datf
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below 700000 worldwide?
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Madonna, 'MDNA': Track-By-Track Review
Madonna is still very much the Queen of Pop.
Nearly 30 years after first hitting the Billboard charts in late 1982 with her debut single "Everybody," Madonna is still showing the pop world how it's done.
"MDNA" -- her 12th studio album -- is a collection of thoroughly pumping pop tunes, some of which are slices of sheer brilliance. Not only does Madonna take us to the club with "MDNA," she exhausts us, drains us, and confides in us. Five minutes after an aerobic workout on the dance floor, we're in her private booth, where she's spilling her guts about relationships and how things just didn't turn out the way they planned. Then, another five minutes later, we're back to dancing up a storm to a song like "Gang Bang."
Yes, "Gang Bang."
The track is one of the album's many stand-outs. It's a dark, throbbing tune that is twisted and surprising and altogether pop-tastic. (Yes, that's a word.)
Also notable is the summery pop nugget "Turn Up the Radio," the full-throttle digital rave-up of "I'm Addicted" and the driving, clever word play of "Love Spent."
"MDNA" reunites Madonna with her "Ray of Light" co-producer William Orbit, who polishes her songs with cosmic flourishes and rushes of fuzzy-retro bits. Madonna also enlists the production assistance of Martin Solveig, the Demolition Crew, Benny Benassi, Alle Benassi, Hardy "Indiigo" Muanza and Michael Malih.
Curiously, the set's first single -- the rah-rah "Give Me All Your Luvin'" -- doesn't properly prepare the listener for what they're going to get on the album. Basically: set it aside and go into "MDNA" with a clean slate.
Here's a Track-By-Track Take on "MDNA":
"Girl Gone Wild" The second single from "MDNA" is also the dance floor-ready opening number from the set. In a way, it's very dance-by-the-numbers with Madonna -- a "good girl gone wild" -- singing about her "burning hot desire" to have some fun. The production is familiar Benny Benassi -- all driving, thumping, electronic beats. It's comparable to his remix of Madonna's own "Celebration" single. The track does a good job of getting stuck in one's head, thanks in large part to its "hey-yay-yay" sing-song chorus. One notable difference in hearing this track on a proper stereo setup with quality speakers: you get carried away a bit more by the "whoosh," shall we say, of the song.
"Gang Bang" Commence freaking out, hard core Madonna fans, as "Gang Bang" is the song you've been waiting for. It's dark, clubby, driving, thumping and altogether sickening. (Meaning: It's fantastic, y'all.) Consulting our notes, the scribbles include the words "OMG," "dubstep breakdown" and "GOD THE BEAT." So yeah, it's freaking amazing.
Eight songwriters, including British pop singer Mika (?!), collaborated on the song. On March 8, he Tweeted that it's "weird as fuck, underground and lyrically cool, it's amazing and bizarre. I love it, she sounds so good singing words so harsh." Madonna sing/speaks over the tweaky production about how she keeps her "enemies close" and how she "shot my lover in the head." Truly, "Gang Bang" is going to be one of the most talked-about tracks on the album and is completely unexpected after hearing "MDNA's" first two singles (the cheery "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and dance-by-numbers "Girl Gone Wild").
"Gang Bang's" lyric "Drive bitch!" -- so eloquently used in the song -- will become quite the catchphrase in the coming months. (Notably, as "Gang Bang" is explicit -- and perhaps un-editable -- it will be omitted from the "clean" version of "MDNA." A shame.)
"I'm Addicted" Hey, you wanna go dancing? We'll meet Madonna at the club, as she's got this fantastic, swirling, digital get-down number she wants to play for us. "Something happens to me when I hear your voice and I have no choice," Madonna sings on the hypnotic, Daft Punk-y song. And when Madonna says in a cool, instructive tone, "I need to dance," you know what -- you'll need to dance too. (And now we know where the title of the album comes from, as Madonna chants "MDNA" in "I'm Addicted.")
"Turn Up the Radio" A cousin to "Girl Gone Wild," this tune is a summery pop number that's as effortless as it is simple. It's mindless fun where Madonna sings about how the "temperature's pounding'" and longing to "escape" and how she's "sick and tired of playing this game." (Haven't we heard that before? Enough with the games Madonna!) -- Basically the point of the song here is: "turn up the radio until the speakers blow." While the lyrics aren't provocative or necessarily new, it's still a peppy little tune that would sound great "on the radio."
