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6 Months Later: Evaluating MDNA


Guest Xanthium

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Guest Xanthium

After having not listened to MDNA for months, I've been listening to it for the past couple of days and I have to say it stands up very well. It's still a blast to listen to, it's very fun and it still sounds fresh. I'm not bored with it. This might have to do with me purposely not overplaying the album and making sure I take breaks from it.

Girl Gone Wild -Ok, so the lyrics are lame and the beat is totally played out so why am I enjoying this song more than I ever did before? It's just straight up fun and I Iike to pretend I'm Kazaky when I'm dancing to it :lol:B

Gang Bang - I initially had issues with this song when I first heard it but it has gelled with me over the months. I love blasting this in the car 'NOW DRIVE BITCH" A

I'm Addicted - I worship this song and it is hovering right outside my Top 10 Madonna Songs list. A+

Turn Up The Radio - The lyrics are pretty cheesy but the song is infectious and is sold by Madonna's heartfelt delivery. A-

Give Me All Your Luvin' - The lyrics are juvenile and awkward but this song is addictive. If the lyrics were reworked this song could've worked as a single. A-

Some Girls - MY MOTHERFUCKIN' JAM! Definitely an all time Madonna fave (somewhere between 11 and 20). A+

Superstar - This song really is an example of the saying "if only". I adore the melody and production. IF ONLY the lyrics were better this song could've been on the same level as Cherish as an infectious, upbeat romantic song. B+

I Don't Give A... - Even though this song is very well done, I'm not as close with it as I am with the other songs on the album. I still really enjoy listening to it though. The ending is epic. A

I'm A Sinner - Some of the lyrics are awkward but it's a great song. A

Love Spent - Still love this song with all my heart and soul. On my Top 10 Madonna Songs list. EPIC. ROMANTIC. GORGEOUS. A++++++++

Masterpiece - Not a bad song but get off my album please. Totally ruins the flow of the album and I skip it every single time. Belongs in soundtrackland not MDNAville. B

Falling Free - Great closing song for the album and really shows Madonna stretching as an artist. This is the song you shove in the face of those who are critical of her talent. A

Beautiful Killer - Really smooth, sweeping, a bit romantic, a bit dancy. Best bridge on the entire album (and this song SHOULD'VE been on the album along with I Fucked Up). A

I Fucked Up - Madonna certainly fucked up by not putting this on the album proper. Totally romantic but with a sassy edge. A+

B-Day Song - This song is like an annoying relative you're forced to deal with at a family picnic. While not completely horrible you still want them to GO AWAY. C-

Best Friend - I like this song. The production and melody remind me of Britney Spears. A nice B-side. B

Overall: Madonna suffers in the lyrics department but her ability to harness songs with taut melodies and production is still as strong as ever. Another weakness besides the lyrics is that she didn't put Beautiful Killer and I Fucked Up on the album and left them in B-side purgatory. Madonna still knows how to make infectious music. I just wish the lyrics had much more depth. I do really appreciate though her tackling her divorce head on on songs like Gang Bang, I Don't Give A, I Fucked Up, and Best Friend. They give MDNA gravitas and its meaty center. Without them the album would've floated away in a vacuous cloud. Overall grade: A-

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Girl Gone Wild -Ok song but not for madonna

Gang Bang - best madonna song in years. for single release needs 2 be edit around 3:45

I'm Addicted - rip of a daft punk, 4 years 2 late

Turn Up The Radio - maybe for martin album not for madonna

Give Me All Your Luvin' - no. just no!

Some Girls - if she wont`s britney sound she got it with this one. one of the best from the album

Superstar - skip

I Don't Give A... its a retrospective song of post GR years. ok production, lyrics, barbie rap (ending remind me of music from batman returns)

I'm A Sinner - well this one grow on me with months, needs better productions and ending. intro from ggw maybe fits here better and for me its a album opener

Love Spent - love this one. epic

Masterpiece - masterpiece (not for me)

Falling Free - skip

Beautiful Killer - ok song and deserve too be on main album track list

I Fucked Up - skip

B-Day Song - skip

Best Friend - skip

best song`s: gang bang, some girls, i don`t give a...., I`m a sinner, love spent

Edited by alen
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Gang Bang, I'm Addicted, Give Me All Your Luvin', Some Girls, I'm A Sinner, Love Spent are the highlights for me.

