Carta

He'll be up there streaming it on repeat on whatever platforms they have

Isn't it funny how taste works? I absolutely love the song (and I'd say it's my favourite on the album). I'm glad you love the album!!

The media are already reporting that she "rips into" Joan

Yes - I really think this is more likely. The rest of the lyrics just don't give a "step-mother" vibe at all.

The backing vocalists on this were a nice surprise

Would she really be that harsh about Joan on record when it would obviously cause distress for her father and half-siblings (and siblings, since those still alive had a close relationship with Joan)? The "you'll never be my mother" line seems too literal.

I've posted in the other thread, so I won't repeat everything here (I absolutely LOVE the album!!), but I wanted to mention the visualisers they've created for each track in Spotify (essentially footage from various parts of the Confessions II film, but with each track named, as well as the track number). They're fun to watch and add to the whole experience. We know from Stuart's comments in the past and in recent interviews that when he and Madonna work together, she basically comes up with the lyrics and melodies as she listens to his backing tracks - given this, she's just proving yet again how incredibly talented she is when it comes to songwriting...! Not that the general public will ever give her due credit, but it's truly remarkable that she is creating such incredible music almost 45 years into her recording career. The woman is amazing!!

I've loved many (many!) tracks on every album Madonna has released over the past couple of decades, but this is easily the best album she's released for a very long time - it's brilliant!! It's an absolute joy to listen to and with every track being under 5 minutes ("I Feel So free" is the longest, at 4:59s), everything is "tight". I won't spoil anything for anyone (it's officially out here in Australia - I avoided all leaks ), but rest assured that you're in for an incredible journey (with some very poignant moments). While charts aren't everything, I really hope this goes to #1 across the entire planet, because it absolutely deserves to be a smash and Madonna deserves to be recognised for the incredible talent that she is

I used to visit the forum daily and read every thread, post regularly, share people's excitement etc., but I've spent very little time on here so far this year. I think I've made a huge mistake by checking this thread first, because it just seems to be full of complaints, moaning, whinging etc. etc. I've been beyond excited by absolutely everything we've been given over the past couple of months and I've enjoyed it forum-free (I did wonder how much I was missing by not visiting the forum, but Instagram kept me completely up-to-date). Reading this thread has the potential to be a vibe kill, but I'm not going to allow that to happen. I'm disappointed, though, because this shouldn't be a time for negativity of any type (not everyone is complaining, of course, but those who are have been very vocal). As for the impact the half-time performance will have on the album, it will already have peaked worldwide by that stage, so I really don't think it's an issue. As for "Read My Lips", it's insanely catchy. It sounded great in the movie and it sounds great in its FIFA version. I have no idea who Feid is, but for whatever reason, Madonna chose to work with him and it works as a collaboration. She has yet to release anything in this era that I haven't liked (and I'm grateful for this). I hope everyone enjoys the ride