Flip The Switch Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I think so. All of her albums contains some of her most intimidate moments, but RH takes the cake IMO. She speaks every note of the songs with her heart! You can tell with all these amazing interviews and perfomances. The mood, the way she responds to anything. She's never been this open since...AGES! Amazing album.
Flip The Switch Posted March 20, 2015 Author Posted March 20, 2015 With a song like Joan of Arc, yes. + HeartBreakCity Wash All Over Me Rebel Heart Messiah
jacket Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I have to say I never thought I would see a Joan of Arc like song come from Madonna.
Mozo1 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I think so. All of her albums contains some of her most intimidate moments, but RH takes the cake IMO. She speaks every note of the songs with her heart! You can tell with all these amazing interviews and perfomances. The mood, the way she responds to anything. She's never been this open since...AGES! Amazing album. So Interesting. I don't know if it's her most emotionally-bared album of all time, but it is for a long time for sure. I think raising kids kind of changed what she shared as an artist a bit. I don't have kids myself, but plenty of family does, and when you have kids, you don't restrain your emotions as much as you consider the effect your openness and those emotions have on your kids. As a parent, you need to project something, a parental image, to protect them, as it were. HC and MDNA were probably her least personal albums to my ear, albeit a few songs here and there, and those came during formative years of her kids' lives. I can understand her not being as raw and emotional as she was pre-kids, like Erotica and Bedtime Stories. Love Tried to Welcome Me, for example, is beautiful but devastating. I don't know if Madonna could share something that personal after having a kid. I mean, saying you had a chance at love but your fucking soul drew back? it's not something you'd want your kid to know is even possible, even when we all know it's 100% true and very possible. At least not until the kid is adult or closer to adult-age. I'll shut up as I am babbling, but I think I've seen a side of M. I haven't seen since Bedtime Stories with RH. A true slice of who she is. I know she revealed so much of her personal spiritual journey with ROL, but it never resonated with me like Erotica and Bedtime did. Maybe because she was in the middle of discovering it at that time. I dunno. Rebel Heart feels like I am getting a real, huge, amazing slice of her heart. the title track breaks me heart - Body Shop is everything to me emotionally right now (and I know it's slight to many fans' ears.) Iconic is so open considering she's THE MOST ICONIC WOMAN IN THE WORLD. And L4L... it just makes me cry. This is M. like I haven't experienced in years, and I am so grateful for it.
Ai Papi Si. Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Even though it isn't marketed as such, the way American Life or Like A Prayer were, I think this is her most personal work.
Jazzy Jan Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I think that it is - alongside Like a Prayer. Joan of Arc alone is one of the most personal, saddest and vulnerable songs that she has ever recorded. It shows her vulnerability in the most beautiful way. The lyrics of Rebel Heart the song are also extremely personal and telling.
AmericanLife95825 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 i think about songs like 'i deserve it,' 'gone,' 'voices,' 'heartbeat', 'falling free', 'best friend', 'easy ride', 'mother and father' and i'm not so sure it's been so long since she's been personal. but in this raw and vulnerable human with no attachments way, yeah... she poured her heart and soul out for this project. the complete demos plus the albums which she MIGHT as well release as a companion (but i wont go there, i really wont...) is a pretty damn open work of art. i love rebel heart and it's the kind of record i've wanted her to make for years. fuck, i'm proud. ...and i love that it didn't get #1. it's almost like --- it's mine, yknow. fuck the masses. i know that's stupid... don't judge #hatedestroystheonewhohates im having a madonnameltdown i love her. \
Butter9 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I think so . the lyrics are brutally honest . No hidden meanings . Pretty straight in your face actually .
Andra Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Yes. And the way she's been carrying herself in performances and interviews emphasizes it even more. It all feels really unusual.
tasteinmen Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I agree the album is very personal, beautiful.
Tvat Jens Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Hard to say, for sure one of her most personal and vulnerable albums... but LAP is also a very personal album..
Guest Katypatra Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I would say I'm So Stupid, Nobody Knows Me and Mother and Father are pretty vulnerable but Rebel Heart songs are definitely a lot more vulnerable. She just wears her heart on a sleeve in this album. And her vocals are very true. In despite of what some of you say, her voice is least filtered on Rebel Heart. When she sings Ghosttown live it almost sounds exactly as on the album.
karbatal Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 For me the most personal is American Life because she opens her psychology there. From ROL on she has been personal but AL is the only psychological album. This new one though is the most COMFORTING
Sjewell88 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 No, it's got to be Like A Prayer. Promise to try, TDDUP, Oh Father. That's all really naked, intensely personal material.