MDNA is a great album (much better than Hard Candy) but Girl Gone Wild, Turn Up The Radio and Masterpiece, which I tolerated when the album first came out, now fully get on my nerves.

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Having watched 8,000,000 youtube videos of GGW from MDNA Tour, I have to say that song has really grown on me a lot!! It's generic, it sounds like ANY pop whore could sing it but fuck it.....it works!

I would still consider GB, IA, SG, LS and FF to be the best of the album. FF is her best ballad in years and is up there with the best of her ballads with PL IMO. I hope the sound on her next album expands on the sound of FF.

I really loved TUTR when the album first came out. I still like it and her live performance is infectious but I just don't find myself getting as excited as I once did about the album version.

GMAYL= cheesy pop greatness. Fuck whatcha heard!! THE END.

I've loved IDGA from day one and still do! However, every time I listen to it I find myself scouring YouTube during the end/at the end of the song to find the tour performance! I can't listen to that epic ending without WATCHING that EPIC ENDING of the song and the entire Transgression section of the tour. Her rising from the stage flailing about with that big MDNA cross above her is one of the most striking images she's ever had on stage!

Birthday Song is cute I suppose....whatever.

I do adore BK but I have to say it's just a teeny tiny bit overrated amongst the fans IMO.

Some say IAS is Madonna and Orbit running out of ideas. As with many things this era I think it's self referential to the ROL era sound and I LOVE this track. Every time I hear it I feel like I'm transported back to 1998. Whether that's good or bad is up to you! lol

The only true duds on this album for me are IFU and BF. Although IFU is slightly more tolerable, I just want to switch these songs when they pop up.

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I still like Girl Gone Wild, and of course because of that single release we got the only truly good video from this era imo, so for that i'm happy it was released, but 6 months on, i don't think it was a good enough single choice. Nice album opener, and fun song, very Madonna, but it feels weak on reflection and a very "safe" option for her.

The album is good but isn't perfect and it's a huge missed opportunity single wise, probably her worst line up of singles in her whole career actually. It boggles the mind why the 3 singles we got were chosen over some of the other tracks on the record, i just don't get it.

I think they had a plan for this album that backfired. They picked Give Me A Bucket because it was cheerleader themed and matched the Superbowl, they threw on Nicki Minaj to give it wider appeal and probably thought all the exposure the song would get would give Madonna a hit, it didn't. Then GGW was released as a very "typical" Madonna type song [maybe to draw in the people that didn't like Bucket?], and that failed too. Turn Down The Radio sounds like a single release, i don't like the song but i can see why others might. At that point though i don't think they cared what was released as long as they went with something, and they chose that. The cute but lazy and unispired dull video proves how little motivation they had to continue on the album with singles by that point. Honestly though, i don't blame them. Madonna was in the middle of a tour and there was little interest in the album, so whatever i guess.

Anyway, i still stand by my original view of the album. It's all good to great except for Bucket, Radio and B'Day Song. I sort of kinda liked Best Friend at one point, just as a throw away bonus track, but i kinda hate it now, it just sounds.....weird, the talky electro verse, the nasal chorus, it's ugly.

The look and tour have been SO much better than her last era though. HC was kyoot, and i enjoyed Sticky and Sweet [on blu-ray, heh], but she looked like Gollum for a lot of that tour, was finishing a divorce and just kinda looked a bit tired and over it. She seems re-vitalized this era, you can tell.

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Girl Gone Wild -Ok song but not for madonna

Gang Bang - best madonna song in years. for single release needs 2 be edit around 3:45

I'm Addicted - rip of a daft punk, 4 years 2 late

Turn Up The Radio - maybe for martin album not for madonna

Give Me All Your Luvin' - no. just no!

