Yes, I do remember...

... not the day it was released, but the day I had it for the first time.

For days I used to stand in front of the window of the record store right across the street, completely mesmerized by the cover - still my favorite, until today.

I remember so well the exact moment I had it: a few minutes from leaving with my family for our Summer vacation, the car already packed with our bags, I told my mother how much I'd love to have "the other Madonna record, to listen to during the holidays" (I already had Like A Virgin).

 

My mother, beautiful and kind as she always was, told my father to wait a few minutes, took my hand and we went to the store. "That's the one!", I said, unable to contain my enthusiasm. I picked out the cassette, since I could use my sister's radio. I listened to it over and over again, throughout the entire Summer of 1985. I was 7 years old.

Almost 30 years later, I can feel the same thrill as the first chords from "Lucky Star" arise. Like I was entering a whole new dimension, bursting with sophistication and style. And boy, did we all!

Oh dear...

One month has passed without writing a thing!

December is being quite a ride. Between work, studies on music journalism, my podcast side-project, Christmas stuff and an endless flu, there's no energy left to think about nice things to post in here.

Something's got to give... but under the skin, all remains alive and kicking ;)

No need to talk about all the frenzy that has been going on these last few weeks, surrounding the new album, the new video, Superbowl, the world tour, the perfume, the Golden Globes, oh God, what a massive year lies ahead of us!

You all know everything about that - and frankly, it's not my intention to give you the news (there are better places to find them), only thoughts and impressions.

So here's something I'd like to share with you, reminding the amazing December we had, nineteen years ago. I couldn't be more obsessed back then, M couldn't be more fierce and daring. Our Christmas in 1992 was all about house music, vintage clothes, romance and nightclubbing.

A few days ago, I put Erotica on my CD player, pressed 4 and couldn't help saying out loud: God, this is SO DAMN SEXY!

I can't help falling in love with this song, over and over again.

World AIDS Day II

Madonna's commitment to the fight against AIDS has always been a reason for our pride, since the first Who's That Girl Tour shows, dedicated to the research of a cure for "the plague of the 20th century". But at the time, I wasn't aware of such thing.

In fact, I wasn't aware of the seriousness of AIDS at all (I was 7 when the Portuguese media talked about it for the first time, in 1984, with the shocking death of António Variações, a Portuguese singer and absolute pop icon in my country). Not until the day I arrived home, on March 1989, after running to the record store to buy my copy of M's brand new album - with that amazing, epic title: Like a Prayer.

When I took the record out of the sleeve, something fell off. There they were: The Facts About AIDS. Madonna was speaking directly to us, addressing the issue through her art. On that precise moment, I realised ther seriousness of it.

Unfortunately, 22 years have passed and still...

... AIDS Is No Party!

Happy 25th anniversary

I knew it was going to arrive soon. Everyday I would sneek into the record store near my place, hoping for the moment. One day, the lady smiled at me: "Ruizinho, it has arrived". When I looked at the cover, I was mesmerized, couln't even speak. My heart started racing. She was so incredibly beautiful. The album cost me 1200 Escudos. I was 8 years old.

Cannes, 1991: The "Insane Atmosphere", from Minute 1

Those were the (absolutely insane) days. Every little move M made, it would make headlines. Everywhere she stepped her foot in, it would turn the whole damn place upside down. No wonder: world-stopping events like the Blond Ambition Tour and the Justify My Love video were a few months behind.

And now, another monumental feature: the Truth or Dare documentary. Now, it was time to show it to Europe - and no better place to do it than the Cannes Film Festival.

The euro-insane atmosphere was immediately set, the first minute she arrived at Nice airport, on May 12, 1991. The Los Angeles Times tells it all.

(I remember hearing about "The Cannes Incident" so well...)

«Cannes Dares to Be Seduced by Madonna.
Welcoming the pop star and filmmaker Akira Kurosawa on the same day, you can't say the film festival doesn't have range--or a sense of humor.

If the camera crews that followed pop singer Madonna on her Blonde Ambition tour had been with her Saturday afternoon, they would have gotten great footage for a sequel to her new documentary, "Truth or Dare." A source close to Madonna said that when she arrived in Nice, French customs officials, acting on a tip that she would have drugs with her, held the star up for an hour-and-a-half while she was searched.
"It's ridiculous because everybody knows Madonna doesn't do drugs," the source said. "She was really upset about it."
Welcome to the Cannes Film Festival, Madonna. We could have told you it's a zoo, but then we never knew you'd be here. The festival loves stars--adores them--but they usually save this kind of excitement for a movie star. In fact, Cannes veterans say they haven't seen anything like this since Brigitte Bardot's appearance in 1952.»

