MerGirl Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Lifelong Madonna fan Darren Hayes explains why the world needs an amazing new album from the Queen of Pop… The woman who has always been above social media has been having a torrid affair with it of late. 2014 shall forever be known by this fan as the year the Material Girl embraced Instagram and treated us to everything from gratuitous boob selfies to her homage to hairy underarms. And I’ve loved it. Through her iPhone Madonna let us behind the platinum curtain – even inside her very posh Upper East Side Manhattan master bathroom to witness everything form her post work-out beads of sweat to her son David Banda on guitar. Yet of most fascination has been the cheeky way she has beckoned us inside the recording studio. The Queen of Pop has been teasing the world with progress of her as-yet-untitled (unless it’s called Unapologetic Bitch – and Lord don’t I hope so!) 13th studio album. The list of potential collaborators is so far impressive: Sky Ferreira/Haim producer Ariel Rechtshaid, Wrecking Ball co-writer MoZella, MIA collaborator Diplo, DJ/producer Avicii, former Lady Gaga collaborator Martin Kierszenbaum, pop singer Natalia Kills, US hit-maker Toby Gad. The imagery teased out recently is also exciting: Homage to Betty Page, mysterious veils and religious imagery? Check. But there’s also some cause for concern. Why? Because Madonna seems so close to getting it right. And we all know what happens when Madonna gets it slightly wrong. Two words: Hard Candy. Some might argue her last studio album MDNA was a disappointment. I actually loved many moments on the album but there was a sense, right before the album dropped, that something was out of alignment. It’s hard to pinpoint what was missing. The world was hungry for Madonna’s ‘A’ game. The reality is, we got glimpses of it. William Orbit suggested in retrospect that M was pulled in too many directions to really focus on making the record the brilliant return to form that songs like Gang Bang and Addicted promised it could be. She had a clothing line, a world tour, a film and a perfume to promote. Music – the source of all her power – had been relegated to a mere portion of her time, a part-time job and unfortunately something had to give. I assume it was the laser focus on the dance floor that lost out in the end, and the project suffered. Thankfully the accompanying tour did not. We witnessed Madonna in her full prime, mercilessly slaying audiences with her bold confidence and celebrating dance at the centre of her circus. Yet when the confetti cleared there was the sense that the Madonna train had passed through town without a trace. The era, like Hard Candy, didn’t seem to permeate the zeitgeist the way Confessions on a Dancefloor had a few years before. The problem is, Madonna is consistently brilliant. When she hits her sweet spot, it is the music equivalent of orgasm. Moments like Holiday, Into the Groove andHung Up are prime examples. Reckless abandon on the dance floor yet not throw-away gibberish. Yes, solid dance-pop tunes that you want to make out to, get drunk with or indeed form the soundtrack of a one-night stand to. But they are also songs of freedom, of escape and empowerment. Some might call them the soundtrack to coming out. At the heart of these floor-fillers are universal truths embedded in the human experience: “Only when I’m dancing can I feel this free.” “Soul is in the musical, that’s where I feel so beautiful, magical. Life’s a ball. So get up on the dance floor.” What is this love affair between gay men and Madonna? It’s distinct from our admiration for all other popstars – a very particular tryst entirely separate from the love of Cher, Kylie, Mariah etc. While I can appreciate the qualities all these strong divas have in common, there’s something different about Madonna. If you grew up gay during her reign there is something of her rebelliousness invariably in your DNA. As a teen I identified with her refusal to be categorised. Neither butch nor feminine, tough nor soft. Especially in the 80’s she challenged what the definition of “beautiful” was and her resilience and determination were infectious. I was 12 years old when ‘The Virgin Tour’ was released on videocassette. When other boys in my school were sneaking off to watch boobs in Porky’s or glimpses or nip slips in Conan the Barbarian, I was sat glued in front of the telly trying to learn the choreography from Dress You Up. I saw the sheer audacity in this woman who was teasing, nay, demanding the crowd beg for more. “I said DO you want to hear some more!?’ she screamed during an impossibly long pause in the middle of Holiday. And boy did I. I’m a lifelong defender of American Life, a controversial choice for favourite album when it comes to Madonna fans but let me present my solitary piece of evidence: The song Nothing Fails. It’s the 2004 Like A Prayer only this time, a bit more battered, a bit weary from love and possessed of exactly the kind of depth I hope all Madonna records reach at some point in the album sequence. As a project, yes I know it is devoid of “hit singles” – but to me it’s a songwriting master class. As an album it’s such a cohesive work of art because clearly it had her 100% undivided attention. It is this attention to detail a great Madonna album needs. It simply cannot succeed without it. Projects that have missed the mark for me did so because they were missing a crucial element: Madonna. I don’t care how many superstar producers, songwriters or hot DJ’s she surrounds herself with – the horse I’m always betting on is the woman herself. When Madonna decides to show up in the studio you get unwavering brilliance. Like a Prayer and Ray of Light are prime examples. Here we have a woman who is in love with her craft and the passion is evident. The truth is, Madonna is always the most interesting element of a Madonna collaboration. Things only go awry when that delicate balance is thrown out of whack. Her collaboration with Pharrell and even BabyFace to a certain extent have always left me feeling like those producers overshadowed the Madonna quotient. Their sound permeated the records and the result was pedestrian. I know, shocking right? Madonna is never EVER supposed to be normal. Madonna’s work with fresh and exciting up-and-coming talent is, for