Some Girls - if she wont`s britney sound she got it with this one. one of the best from the album

Superstar - skip

I Don't Give A... its a retrospective song of post GR years. ok production, lyrics, barbie rap (ending remind me of music from batman returns)

I'm A Sinner - well this one grow on me with months, needs better productions and ending. intro from ggw maybe fits here better and for me its a album opener

Love Spent - love this one. epic

Masterpiece - masterpiece (not for me)

Falling Free - skip

Beautiful Killer - ok song and deserve too be on main album track list

I Fucked Up - skip

B-Day Song - skip

Best Friend - skip

best song`s: gang bang, some girls, i don`t give a...., I`m a sinner, love spent

next time I'll skip your post, thanks.

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Guest I'llTeachYouHowTo...

i still think it's amazing. even 'i fucked up' finally grew on me. i still love the singles...especially 'girl gone wild'. the tour has pushed that song way up on my list of favorite madonna songs.

i still don't get the hate for GMAYL, B-day song, and best friend. i love them all. GMAYL was pretty much love at first listen, and i still play it regularly. b-day was one of the first songs from the album i 'clicked' with, and i don't get the hate for it at all. it's just a goofy little throwaway...no one is saying it's 'live to tell pt 2'. best friend is amazing. i love everything about it.

overall, it's still somewhere in my top albums list, and i'm only taking a break from listening to it all the time right now because my tour date is coming soon, and i don't want to wear the songs out. otherwise, i'd be playing it 24/7. :lol: i know there have been a lot of complaints about the album, but it's pretty much everything i had hoped it would be, and more. she surprised me again, and how many of these pop skanks out today can you see making an album like this at 53? it just reinforced my love and admiration for her, really. regardless of sales or promo or whatever else...she made a great record. and after 30 years, that should be what matters.

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It's really one of her best albums. Totally blows Hard Candy away.

I've come to realize that there always needs to be a Jimmy Jimmy/Don't Stop/Spanish Lesson on the album. GMAYL and Superstar just happen to be them. They're not unbearable, I can tolerate and enjoy them and can listen to them from beginning to end, they just don't rank highly or stand up to the others.

She's been recycling the same stuff for the past two albums, so it feels good to have an album full of new material that don't originate from shelved musicals.

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It's basically the new Erotica. Very solid and in your face overall, just a bit overlong (although, to be fair, i am counting bonus tracks and I know I really shouldn't be doing so). As as far as thematics go, it's her first record tailor-made to the iTunes generation; there is no cohesion to any songs and they can be listened to in practically any order you so choose. But that is the point and I accept it, just as I did with "Music."

Best: Gang Bang, I'm Addicted, I'm A Sinner, Masterpiece, Falling Free, Beautiful Killer

Worst: Best Friend, Give Me All Your Luvin', Superstar, B-Day Song

And I know you all love "Love Spent," but I'm pretty MEH about it these days.

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I listened to the cd but there was something just off about it and I couldn't quite put my finger on it...that is untill I arranged the track list like the original and found out that the album as a whole flows much betta that way. I was able to appreciate it this way.

To me a Madonna album is like reading a book. The track list released makes it feel like I'm reading the chapters out of order. And yes I even like death day song. I'm a true loon. I broke up the songs in sections kind of like a concert : )

1."Girls Gone Wild"

2. "Gang Bang"

3. "I'm Addicted"

4. "Some Girls"

5. "I Don't Give A"

6. "Turn Up the Radio"

7. "Give Me All Your Luvin'"

8. "B-day Song"

9. "Superstar"

10. "I'm a Sinner"

11. "Masterpiece"

12. "Falling Free"

13. "Love Spent"

14. "I Fucked Up"

15. "Beautiful Killer"

16. "Best Friend"

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Guest Not4Pussies

i agree. i had a huge problem with the official tracklisting

the sound overall is very eclectic and with that tracklisting it made the album as a whole not have a flow and some songs sticked out like sore thumbs

so i made my own tracklisting too with the idea of the original tracklisting

1-girl gone wild

2- gang bang

3- i'm addicted

4- some girls

5- i'm a sinner

6- turn up the radio

7- give me all your luvin'

8- b'day song

9- superstar

10- beautiful killer

11- masterpiece

12- love spent

13- i fucked up

14- i don't give a

15- best friend

16- falling free

it works so much betta

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Awesome album. Shitty singles.

Well, GGW could've been a decent 3rd single, but even "Some Girls" seems a stronger 2nd single at this point.

