Music was Madonna’s eighth studio when it came out in 2000. Madonna co-wrote the title track with Mirwais Ahmadzai after seeing Sting in concert. Audience members at the Sting concert were well-mannered and began holding hands while watching the show. The closeness Madonna witnessed at the concert inspired “Music” and the main hook “Music makes the people come together.” The electro-funk nature of the track was catchy and it was immediately compared to successful dance tracks from the earlier part of her career. Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express” was the rhythm blueprint for “Music” in addition to influences from Roger Troutman and Herbie Hancock.
The party track was the first single from the album and it reached number one on the Hot 100 and Dance Club Songs charts. “Music” was at the top of the charts in 25 countries and sold really well in America and abroad. The original plan was to have Chris Rock in the video but comedian Sacha Baron Cohen appeared as his character Ali G who drives Madonna around in a limousine. She wanted to spoof R&B and rap videos and decided to play the part of a pimp-like character who rides around town with her friends drinking champagne and going to clubs. The video won multiple awards including Best Dance Video at the International Dance Music Awards. The song received two Grammy nominations and won two ASCAP Awards. “Music” is one of Madonna’s most-requested songs and she still includes it on her tour playlists. Madonna is currently rehearsing for her Celebration Tour which starts October 14th in London.
Madonna’s Finally Enough Love Chronicles 50 Club Hits
Madonna celebrates her 50 club hits with two new collections: Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones. She curated the collection which is the first project to be released from her new partnership with Warner Music Group. Familiar songs like “Material Girl” as well as more than 20 rare remixes will be officially released for the first time. 50 Number Ones comes out on August 19th digitally along with three CD and six LP versions available from Madonna’s official store. The 16-track Finally Enough Love will stream on June 24th and the CD and vinyl versions will be available on August 19th. There are remixes from legendary DJs Shep Pettibone, Honey Dijon and Avicii. It was 35 years ago when You Can Dance was released which was Madonna’s first remix album. The new dance compilations build upon YCD and Madonna took “Into The Groove,” “Everybody” and “Physical Attraction” from YCD and added them to the current tracklisting. The “Into The Groove” (Dance Remix Edit)” just debuted and it is included in the new collection. Finally Enough Love: 50 can be pre-ordered and check out the full tracklisting below.
Finally Enough Love
“Everybody” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
“Into The Groove” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
“Like A Prayer” (Remix/Edit)
“Express Yourself” (Remix/Edit)
“Vogue” (Single Version) +
“Deeper And Deeper” (David’s Radio Edit) +#
“Secret” (Junior’s Luscious Single Mix)
“Frozen” (Extended Club Mix Edit)
“Music” (Deep Dish Dot Com Radio Edit)
“Hollywood” (Calderone & Quayle Edit) +#
“Hung Up” (SDP Extended Vocal Edit)
“Give It 2 Me” (Eddie Amador Club 5 Edit) °+
“Girl Gone Wild” (Avicii’s UMF Mix)
“Living For Love” (Offer Nissim Promo Mix) *+
“Medellín” (Offer Nissim Madame X In The Sphinx Mix) –Madonna and Maluma
“I Don’t Search I Find” (Honey Dijon Radio Mix)
Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones
Holiday” (7” Version) +
“Like A Virgin” (7” Version)
“Material Girl” (7” Version)
“Into The Groove” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
“Open Your Heart” (Video Version) +
“Physical Attraction” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
“Everybody” (You Can Dance Remix Edit) +#
“Like A Prayer” (Remix/Edit)
“Express Yourself” (Remix/Edit)
“Keep It Together” (Alternate Single Remix) *+
“Vogue” (Single Version) +
“Justify My Love” (Orbit Edit)
“Erotica” (Underground Club Mix)
“Deeper And Deeper” (David’s Radio Edit) +#
“Fever” (Radio Edit) +
“Secret” (Junior’s Luscious Single Mix)
“Bedtime Story” (Junior’s Single Mix)
“Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” (Miami Mix Edit)