"Give Me All Your Luvin'" (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) You've already heard "Give Me All Your Luvin'," the album's lead single, which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The throwback cheerleader-like song almost seems like it was a commercial for Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show as opposed to a proper promotional single for "MDNA." Its lyrics and vibe aren't indicative of "MDNA" as a whole and mislead the listener into thinking the album is going to be full of singsongy jingles with by-the-numbers lyrics.
"Some Girls" The album's second William Orbit co-production, "Some Girls" will likely remind listeners of his work on the "Ray of Light" album. The tune has his trademark swirly, cosmic-like flourishes that zig-zag out of the speakers. On the track, Madonna lyrically references herself with the line "put your loving to the test" (oh hay "Express Yourself!") whilst elsewhere singing "I never wanna be like some girls."
"Superstar" Notably this track features the backing vocals of Madonna's eldest child, Lourdes (credited as Lola Leon), and name checks everyone from Marlon Brando and Michael Jordan to Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln. The gist here is: "Ooh la la, you're my superstar" and "I'm your biggest fan, it's true." Armed with yet another kicky dubstep bridge, Madonna also amusingly sings about how the "Superstar" subject of her devotion is "like John Travolta, getting into the groove." (Get it? She's referencing herself again -- but in a smart, cheeky way.)
"I Don't Give a F" (featuring Nicki Minaj) A very rat-a-tat-tat song, where Madonna barrels through a list of rants that vaguely reminds one of her rapping on the "American Life" single. She sings about how she "tried to be your wife" (Hey, Guy!) and "in the end it was a failure." Nicki Minaj puts in her second appearance on the album, where she closes her feature with the swipe "There's only one Queen and that's Madonna. Bitch!" The song ends with a rather lengthy orchestral bit that's epic and sweeping, but comes out of nowhere.
"I'm a Sinner" Reminiscent of William Orbit's own Ultra Violet remix of the "Ray of Light" single, the chugging track is so very, very Orbit. It's like the love child of "Beautiful Stranger" (another Orbit co-production) and "Ray of Light." Mid-way through, Madonna gets inspirational and recites "Hail Mary full of grace / get down on your knees and pray" followed by "Jesus Christ hang on the cross, died for our sins it's such a loss" and so on. (Yes, there's more, but we couldn't write that fast.)
"Love Spent" "You played with my heart, till death do we part," Madonna sings on this driving, building track. It's got these whooshes (yes, a technical term) that hark back to '80s tracks like Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes." It's a mesmerizing song that includes a wonderful little strummy bit (possibly a banjo?). The lyrics work some clever word play comparing love to money: "I want you to hold me like you hold your money / hold me in your arms till there's nothing left." Madonna co-wrote this track with a team of professional writers, and the assistance is evident and welcome. (We love you Madonna, but we also love it when you collaborate and produce amazing, beautiful pop, like "Love Spent.")
"Masterpiece" This was the first taste the public got of "MDNA," as it was unveiled late last year as the closing-credits song of the Madonna-directed film "W.E." (Though, at the time, it was unclear if the track would ultimately turn up on "MDNA.") The Golden Globe-winning track is very pretty -- percolating along with a clicky little beat, an acoustic guitar and delicate strings. Madonna's vocals are lovely, comparing someone to "a rare and priceless work of art."
"Falling Free" The quite gorgeous ballad reunites Madonna with her brother-in-law Joe Henry, who has co-written at least one song now on four different Madonna albums. He co-penned "Don't Tell Me" from 2000's "Music" album, as well as "Jump" from "Confessions on a Dance Floor" and "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" from the diva's last set, 2008's "Hard Candy." As an album-closer, it's perfect, with the lyric "I let loose the need to know / we're both free -- both free to go . . . "
Deluxe Explicit Album Bonus Tracks:
"Beautiful Killer" A concept song, certainly. Madonna goes on about how there's a "gun in my mouth" and "maybe that's what you've been dreaming about" and "maybe I'll let you shoot me down." There's an persistent string element here that brings to mind "Papa Don't Preach."
"I F****d Up" It's Madonna just straight out saying how craptacular a particular relationship turned out (we're guessing her marriage to Guy Ritchie). She sings, "I'm so ashamed, you're in so much pain," "wish I could take it back" and how she "destroyed the perfect dream." There's a whole lot of "couldas" here that just strike us as odd, as Madonna never was the "I'm sorry" kind of gal. She's all about no regrets and no apologies.
