chorus. No surprise Warner wanted it as the lead off single.

The S&ST rendition clearly accentuates that it's a straightforward pop song, maybe even just a continuation of LAP (I used to hear fans comparing the melody with LAP). And she even downgrades the chorus as if it was just "Isaac". :demonic:

The DWT performance is divine indeed, one of her very best, same level as JML GS for me.

YES, the DWT performance is incredible...I love the Stereo MC remix. The choreography she used for it was divine as well...it just accentuated it.

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Guest Coked Up Baby Boy

I always thought the album would have sold better had ROL been the first single and it was pushed a couple of months later to a spring/summer release. But maybe not. We spoke about that recently.

Sold better? didn't it sell 14 million copies?

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Guest Danny86

The performance with the East Harlem Orchestra is best

Oh yes, what an incredible voice! :wow: You would never guess it was just a couple of months before the infamous VMA 98.

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Guest SuperBriGuy

Well yeah, but even better, especially initially.

Yeah, I always thought that the release was kind of understated...in a way Madonna kind of just let the music and videos speak for itself, it was that good an album. Of course that was about the time I became a superfan so it was quiet to me... :horn:

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Guest Coked Up Baby Boy

Frozen was the perfect first single for ROL. I remember when the video launched, it was all over TV. People expected her "come back" single to be a big pop number, but it was so somber and no one had ever seen her all gothed out like that. It was the perfect way to re-launch herself. She really gave us something she hadn't done before.

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The release was timed perfectly - Frozen for the winter, ROL for the summer

But I think her comeback would have been a bigger shock to people if ROL was first. That single sounds sooo unlike the Madonna of before. She apparently wanted it first, but Warners thought it was too risky and went with the safer Frozen, which is akin to a 90s Live To Tell.

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Guest Danny86

Yeah, I always thought that the release was kind of understated...in a way Madonna kind of just let the music and videos speak for itself, it was that good an album. Of course that was about the time I became a superfan so it was quiet to me... :horn:

Yeah I guess in the US it was like that (same as COADF) but in Europe it was her first properly promoted single with many live performances. I remember reading it here that her manager especially wanted a UK #1 so they plugged her to the UK National Lottery show. That's not really understated after something like "Secret" that did not have any live performances upon its release.

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The ROL era is when she started with proper promo, I suppose.

She did do Top of the Pops for You'll See and have interviews for the Sex book era, but that aside, she was generally very aloof and ultra superstar in terms of her TV appearances. :wow::queenbitch:

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Guest SuperBriGuy

The ROL era is when she started with proper promo, I suppose.

She did do Top of the Pops for You'll See and have interviews for the Sex book era, but that aside, she was generally very aloof and ultra superstar in terms of her TV appearances. :wow::queenbitch:

Well she has said in interviews regarding her Erotica era that the backlash and criticism of her work during that time was so scathing that she kind of built a wall up to protect herself...I think she probably pulled back a little bit because she was getting plenty of media attention, just not the good kind.

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Guest Danny86

The release was timed perfectly - Frozen for the winter, ROL for the summer

But I think her comeback would have been a bigger shock to people if ROL was first. That single sounds sooo unlike the Madonna of before. She apparently wanted it first, but Warners thought it was too risky and went with the safer Frozen, which is akin to a 90s Live To Tell.

I agree, but I'm not convinced it would have translated into more sales. The fans she gathered from "Rain" through TAB till DCMFA would have been alienated and not sure if the "dance crowd" could have balanced that out. Still would have been a UK #1 I guess with the same promo.

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Guest SuperBriGuy

I agree, but I'm not convinced it would have translated into more sales. The fans she gathered from "Rain" through TAB till DCMFA would have been alienated and not sure if the "dance crowd" could have balanced that out. Still would have been a UK #1 I guess with the same promo.

True, it is important to remember that Madonna softened her image considerable throughout the mid-90's...she played to a much more AC oriented audience during that period. It was a risky transition for her, ultimately I think she handled it perfectly.

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I don't see how, I always thought it's easily the most accessible song on ROL along with TPOG. Take away the epic strings and Orbit's trash cans and you get a track that could come after "You'll See" on Something To Remember. Its melody is really typical Madonna with a simple chorus. No surprise Warner wanted it as the lead off single.

But if you take away the epic strings and the trash cans would you even have the same song we all know and love? In my opinion, the strings make the song. I imagine you could remove production elements from almost any Madonna song and find similar structure. Also, there are very few songs in her catalog that start with half a minute plus of lush, orchestral introduction before she even sings. I still think it is unusual for her to have this electronica-meets-classical sound. She definitely touched on it with "I Want You." But I really don't think "Frozen" was typical for Madonna at the time.

I also disagree that it is the most accessible song on the album. Although nothing on the album is as pure pop as True Blue was.

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Frozen was the perfect first single for ROL. I remember when the video launched, it was all over TV. People expected her "come back" single to be a big pop number, but it was so somber and no one had ever seen her all gothed out like that. It was the perfect way to re-launch herself. She really gave us something she hadn't done before.

well said, totally agree!

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The release was timed perfectly - Frozen for the winter, ROL for the summer

But I think her comeback would have been a bigger shock to people if ROL was first. That single sounds sooo unlike the Madonna of before. She apparently wanted it first, but Warners thought it was too risky and went with the safer Frozen, which is akin to a 90s Live To Tell.

Huh? i don't see in any way how ROL is a riskier single choice than frozen. although the song is different than her dance songs of the past, to me it sounds like the most "mainstream" song on the album (not that there's anything wrong with that).

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