“Frozen” (Extended Club Mix Edit)
“Ray Of Light” (Sasha Ultra Violet Mix Edit) +#
“Nothing Really Matters” (Club 69 Radio Mix) +
“Beautiful Stranger” (Calderone Radio Mix)
“American Pie” (Richard ‘Humpty’ Vission Radio Mix)
“Music” (Deep Dish Dot Com Radio Edit)
“Don’t Tell Me” (Thunderpuss Video Remix) +#
“What It Feels Like For A Girl” (Above And Beyond Club Radio Edit)
“Impressive Instant” (Peter Rauhofer’s Universal Radio Mixshow Mix) +#
“Die Another Day” (Deepsky Radio Edit) +#
“American Life” (Felix Da Housecat’s Devin Dazzle Edit) *+
“Hollywood” (Calderone & Quayle Edit) +#
“Me Against The Music” (Peter Rauhofer Radio Mix) + – Britney Spears feat. Madonna
“Nothing Fails” (Tracy Young’s Underground Radio Edit) *+
“Love Profusion” (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Edit) +#
“Medellín” (Offer Nissim Madame X In The Sphinx Mix) – Madonna and Maluma
“I Rise” (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix)
“Crave” (Tracy Young Dangerous Remix) – feat. Swae Lee
“I Don’t Search I Find” (Honey Dijon Radio Mix)
* previously unreleased +available digitally for the first time # available commercially for the first time
Throwback: Madonna-Vogue
Madonna’s “Vogue” was inspired by her time at New York City’s Sound Factory Bar where she witnessed the vogueing culture of the Harlem House Ball community. Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza are the choreographers responsible for introducing vogueing to Madonna at the club. Madonna and producer Shep Pettibone wrote “Vogue” in less than three weeks after Warner Music suggested they work together on new music. Film director David Finch directed the black and white video that pays tribute to Golden Era Hollywood stars that Madonna references in the lyrics. The spectacle of her dancers perfectly vogueing and posing gave Madonna one of her most-received videos. It was not the first time vogueing had been captured on film as Malcolm McLaren had released “Deep In Vogue” one year prior with dancer Willi Ninja starring in it. Months after the release of “Vogue” director Jennie Livingston released her acclaimed documentary Paris Is Burning which was also about the ball culture in New York City. But “Vogue” became the face of the culture and dance in the mainstream as it was a no. 1 hit worldwide. “Vogue” was a part of the I’m Breathless album that contained music inspired by the film Dick Tracy that starred Madonna and Warren Beatty. The song was going to be on the flip side of “Keep It Together” from her Like A Prayer album. Warner Brothers decided to release “Vogue” as a single and it was noted that the tune actually had nothing to do with Dick Tracy. The success of “Vogue” marked the time when dance music like house and techno received rotation on mainstream radio.
[youtube id=”EPHUZenprKc”]Madonna’s “Secret” started out as a demo with Shep Pettibone but ended up being a collaboration with producer Dallas Austin. The haunting track was about a mystery taking place in a relationship and the importance of finding one’s own happiness. Musically, “Secret” was different from her past work that was heavily based in dance music. Austin had an acoustic guitar lead Madonna into a more soulful sound with her voice at the center of an arrangement that subtly built its intensity. Madonna wanted to change her music and with her interest in R&B, she reached out to Babyface who connected her with Austin. She wanted her Bedtime Stories album to be completely different from her Erotica album that caused a lot of backlash because of the sexual content.
“Secret” was the first single from Bedtime Stories and it opened up a new image and style for her that was positively received by fans and critics. Madonna promoted the song on the internet which at the time was rare because the medium was not widely used yet. The video was filmed at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem and Madonna played the role of a jazz singer. Critics interpreted the video as an exercise in rebirth and possibly birth itself because the singer was pregnant at the time. Bedtime Stories was one of Madonna’s best moments in the ’90s. “Secret” gave her the stylistic makeover she wanted and added another dimension to her legend. Madonna released her 14th studio album, Madame X in 2019.Â