Guest PRPapi Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 So Interesting. I don't know if it's her most emotionally-bared album of all time, but it is for a long time for sure. I think raising kids kind of changed what she shared as an artist a bit. I don't have kids myself, but plenty of family does, and when you have kids, you don't restrain your emotions as much as you consider the effect your openness and those emotions have on your kids. As a parent, you need to project something, a parental image, to protect them, as it were. HC and MDNA were probably her least personal albums to my ear, albeit a few songs here and there, and those came during formative years of her kids' lives. I can understand her not being as raw and emotional as she was pre-kids, like Erotica and Bedtime Stories. Love Tried to Welcome Me, for example, is beautiful but devastating. I don't know if Madonna could share something that personal after having a kid. I mean, saying you had a chance at love but your fucking soul drew back? it's not something you'd want your kid to know is even possible, even when we all know it's 100% true and very possible. At least not until the kid is adult or closer to adult-age. I'll shut up as I am babbling, but I think I've seen a side of M. I haven't seen since Bedtime Stories with RH. A true slice of who she is. I know she revealed so much of her personal spiritual journey with ROL, but it never resonated with me like Erotica and Bedtime did. Maybe because she was in the middle of discovering it at that time. I dunno. Rebel Heart feels like I am getting a real, huge, amazing slice of her heart. the title track breaks me heart - Body Shop is everything to me emotionally right now (and I know it's slight to many fans' ears.) Iconic is so open considering she's THE MOST ICONIC WOMAN IN THE WORLD. And L4L... it just makes me cry. This is M. like I haven't experienced in years, and I am so grateful for it. I love this topic. Forces you to really think of M's past work. And, I love what you wrote here, Mozo! I SO agree about Love Tried to Welcome Me, too. What an absolutely heart-wrenching song! But, yes, I do believe RH is, possibly, her most open-hearted, heart-on-her-sleeve, vulnerable-type album. Every album of her's since LAP has had very personal moments, and it's something I've always loved about her. A true artist! But, I don't know, something about RH does seem to make it the most personal of her's ever. Ooh! Let's do a comparison! LAP ( 4 Very Personal Songs - IMO) Till Death Do Us Part Promise to Try Oh, Father Keep It Together Erotica (Wow, 7 Personal Songs! But, are they all as deeply personal as LAP's?) Deeper and Deeper Bad Girl (fave M ballad, ever!) Waiting Words Rain In This Life Secret Garden Bedtime Stories (5) Secret Inside of Me Love Tried to Welcome Me Sanctuary Take A Bow Ray of Light (5 or 6?) DW/SFL Nothing Really Matters? Frozen Power of Goodbye Little Star (very personal) Mer Girl (super deep!) Music (my all-time fave album, btw) (4) I Deserve It (one of my fave songs ever) Nobody's Perfect Paradise Gone American Life (Whoa! 6!) Nobody Knows Me Nothing Fails (one of my fave ever!) Intervention (dedicated this one of my own sons) X-Static Process Mother and Father Easy Ride Confessions on a Dancefloor (Not many here, huh? 2 or 3?) Let It Will Be How High Like It or Not? Hard Candy (Not many here, either. 3 But, DWRY is WOW!) Miles Away Devil Wouldn't Recognize You Voices MDNA (Whoa! 5 or 6 here, too! I, personally, love this album. FOH!) Gang Bang I'm Addicted (one of my fave songs EVER, and IMO it's vulnerable and personal, too) Love Spent (one of M's most personal EVER, as well!) Falling Free (WHAT?!? Amazingly open.) I Fucked Up Best Friend Rebel Heart (WOW! 7?!?) Living for Love Parts of Devil Pray (so I'll give it a .5 credit) Ghosttown Joan of Arc (WHAT?!?) HeartBreakCity Wash All Over Me (WHAT?!?) Veni Vedi Vici (another .5 credit?) Messiah Rebel Heart (WHAT?!?) Wow, so I think, based on my rudimentary, full-of-my-own-opinion list, it's a toss-up between Rebel Heart and Erotica as being her most vulnerable, personal albums to-date! (Closely followed by: MDNA, American Life and Ray of Light.) Nevertheless, that she can create such an awesome and personal album as RH, 30+ years into her amazing career, is truly a testament to her everlasting greatness!
Guest Katypatra Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Personally, I relate to American Life more than any album. My #1 favorite however is Rebel Heart. I think she's most personal (may be not vulnerable) on both these records.