me, always most rewarding. Her work with William Orbit, a relatively obscure choice at the time, was revolutionary. Similarly her Music album with Mirwais completely reinvented her for the 21st century. By the time Madonna got into the studio with Stuart Price she seemed to be on a winning streak. Three incredibly original and yet massively successful pop records – with the edgy excellence of American Life in between. I got into a bit of a “thing” on Twitter when I announced I was writing this article. I encountered a few snarky comments – from “tell her to start acting her age” to suggestions that Madonna didn’t write her biggest hits (completely fiction – she’s one of the most prolific and gifted pop writers around and strangely rarely gets this credit). I found myself defending Madonna’s right to get her kit off – even if it doesn’t do much for me, her refusal to “age gracefully” is so in keeping with her core values I can’t help but encourage it. With respect, Madonna fans are fiercely protective and the one common factor I noticed was a passion for Madonna to “get it right” whatever that means. My argument has always been that the focus has to be on songs and the discipline must come not just in the gym, but on ideas. On music. All songwriters or artists get lazy – it’s HARD to be good. U2’s Bono has a great phrase about striving for excellence: “Good is the enemy of great.” And it’s true. Madonna is easily and effortlessly good. No one can deny that. But when she’s great, there is no one and I mean NO ONE alive who can touch her in pop music. In this period of quiet before the storm I want to send out some cosmic rays of light to the queen. All the signs are there: the determination, the focus and the joy of being an artist. We can all debate which era, which look or which persona was strongest but there’s only one person who can deliver the goods. Help us Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. You’re our only hope. http://attitude.co.uk/world-needs-brilliant-new-madonna-album/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ciccone Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Brilliant article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madonnasuperfan01 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 AMAZING article! :clap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Darren has always been such a huge Madonna fan. I might not have agreed with everything he said in that article, but it was so passionate and true to what he believed in. His love and respect for Madonna shone through as well. Loved a lot of what he said and admire the way he writes. Great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raf Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Love this article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Gark Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 It's funny 'cause American life is the least "Madonna" of all her albums: poor melodies, repetitive (and sometimes bad) lyrics (American Life, I'm so stupid), same producer as the previous record thus no new sound basically (just a little bit more folk-ish at times). I'll never get the praise for that record. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glindathegood Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 It's funny 'cause American life is the least "Madonna" of all her albums: poor melodies, repetitive (and sometimes bad) lyrics (American Life, I'm so stupid), same producer as the previous record thus no new sound basically (just a little bit more folk-ish at times). I'll never get the praise for that record. I like American Life more than you do, but I do sort of agree there's something very un-Madonna about it. It's completely unlike anything she did before really except for as you said Music or anything she did since. But somehow some fans see it as the "real Madonna". But really HC and MDNA sound more Madonna to me than AL. The article is interesting and well written but not sure I agree with all of it. I think he's jumping from the idea that just because he doesn't care for the last two albums as much that she didn't put any effort or any of herself into it which I don't think is fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokenButterfly Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 We need a new Madonna album because this has been a dismal year for mainstream music. Her albums usually always ends up being the most exciting albums of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pressston Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Brilliant article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick00 Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Interesting point of view & yes we need another M album asap!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Does he get to write an article for attitude simply because he's gay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmic_system Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Great article minus the Hard Candy bashing. Hard Candy is life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loomer Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I don't think I can bear to listen to his Angel and Dress You Up, the version of ROL was amusing. Not surprising he isn't keen on the new stuff, remember that tweet he did about Revolver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayGuy Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Great read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VogueMusic Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 The article is interesting and well written but not sure I agree with all of it. I think he's jumping from the idea that just because he doesn't care for the last two albums as much that she didn't put any effort or any of herself into it which I don't think is fair. THIS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacket Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 That article reads like a copy and paste of disparate posts in this forum. REVEAL YOURSELF DAME DARREN! It feels... reductive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shan Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Just a bunch of babble to me. Everything he said was pretty tired and there was no need for this article to exist. Hard Candy and MDNA