Me as a teen, dressed up as Madonna, when I auditioned for a Pepsi commercial
Recent picture of Madonna I have framed on my desk
"Artists are here to disturb the peace." This James Baldwin quote is the theme behind Madonna's new concert/art film, "Madame X." Many of the late novelist's quotes are visible behind the musicians and dancers as they perform in "Madame X," and Madonna adds one of her own when she says, "We aren't here to be popular, we're here to be free."
The first time I heard Madonna's music, I was a teenager growing up in Staten Island, New York, and the song "Physical Attraction" came on my bedroom radio. I thought "Madonna" was an all-female soul group, but then I saw her on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" show and was surprised she was one person! When Clark asked her what she aspired to, she answered, "I want to rule the world." I thought she sounded arrogant, but it turns out she was right. Shortly after that, I watched her perform "Like a Virgin" live on the MTV Video Music Awards, and her fame just skyrocked. Suddenly, girls and teenagers wanted to be Madonna and started dressing up like her. I did this too one time when I auditioned for a Pepsi commercial, hence the top photo in this blog. I didn't get the commercial, but I did make it past the first round, and it was fun to spend the day dressed as Madonna!
A couple of years later, I was off to college. When I met my college bestie, Lauren, we bonded over the surprising discovery that we both chose to go to Berklee College of Music because "'Til Tuesday" singer/songwriter Aimee Mann went there. By that point, I thought it wasn't cool to like Madonna anymore. Instead, Aimee Mann was the type of cool punk-pop singer I wanted to be. Even so, one night, I admitted to Lauren that I "sort of still liked Madonna." Lauren said there was nothing wrong with that and told me she liked Madonna too! I felt at that moment, I was never going to grow out of liking Madonna. In my mind, she was now officially here to stay.
While still at Berklee, I got a job at Tower Records. One day, I was stocking one of my sections in the back of the Rock/Pop floor when Madonna's "Vogue" video came on a TV that was above my head. It was the first time I had ever seen it, and I was mesmerized at what a celebration of music and art it was! Sometimes, I still get teary-eyed when I hear "Vogue" because it reminds me of that moment I first saw the video, crouching in the middle of the Tower Records floor. It takes me back to that time period in my life, living on my own for the first time and working to support myself in my own apartment. Madonna's music has been with me at many stages of my life, and when an artist has been around for so long, each song jogs a different memory.
Earlier this month, in anticipation of "Madame X," I rewatched Madonna's first concert movie, "Truth or Dare," from 1991. When I later watched "Madame X," I noticed a vast difference between today's Madonna and the Madonna of thirty years ago. The Madonna of "Madame X" is a wiser Madonna. It is reflected in her music. "Truth or Dare" is a concert film filled with pop music, and the lyrics are focused on herself. On the "Madame X" album, her lyrics are socially conscious, and the songs incorporate several different styles of music from different parts of the world. Her song "Batuka" was written in the style of Batuque music which is from Cape Verde and is considered one of its oldest music forms. Batuque music was created by women and was always played by women. My favorite part of the "Madame X" film is when she performs her song "Batuka" with an all-female band of drummers ranging in ages from teenagers to older women. Batuque music was banned by the church because drumming was considered "rebel" music, yet somehow it survived and is still played by women today. As Madonna says in "Madame X," "Women are powerful."
There is a joke in the "Truth or Dare" movie that backup singer/dancer Niki Haris makes, saying there will be a Madonna "Like a Virgin" tour in 2025. Now, we are only four years away from 2025, and Madonna is still touring in her early sixties! Performers like Madonna and The Rolling Stones are sometimes criticized for still rocking out in their later years. Even more troubling to some is the fact that Madonna is dating a man thirty-six years younger than she is. This is another thing she has in common with The Rolling Stones, as singer Mick Jagger has been dating much younger women for many years. Maybe Madonna and Mick Jagger date such young people because they need a partner who matches their amazing energy?
Madonna proves to us every day that older women are meant to be celebrated instead of being put out to pasture. I love how the "Madame X" movie begins with a montage of Madonna's sexual moments of controversy throughout her entire career, and at the end of the montage, Madonna says that what is actually the most controversial thing about her is that she stuck around.
Madonna and her boyfriend, Ahlamalik Williams, celebrating her 62nd birthday in Jamaica (usmagazine.com)