"B-Day Song" A fun girl-group ditty that's a throw back to Madonna's "True Blue" era of good time goof-off songs. It's light, fluffy and effortless -- and very stripped down. Think Go-Go's meets Madonna with lyrics like "Light my candles," "make a wish" and "give me a spankin'!" (Yes, really.) Sample silly lyrics include: "I wanna diamond, don't give me a fake!"
"Best Friend" Perhaps too personal of a song to be included on the "standard" version of the album, "Best Friend" can only be read as being about her ex-husband, Ritchie. Absolutely confessional in tone, Madonna sings "I feel like I lost my very best friend" but she has "no regrets" and that she "survived the biggest test." The song closes, monumentally, with the heartbreaking lyric: "It wasn't always perfect, but it wasn't always bad."
"Give Me All Your Luvin'" (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) (LMFAO Remix) LMFAO reworks "Give Me All Your Luvin'" party rock style, dumping M.I.A.'s rap for lyrical insertions from Redfoo and SkyBlu.
Production Credits:
"Girl Gone Wild" Written by Madonna, Jenson Vaughan, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi, Marco "Benny" Benassi; Produced by Madonna, Marco "Benny" Benassi, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi
"Gang Bang" Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Priscilla Hamilton, Keith Harris, Jean-Baptiste, Mika, Don Juan Demarco "Demo" Casanova, Stephen Kozmeniuk; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit, Demolition Crew
"I'm Addicted" Written by Madonna, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi, Marco "Benny" Benassi; Produced by Madonna, Marco "Benny" Benassi, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi
"Turn Up the Radio" Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Michael Tordjman, Jade Williams; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"Give Me All Your Luvin" (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj, Maya Arulpragasam, Michael Tordjman; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"Some Girls" Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Klas Ahulund; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit
"Superstar" Written by Madonna, Hardy "Indigo" Muanza; Produced by Madonna, Hardy "Indiigo" Muanza, Michael Malih
"I Don't Give a F" (featuring Nicki Minaj) Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj, Julien Jabre; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"I'm a Sinner" Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Jean-Baptiste; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit
"Love Spent" Written by Madonna, William Orbit, Jean-Baptiste, Priscilla Hamilton, Alain Whyte, Ryan Buendia, Michael McHenry; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit
"Masterpiece" Written by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit
"Falling Free" Written by Madonna, Laurie Mayer, William Orbit, Joe Henry; Produced by Madonna, William Orbit
Deluxe Explicit Album Bonus Tracks:
"Beautiful Killer" Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Michael Tordjman; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"I F****d Up" Written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Julien Jabre; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"B-Day Song" Written by Madonna, Maya Arulpragasam, Martin Solveig; Produced by Madonna, Martin Solveig
"Best Friend" Written by Madonna, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi, Marco "Benny" Benassi; Produced by Madonna, Demolotion Crew; Co-produced by Marco "Benny" Benassi, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi
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frankly speaking, anything below 700k seems impossible. according to united world charts, hard candy debut with 758k, while coadf started with 1.2 million. i would say 850k or 900k.
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Madonna's new album MDNA: track-by-track review
Neil McCormick give's the first verdict on Madonna's forthcoming album MDNA.
1. Girl Gone Wild
A lean, sleek, electro stomper kicks proceedings off the way Madonna means to continue – with the machine tooled precision of 21st century techno-pop, balancing the twin requirements of radio friendly hooks and dance floor drive. “Girls they just wanna have some fun,” suggests our fearless leader.
Now where have we heard that idea before? This not particularly original notion is the album’s central manifesto: innocent amusement over introspection.
2. Gang Bang
Despite an unfortunate title that younger fans would be advised not to google, this is not (thankfully) some brutal sex romp. Rather, the title is a misguided attempt to distinguish itself from Sixties pop classic Bang Bang, from which Madonna borrows the central image of murdering an errant paramour: “Bang bang, shot you dead / Shot my lover in the head”. Sparse and atmospheric, with a stripped back electrobeat and low, drawling vocal, buoyed by bursts of sub-bass and developing into a solid techno groove, its one of the album’s odder and most interesting tracks, only sullied by Madonna’s dedication to leaving no lyrical cliché unturned. She is a fish out of water, a bat out of hell, apparently.
