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Is Confessions Madonna's 'gayest' album?


johnnox

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I hate to label things, but while recently reading old review of Confessions, critics kept repeating the same thing amongst their praise for this record - that it's a love letter to the gays.

Do you agree? Is there such thing as a 'gay' album, or just an album gay fans can appreciate?

Were the songs, the imagery, the videos and the tour a reaction to what her gay fans wanted after the serious, thought-provoking and often political American Life?

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Either "Erotica" or "Confessions," for sure.

"Confessions" is probably her most intentionally gay album. After "American Life," she needed to make her base happy. Same thing a politician or big business does when he / she gets in trouble -- throw some red meat to your core supporters.

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Imagery maybe. Music... Not in the true sense no. When I think campy I think Kylie or Cher. Confessions wasn't like that. Madonna is a gay icon but her music seems to appeal to many people. Confessions is actually just an amazing pop/dance album that many people appreciated. Gay straight whatever.

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Imagery maybe. Music... Not in the true sense no. When I think campy I think Kylie or Cher. Confessions wasn't like that. Madonna is a gay icon but her music seems to appeal to many people. Confessions is actually just an amazing pop/dance album that many people appreciated. Gay straight whatever.

But it IS gay in the true sense. It's so disco. The gayest era in music since Late-Baroque when everyone was basically a drag queen. It's so Donna Summer, Raffaella Carra, Sylvester. When Madonna references the past she does it RIGHT, unlike that Kylie woman.

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I kind of hate when people write this album off as being too gay to actually be good. Disco was one of the greatest eras in music. It was so experimental, fabulous, baroque, romantic, "futuristic", carefree, fun, and really ballsy.

Why does music have to be so serious and about heartbreak and suffering and all that cliché shit everyone always sings about to be considered good?

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I kind of hate when people write this album off as being too gay to actually be good. Disco was one of the greatest eras in music. It was so experimental, fabulous, baroque, romantic, "futuristic", carefree, fun, and really ballsy.

Why does music have to be so serious and about heartbreak and suffering and all that cliché shit everyone always sings about to be considered good?

People love to put down disco and pop music to try to pretend to be edgy and cool but they usually secretly love it. Making great pop and disco music is more challenging and harder than people think. Timeless great pop music is still loved after decades, much more than some of the tuneless depressing indie stuff that is remembered for a year or two.

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Definitely not campy, but it is pretty faggy. Makes me want to lock the doors, lower the blinds, fire up the smoke machine and put on my heels. You know? Have a little kiki.

What's the difference between campy and faggy, Ulizos?

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Either "Erotica" or "Confessions," for sure.

"Confessions" is probably her most intentionally gay album. After "American Life," she needed to make her base happy. Same thing a politician or big business does when he / she gets in trouble -- throw some red meat to your core supporters.

But so many fans believe she does what she wants to do and doesn't listen to her critics or fans, so does she really care about making her fan base happy?

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If you're talking strictly from a MARKETING perspective then YES to a certain degree.

There was the Attitude magazine feature and the G-A-Y performance in the UK which springs to mind. She could swapped both of those for something much more 'high profile'/mainstream if she really wanted to. So I suppose there was an intention to market it to her gay fanbase, although it never seemed like she was really PANDERING. Whether that was her decision or her team's, I don't know...

In terms of the sound being 'gay', wasn't that more of a reaction from the media at the time? From the Attitude interview:

I don't want to pigeonhole it, but Hung Up comes across like being a love letter to your gay fans

"Really? Oh good. Do you think people are going to like it?"

I think they'll be backflipping through Soho to it

"Well good! I hope the whole record is received that enthusiastically by the gay community".

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What's the difference between campy and faggy, Ulizos?

Camp is one step away from being tacky. Poor taste. It's sometimes intentional, usually for comedic effect, like Madonna singing going bananas, you hear that song and you know she's just being silly, OTP, for fun, and it works, but if we're talking about Kylie, for example, there's something in her level of taste that's very questionable.

Exhibit A.

World+Premiere+Kylie+Minogue+Tour+Les+Fo

Let's compare that to Madonna's nod to the same exact era:

madonna+-super+bowl-.jpg

article-2097020-119AB08C000005DC-616_964

When I said faggy I was just being silly (that's why I quoted that super gay Scissor Sisters song), but this is HIGH fashion, it's FABULOUS, it's BAROQUE, It's ART. And just because it's all those things, doesn't mean it's not good.

The same thing goes to the entire Confessions album. Yes, it's fabulous, it's disco, it's sometimes void of any "deep meaning", but it's incredibly strong, beautiful and pure classic pop music, and again, why does music have to be SO SERIOUS all the time to be considered good?

I mean, compare this to Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson or Lady Gaga:

ct_gaultier_costumes.jpg

There's nothing camp about it. It's a tasteful nod to a beautiful era in music.

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It's practically an all dance record, paying homage to 70's disco. Pink leotards, Farrah fawcett hair...., it def has its gay elements. Campy? No.

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True Blue for me.

I always think of COADF as sort of the True Blue of the 2000's, very commercial and solid pop songs filled with great hooks and melodies but i don't see TB as a 'gay' album or whatever, internationally it was her commercial peak, it was one of those albums that everybody knew the songs, from little kids to grown ups...my 87 year old grandma knew what La Isla Bonita was lmao

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No, though the disco imagery is usually associated with gays. But really COADF is probably her best album and her most enjoyable from start to finish. It was also one of her most coherent ones and thanks god the direction she chose with this was amazing.

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Like others have already said, not gay in the campy or tacky way at all! Confessions would have never sold as well or has been as popular with music fans if it was faggy. M fan base also contains different sexual orientations and demographics. Besides maybe the last tour or two, it was always obvious attending her concerts how many straight people are in the audience.

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Camp is one step away from being tacky. Poor taste. It's sometimes intentional, usually for comedic effect, like Madonna singing going bananas, you hear that song and you know she's just being silly, OTP, for fun, and it works, but if we're talking about Kylie, for example, there's something in her level of taste that's very questionable.

Exhibit A.

World+Premiere+Kylie+Minogue+Tour+Les+Fo

Let's compare that to Madonna's nod to the same exact era:

madonna+-super+bowl-.jpg

article-2097020-119AB08C000005DC-616_964

Ok but Kylie was referencing Greek Mythology and Madonna was channeling Cleopatra/Egyptian culture. Two very different and distinct eras and years, but I understand what you're saying

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^^^ One is your demented old maiden aunt playing dress-up with her old net curtains and tinfoil, the other probably eclipses Cleo's ACTUAL entrance into Rome.

Anyway, yeah, Madge and Stuart Price sat in his tiny studio flat plotting a "gay" album...whatever a gay album is. :geek:

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Ok but Kylie was referencing Greek Mythology and Madonna was channeling Cleopatra/Egyptian culture. Two very different and distinct eras and years, but I understand what you're saying

Oh, I didn't even really look at the picture, I just said ew and used it as an example :lol:

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