Whatev...aside from the single choices, surprisingly dull remixes (for the most part) and lack of "traditional promo", I really love this era. The videos were all good or at least decent, we got 3 full-fledged single releases, and of course - CONTROVERSIAL ROCKIN' tour which saw our Lady go from ribbing Gaga to defending Pussy Riot to flashing tits and ass...and doing all of it better than her contemporaries. And last but not least...THE SUPER BOWL.

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i agree. i had a huge problem with the official tracklisting

the sound overall is very eclectic and with that tracklisting it made the album as a whole not have a flow and some songs sticked out like sore thumbs

so i made my own tracklisting too with the idea of the original tracklisting

1-girl gone wild

2- gang bang

3- i'm addicted

4- some girls

5- i'm a sinner

6- turn up the radio

7- give me all your luvin'

8- b'day song

9- superstar

10- beautiful killer

11- masterpiece

12- love spent

13- i fucked up

14- i don't give a

15- best friend

16- falling free

it works so much betta

Im glad you kept b-day song :thumbsup: it's this era's Spanish Lesson

I really hated the way they threw together the bonus tracks. much betta in the proper album.

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I was very excited before the album dropped but when I heard GMAYL I thought it was really odd. I was expecting something different and when i heard she was wroking with Orbit

I thought they would have chosen to release his track first. I do understand that it has everything to do with the Superbowl but still it was weak . i forced myself to like however. Like

I do with all of Madonna's weaker efforts . But it was a bitter pill to swallow .

GGW was to be everything. I know people said it's generic song blah blah but when I saw the vdo I thought it had potential. I love most of the tracks on MDNA although I was

so disappointed by some especially the ones that were hyped up to be the next big thing like Superstar or TUTR.

Overall it felt a bit rushed and not thought through properly both artistically and from a marketing point of view . How do you market a 53 year old Mega Pop Star coming back

with an album like MDNA complete with cheerleading inspired song for the first single ? MDNA for me is a good Madonna album .I'm pleased with it but I think it could have been a GREAT Madonna album.

I saw the tour and seeing her in the flesh was just amazing . I love every moment of it and I'm happy to have lived to see so many eras from Madonna including this one .

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The songs I loved from the beginning are still my favorites and the songs I didn't care for or didn't like...well I still don't like them.

The only song which changed from "blah" to "cool" was Girl Gone Wild.

Love: I'm Addicted, Gang Bang, Best Friend, Love Spent, Beautiful Killer

Like: Girl Gone Wild, Masterpiece, I'm A Sinner, I Don't Give A, Falling Free

Not my thing: Turn Up the Radio, B-Day Song, Give Me All Your Luvin', Some Girls

Dislike: I Fucked Up, Superstar

I'm sad that 2 of the 3 singles were 'not my thing' and GGW also had to grow on me first.

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Guest bluejean

Girl Gone Wild Loved this on first listen, after awhile I kind of determined it was abit generic and crappy lyrics. But I still enjoy listening to it, it's kind of the Hung Up of this album (although not as strong.) Meaningless, fun, carefree ***1/2

Gang Bang Still amazing. A great unique song from the Queen of Pop. Should have been the lead single *****

I'm Addicted This is a great track, very cool sound. Kind of Impressive Instant's less cool cousin ***1/2

Turn Up The Radio Good track, a good listen. Would have made a good album track on Confessions (ie, its not brilliant hit material but its good.) ***1/2

Give Me All Your Luvin' Cute little catchy song, could have been good if produced properly ***

Some Girls Highly overrated by fans but not bad **1/2

Superstar A nice little song but probably better left as a bonus track **1/2

I Don't Give A... One of the album highlights. Don't think it is single material but great lyrics, great vibe ****

I'm A Sinner I like it alot although it's certainly a rehash of the Ray of Light/Beautiful Stranger days and I expect more of Madonna/Orbit. But still a good song ***

Love Spent A nice song with good lyrics and unique melody and production ***1/2

Masterpiece Really beautiful timeless song with good lyrics ****1/2

Falling Free Loved this on first listen but it sort of got boring fast. You have to be in a certain mood for this kind of thing. But it IS good ****