3. I’m Addicted
Arpeggiated synth sequences build into fizzing swells and stabs, bleeping and swooshing all the way. Very effective digital pop that will sound fantastic loud and hard on the dance floor but, like so many songs on Madonna’s 12th studio album, lyrics appear to have been added as an afterthought. Does anyone really need another song about being addicted to love, comparing the rush of hormones with narcotics? The vocal cuts and stutters, so that Madonna repeatedly declares herself to be a dick, dick.
4. Turn Up The Radio
Even in the age of the internet, it is still the radio that holds romance for our 50-year-old pop queen. Lush, shimmery keyboards frame a slow start, with Madonna seeking space from the crowd (or rather, in an effort to use every cliché available, “the maddening crowd”), before a nice, wonky synth launches a solid pop belter. Madonna finds herself “sucked like a moth to the flame” but the slamming dance floor outro should distract from lyrical banality.
5. Give Me All Your Luvin’
Is the spelling meant to distinguish it in search engines from ZZ Tops’ Gimme All Your Lovin’? Madonna’s serial appropriation of perennially overused ideas might almost be passed off as some kind of pop parlour game.
The first single is the lightest, frothiest track on the album, deliberately dinky and cute, built on a burbling eighties synth and glam slam drum pattern. Its prime purpose appears to involve Niki Minaj and MIA represent all next generation female pop stars by swearing allegiance to the Queen with the chant of “L-U-V Madonna!”
6. Some Girls
Let’s give Madonna the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn’t know the Rolling Stones already have a song called Some Girls. Anyway, you’d never find Mick and Keith shaking their stuff to a mid-tempo groove with a deep electro bass line and stabbing synths. Producer William Orbit plays tricks with Madonna’s vocals, from intimate to echoed, tinny to seductive, but the intention is apparently not to portray Madonna as some kind of every woman: “Some girls are not like me / I’d never wanna be like some girls” she rather tartly declares.
7. Superstar
Sweet and summery, with a shimmering ambience built up from a ringing guitar loop and echoing tom tom pattern that might have been constructed from Beatle drum fills. The poppy melody and “ooh la la, you’re a superstar” singalong chorus houses a lyric so clumsy its obtuseness almost sounds deliberate: “You can have the password to my phone / I’ll give you a massage when you get home”. For someone determined to keep up with the kids, Madonna’s retro references for ideal men may leave the youngsters baffled: Brando, Travolta, James Dean, Bruce Lee and Abe Lincoln (cause you fight for what’s right”).
8. I Don’t Give A
There is real energy to this Martin Solveig production. Madonna delivers a raised middle finger to the world in general, and ex-husband Guy Ritchie in particular: “I tried to be a good girl / I tried to be your wife / I diminished myself / And I swallowed my light / I tried to become all / That you expect of me / And if I was a failure / I don’t give a …” (I’ve been trying to think of an obscenity that rhymes with “me”, but maybe I am missing the point). The ending twists into a big, autotune choral coda with the drama of a techno Carmina Burana. An album highlight, though Niki Minaj’s explosive rap rather shows up Madonna’s more static delivery.
9. I’m A Sinner
With Orbit back at the controls, this is reminiscent of the uplifting thrill of Ray of Light. Constructed on a drum loop, it pulses along with a fluid almost Sixties keyboard, building to a big, declarative chugging gospel techno ride, with Madonna exultantly declaring that, like St Augustine, she wants to be saved, but not quite yet. A breakdown into a recitation of Saints (Christopher, Sebastian and Anthony all get a name check) is effective, and it ends with “ooh ooh”s cheekily reminiscent of Sympathy For The Devil. Fun.
10. Love Spent
Gypsy string loop and brief, treated Spaghetti Western banjo flourishes introduce an almost organic feel to a very synthetic, stylised album. A pop song about love and money (topics the Material Girl frequently conflates) it weaves elegant electro patterns and builds to a big, throbbing chorus.
11. Masterpiece
Sweet, gentle love song with a Spanish guitar loop, a light beat and flowing melody, filled out by synthetic strings. The theme song for her critically panned film W.E., she may have been thinking of Prince Edward when she wrote “honestly, it can’t be fun / To always be the chosen one”, but the message applies just as much to Madonna herself. For most of this album she seems determined to demonstrate that a 50-year-old mother of four can still cut it with the kids at the club. Yet, perversely, she sounds most at ease when she calms down a bit and acts her age.