Flip The Switch Posted March 20, 2015 Author Posted March 20, 2015 I love this topic. Forces you to really think of M's past work. And, I love what you wrote here, Mozo! I SO agree about Love Tried to Welcome Me, too. What an absolutely heart-wrenching song! But, yes, I do believe RH is, possibly, her most open-hearted, heart-on-her-sleeve, vulnerable-type album. Every album of her's since LAP has had very personal moments, and it's something I've always loved about her. A true artist! But, I don't know, something about RH does seem to make it the most personal of her's ever. Ooh! Let's do a comparison! LAP ( 4 Very Personal Songs - IMO) Till Death Do Us Part Promise to Try Oh, Father Keep It Together Erotica (Wow, 7 Personal Songs! But, are they all as deeply personal as LAP's?) Deeper and Deeper Bad Girl (fave M ballad, ever!) Waiting Words Rain In This Life Secret Garden Bedtime Stories (5) Secret Inside of Me Love Tried to Welcome Me Sanctuary Take A Bow Ray of Light (5 or 6?) DW/SFL Nothing Really Matters? Frozen Power of Goodbye Little Star (very personal) Mer Girl (super deep!) Music (my all-time fave album, btw) (4) I Deserve It (one of my fave songs ever) Nobody's Perfect Paradise Gone American Life (Whoa! 6!) Nobody Knows Me Nothing Fails (one of my fave ever!) Intervention (dedicated this one of my own sons) X-Static Process Mother and Father Easy Ride Confessions on a Dancefloor (Not many here, huh? 2 or 3?) Let It Will Be How High Like It or Not? Hard Candy (Not many here, either. 3 But, DWRY is WOW!) Miles Away Devil Wouldn't Recognize You Voices MDNA (Whoa! 5 or 6 here, too! I, personally, love this album. FOH!) Gang Bang I'm Addicted (one of my fave songs EVER, and IMO it's vulnerable and personal, too) Love Spent (one of M's most personal EVER, as well!) Falling Free (WHAT?!? Amazingly open.) I Fucked Up Best Friend Rebel Heart (WOW! 7?!?) Living for Love Parts of Devil Pray (so I'll give it a .5 credit) Ghosttown Joan of Arc (WHAT?!?) HeartBreakCity Wash All Over Me (WHAT?!?) Veni Vedi Vici (another .5 credit?) Messiah Rebel Heart (WHAT?!?) Wow, so I think, based on my rudimentary, full-of-my-own-opinion list, it's a toss-up between Rebel Heart and Erotica as being her most vulnerable, personal albums to-date! (Closely followed by: MDNA, American Life and Ray of Light.) Nevertheless, that she can create such an awesome and personal album as RH, 30+ years into her amazing career, is truly a testament to her everlasting greatness! Yes! And what also Mozo said. It's interesting when you look back at her past work. Still believe Erotica feels more personal than LAP.
rocknrolla Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Beautiful Scars could be her most vulnerable song. I think as a whole, Bedtime Stories is her most vulnerable album.
Mozo1 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Beautiful Scars could be her most vulnerable song. I think as a whole, Bedtime Stories is her most vulnerable album. I think I agree with the latter for sure. I think. I keep changing my mind. Yes! And what also Mozo said. It's interesting when you look back at her past work. Still believe Erotica feels more personal than LAP. I am down with that, too. And thanks, PRPapi for lots to consider and think about.
ruey Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Yes it is definitely her most introspective work since American Life - and also her most poignant imo.
le smoking Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I've been thinking about this - I don't know if it's her most vulnerable album cuz there's a strong sense of resilience throughout, even on songs like Joan of Arc, but I think it's the most "her". I get the sense that this is exactly the album she wanted to make, as if she just went into the studio and did whatever she felt like (which is why despite the long messy tracklist and various genres it still feels cohesive), whereas albums like Ray of Light and Like a Prayer definitely have an air of her wanting to create/express something in particular. Rebel Heart would probably sound exactly the same if she were told beforehand that it would sell 10 copies, y'know?
Shane Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I've been thinking about this - I don't know if it's her most vulnerable album cuz there's a strong sense of resilience throughout, even on songs like Joan of Arc, but I think it's the most "her". I get the sense that this is exactly the album she wanted to make, as if she just went into the studio and did whatever she felt like (which is why despite the long messy tracklist and various genres it still feels cohesive), whereas albums like Ray of Light and Like a Prayer definitely have an air of her wanting to create/express something in particular. Rebel Heart would probably sound exactly the same if she were told beforehand that it would sell 10 copies, y'know?
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