Beautiful Killer Cool sound but forgettable songwriting, doesn't really stand out **1/2

I Fucked Up A cool track ***

B-Day Song Ew *

Best Friend I like this one, good lyrics, cool sound. Should have been included on the main album ***1/2

Overall: There are some great songs on this album but I feel it was rushed as it really lacks direction. Songs like Superstar really shouldn't be included, she has clearly used the best songs in the tour and everything else is not really up to Madonna's standard imo. I think she is capable of better and I think the big mistake was her choice of producers. Certain songs could have been reworked so there is greater consistancy across the board and we have heard examples of how she's done this by taking a song across to another producer if she's not happy with it. Now is a good time for her to do music with more substance and the Orbit tracks do contain that but I don't feel she spent enough time with him or the others exploring more possibilities which is why the album is abit hit and miss. ***1/2

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still as good as the 1st time i heard it

best : GGW , Gang Bang , I'm Addicted , TUTR , I Don't Give A , Love Spent , Fallen Free

skip: GMAYL and Superstar

it's one of her strongest albums and i dare not think how experiencing these awesome tracks live would be like. it's just too much.

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My grade hasn't changed, even if you swap out my least favorite songs with my favorite bonus tracks: 3.5 stars. But "Superstar" has grown on me a little. At least, I no longer dislike it and still think it could have made a good single. GMAYL still sucks, and GGW is an embarrassment, but it's catchy as fuck. I like the rest of the album quite a bit. I'd call it "average" Madonna. Not her best, but not her worst by far.

Oh, and "Falling Free" still does very little for me. It's pretty, but doesn't feel as from the heart as some of her other album closers, like "Mer Girl," "Easy Ride," etc. I just feels like Madonna singing someone else's song and WO doing his usual noodling.

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It's like once people found out it wasn't going to go gangbusters, they started to find things wrong with it.

Tis the nature of stans I guess.

I totally agree with you on this. And I felt the same about American Life.

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Guest bluejean

I really connect and love this album and am shocked to see how underrated it is both in & out of the fan community. It's like once people found out it wasn't going to go gangbusters, they started to find things wrong with it.

Tis the nature of stans I guess.

Not true. I think its more that when your fave releases an album you are so overwhelmed with excitement to be getting new stuff that you are very focused on the positive but after afew months your perception of it becomes clearer as you've had time to digest it. It's abit like a relationship, the honeymoon phase ends and you start to see it for what it really is. The songs I weren't that into to start with are still the songs I'm still not that into, and the songs I love are still the songs I love.

Some of my favourite Madonna songs like Oh Father and Nothing Really Matters were flops in the charts. I would say I like this album about as much as Hard Candy. It's good but it's not her best.

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Not true. I think its more that when your fave releases an album you are so overwhelmed with excitement to be getting new stuff that you are very focused on the positive but after afew months your perception of it becomes clearer as you've had time to digest it. It's abit like a relationship, the honeymoon phase ends and you start to see it for what it really is. The songs I weren't that into to start with are still the songs I'm still not that into, and the songs I love are still the songs I love.

Some of my favourite Madonna songs like Oh Father and Nothing Really Matters were flops in the charts. I would say I like this album about as much as Hard Candy. It's good but it's not her best.

Oh you can't deny that people do exactly what I said though. I know it for a fact.

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I do think fans tend to be swayed by whether or not something is successful. I don't think I'm one of them. MDNA is obvously a commercial disappointment, but I really like the album despite the poor singles choices. Would I hate GMAYL less if it were a big hit? I don't know, but I doubt it. I hate 4M and that was a huge hit for her, so...

I even think artists themselves are like that. Mary J. Blige talks a lot of shit about her own albums when they don't do as well as previous releases. But it's totally arbitrary, because some of those albums she doesn't like are just as good as the ones that were hits.

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Guest bluejean

Oh you can't deny that people do exactly what I said though. I know it for a fact.

Oh definitely. I just don't think I'm one of them and I believe the main culprits of that have either been banned or left this forum.

And yes some of the artists themselves do it too, I think they are MORE inclined to do that than fans, they are going to be more proud of stuff that is well received because it's human nature to seek recognition.

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