12. Falling Free
The first five tracks of MDNA are all produced by hit techno teams and the results are digitally sparkling, catchy and contemporary. The second half of the album is presided over by William Orbit, and while not as immediately hook laden, there is more sonic depth and invention. But only on the album closer is there a suggestion of a musical life beyond the hit parade. With a cascading, beatless melody and poetic, free form lyrics, Madonna’s pure, dreamy vocal has her declaring herself “free to fail.” It is a song about letting go, by a woman who, most the time, seems to be holding on very tightly indeed. Although out of character with the rest of this youth-focused electro dance pop confection, it suggests that Madonna may actually have musical and emotional places to explore when she eventually tires of setting the pop pace.
MDNA is released on Interscope on March 26
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i i i i'm a dick (dick), i i i i'm a dick (dick), i i i i'm addicted to your luvvvv...
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I don't think that guy was supposed to hold her leg.This show was rehearsed over and over.I doubt that he would forget to do that.
yea its rehearsed. when the camera zoomed out, she did a flip, sort of like she did in 4 minutes video, but with the legs up. i do feel that the guy who 'forgot to hold her leg' is neglected throughout that segment. madonna seemed to focus her attention only on the other one, jumping on him, thrusting him in the face, having him usher her down the dj stand, having him hold her leg, pull part of her dress off, letting madonna see if he's wearing underwear etc.
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she's gonna sell 99.99% of the tickets without the album included anyway, so might as well not give it out for free. instead they should give out some tour version of the album for a discounted price above 3.99. this way, it can chart on billboard as well as sell useful copies. the sticky and sweet tour had 3.5 million audience, so it would mean at least 3.5 million more potential buyers since they are mostly fans.
twitter it to guy oseary
can't squeeze it into 140 characters lol
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she's gonna sell 99.99% of the tickets without the album included anyway, so might as well not give it out for free. instead they should give out some tour version of the album for a discounted price above 3.99. this way, it can chart on billboard as well as sell useful copies. the sticky and sweet tour had 3.5 million audience, so it would mean at least 3.5 million more potential buyers since they are mostly fans.
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gmayl at 4 on itunes usa!
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Ryan Prendergast @prendergastr
Wow. More people tune in for #madonna than #Superbowl . #trending #RIPMadonna
i certainly hope this is true. #thepowerofmadonna
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when will we know the superbowl ratings and viewership? i wanna see how madonna slayed this programme like never before.
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BEST HALFTIME SHOW IN HISTORY!!!!!!!!
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im extremely nervous and excited now
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well, they said Stupid Hoe just set the record of 2M youtube views in its first week not long ago... if that's the record, then GMAYL has just obliterated that record...
her record is 4.8 mil in the first day.
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Thus Far The Highest Grossing Tour.
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i can't wait to see the massive debut week sales of mdna. but the prospect of gmayl saddens me.
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Very possible! I just want her to hit #1 in all the major markets for sure though, which seems very probable atm.
BTW some people are saying she is now #1 in 53 countries (without Australia), but I think there are only 53 countries with itunes music overall, expect if I missed one accidentally!
that one about #1 in 53 countries was because the guy added in cyprus twice. so no, madonna conquered 52 of 53 countries, thus far.
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is it likely that when the album is released, she will break her coadf record of reaching no.1 in like 40 countries?
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wait, 102 thousand hits in an hour and a half?? isn't that like... epic or something?
lol im sorry for my blunder. i didnt realise that the video skipped to the superbowl halftime teaser 2, so nope, its still stuck.
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I think the iTunes single chart is updated every hour ...
But the fact that the album is #1 afte 15 mins is F*cking A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!
it was #98 just now, then it just suddenly disappeared from the singles chart and i don't know why.
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what position is gmayl on the us itunes single chart?
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thanks
it's still 307 for meoops sorry my blunder. i didnt realise that the video skipped to the superbowl halftime teaser 2, so nope, its still stuck.
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I wonder how many people have already seen it, when's youtube gonna refresh the number
youtube has refreshed it. it's 102000+ now. the like and dislike bar seem to have reloaded.
The Bruise on Madonna's Ass!
in ARCHIVE - Madonna
Posted
maybe ever since the hydrangeas incident, she realised the media hugely publicises every little thing that she's says or do, so she's trying use minute details like these to captivate the media. if she ever had a twitter, we can probably expect a cnn report everyday on her tweets, much like the report they did on hydrangeas.