are fantastic albums and they provide more chapters in the overarching Madonna Story/Canon. They're simply essential, and the next album will be too, and the album after that. She gets it right no matter what, and how the fuck does he know how involved she was in each album? I know it's safe to think HC and MDNA aren't good albums, but come on, it's so boring to be safe. Think for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VogueMusic Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Just a bunch of babble to me. Everything he said was pretty tired and there was no need for this article to exist. Hard Candy and MDNA are fantastic albums and they provide more chapters in the overarching Madonna Story/Canon. They're simply essential, and the next album will be too, and the album after that. She gets it right no matter what, and how the fuck does he know how involved she was in each album? I know it's safe to think HC and MDNA aren't good albums, but come on, it's so boring to be safe. Think for yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyHigh76 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Good article! I don't agree with everything he said,but it's a well-written piece.The world truly needs a brilliant Madonna album right now.Michael is gone,Janet is pretty much retired,Prince is unreliable,Lady Gaga's 15 minutes are just about up,Whitney is gone,and Mariah makes the same album over and over.Bottom line: Madonna needs to return and show everyone how it's done!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sloane Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 ...I know it's safe to think HC and MDNA aren't good albums, but come on, it's so boring to be safe. Think for yourself. Well he did say AL was his favorite and that's not a popular opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 The world needs good music! This M needs a new album PRONTO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad_On_Her Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Darren Hayes. Pretentious and nauseating are what sum him up best. get over yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcrossTheSky Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 It's funny 'cause American life is the least "Madonna" of all her albums: poor melodies, repetitive (and sometimes bad) lyrics (American Life, I'm so stupid), same producer as the previous record thus no new sound basically (just a little bit more folk-ish at times). I'll never get the praise for that record. I always thought American Life was sort of aimed at religious America. It's as if Madonna wanted to say, hey, I know you're longing for something bigger than yourself, but it doesn't have to be religious. As if she offered some kind of alternative, a spirituality that can give you fulfillment without having you diminish yourself. It was because of this album I personally understood Madonna on a level that is completely different from what she has always been perceived as. I admire every song on that album and to some the lyrics are poor, but to me, every line speaks volumes. To me American Life makes more sense as a kind of a modern spirituality music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxianyxx Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 (edited) American Life is her most consistent album musically, but I'm meh about the songs in general. Oh yeah, generally the article's great. Darren Hayes, who'd have thought it? Edited July 15, 2014 by xxianyxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Darren Hayes. Pretentious and nauseating are what sum him up best. get over yourself I have never found Darren to be pretentious. I have seen him interviewed several times and also on Spicks and Specks and always found him charming and sincere. He has always talked about his love for Madonna and while I don't agree with everything he wrote, I understand that it is his view. He was not over-critical or vicious and loves more about Madonna than he dislikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcrossTheSky Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Also, as has been pointed out already, some fans do view American Life as the real Madonna. She said it herself that it was her most personal, and her most favorite album. I think a lot of Madonna's music is the alter ego Madonna, and it was extremely evident in MDNA's Girl Gone Wild. I think in real life Madonna is completely opposite of Hard Candy and MDNA. But this is just my opinion. I swear I don't mean to offend nobody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanracin Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 (edited) For me my 3 personal favourite albums are: American Life, Ray Of Light and Like A Prayer because they reveal Madonna at her most intimate and REAL. But that is just one side of her I guess... Edited July 15, 2014 by humanracin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rachelle of London Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 American Life is a great album! How people fail to see that is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcrossTheSky Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 For me American Life, Ray Of Light and Like A Prayer are Madonna at her most intimate and REAL. Yes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Also, as has been pointed out already, some fans do view American Life as the real Madonna. She said it herself that it was her most personal, and her most favorite album. I think a lot of Madonna's music is the alter ego Madonna, and it was extremely evident in MDNA's Girl Gone Wild. I think in real life Madonna is completely opposite of Hard Candy and MDNA. But this is just my opinion. I swear I don't mean to offend nobody. You did not say anything that could offend anyone. I think Madonna expresses herself in so many different ways. She is a unique person with a great balance of being both serious and care-free. It shows in all of her types of music. Her love of dance and joy through music is expressed in so many of her pop masterpieces and her serious and thoughtful side is shown through her more introspective and serious songs. A wonderful combination that very few can achieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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