Los Angeles Times
May 13, 1991
Jack Mathews, Cannes report

April 21, 1991: Dance-a-Thon, The (Amazing) Sequel

Of all the off-work appearances troughout M's career, this is definitely one of my all-time favourites. Precisely 20 years ago and for the 2nd time, Madonna joined hundreds of people for the 3rd annual Dance-a-Thon, held by AIDS Project Los Angeles. Due to the success of both previous events (her presence at the first one was surely one of the causes), the APLA's dance marathon moved from the Shrine Auditorium to the LA Sports Arena. Huge!

While 89's appearance was all about style, sunglasses and cut-off jeans, this time was for serious dancing. Dressed up in tracksuit pants and that oh-so-marvellous combination of black bra & white top, Madonna wasn't just showing herself around. She danced her ass off, up to that amazing state of grace: totally covered in sweat. That hair, dear Lord...

Those were the days when house music was reaching world domination (God, how I miss them) and, once more, Madonna was at the forefront of such crucial movement in contemporary culture.
I'm so sad that my VCR doesn't work anymore. I have this videotape with one of those low-budget-low-quality biographies, containing several minutes of home-video footage of M's furious dancing at 91's Dance-a-Thon. I remember watching it over and over again, in absolute religious ecstasy. Every move, that amazing body and gorgeous face, fingers snapping to the rythm... Madonna taught me how to dance.

Unortunately, I still can't find the footage on the internet. But I can still remember every second of it. The best things always remain in your brain.

Update (on June 6, 2011): ask and you shall receive!
As I was going through Facebook, I saw something that made my eyes pop. THE VIDEO!!!
Thank you, DivinaMadonna.com!

It's Oscar night! (Part 4)

March 24, 1997

.

Second live experience at the Academy Awards stage and in front of an audience of millions, across the planet. I was in Aveiro at Pedro's and we were as nervous as her. This time, it was all about singing. She was unsually controlled and revealed an incredible new vocal performance. Madonna's bel canto, as Eva Peron. Brilliant.

All about the bangs

.

69th Academy Awards Vanity Fair party

Open Your Heart

More than just another M classic, and definitely one of our all-time favourites, Open Your Heart is a true milestone, for so many reasons.

And because it happened 24 years ago - on February 7th 1987, it reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart - let's stick with it for a moment.

Follow Your Heart

Yep, this was the song's original title. Gardner Cole and his friend Peter Rafelson wrote it for over a year, as a rock song (circa 1984-85). According to Cole, «Follow Your Heart is the name of a vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles. I was in love with a waitress there named Lisa and she was the original inspiration for the lyrics.»

Donna's first step into Planet M

At that time, Cole had already submitted a song to Madonna (the title was Motor City Girl), but she rejected it. In the meantime, the original demo of Follow Your Heart was sung by Jason Scheff, Chicago's then lead singer (after Peter Cetera left the group).

It was Freddy Demann who, after listening to the demo, saw it as a potential hit for Madonna. He asked Cole to make a new demo, with a female voice instead. Cole asked his former girlfriend to sing the demo - a girl called Donna DeLory.

Later, on he suggested Pat Leonard to use Donna as back-up singer and dancer, by the time Pat was helping Madonna put together an upcoming tour...

Madonna says Yes

Even though the original song didn't sound like Madonna at all, she ended up accepting it. M teamed up with Pat and magic was made. Some of the lyrics were altered, a new title was given, a bassline was added, mid-tempo became up-tempo, a dance-pop song was created.

But it was Madonna's interpretation that really hit the mark. Just read the lyrics alone: not that special, even silly and juvenile (yes, it worked perfectly on Glee).
Now listen to Madonna's singing: powerful, assertive, sexual. The Midas touch.
Finally, picture her in late 1985, at the recording studio. Open Your Heart was, indeed, the first cut for the True Blue album.

Breakthrough

And then, there was the music video. It is said that Sean Penn was originally set to direct it. Fact or fiction, the truth is that Jean-Baptiste Mondino came along... and a true work of art was created. Shot in October 1986, it was released two months later. And it could still be released today.


In fact, this is one of those cases where the music video transcends time and the actual song itself. We just cannot dissociate Open Your Heart from all that peep-show atmosphere. That's why the Peugeot advert was so... strange.

This is where we get to the "landmark" bit: the Open Your Heart video was the Big Bang for an entire universe of elements that would radiate from Madonna's art, for years to come. Just to name a few:

1) Sex
Before OYH, it was all about innuendo. Now, sex was reeealy on the table - and in our faces. I was 9 years old at the time and I blushed when I saw the video for the first time, at a friend's house. Oh my god, we can actually see her groins!... Remember, it was 1986. It totally pushed all boundaries.

2) Mondino
The first "French touch" in M's career (Patrick Hernandez doesn't count...).

3) The conical bra
First lesson in one of the most iconic symbols in M's career. Period.

4) Tamara de Lempicka
First lesson in Art History.

5) Super-fit
In Papa Don't Preach, we could tell she was slimmer. But now... oh my god! Meet the fucking amazing quadriceps!

6) Androginy
Boys who are girls... inside the viewing booth; and at that fantastic end.

7) The chair
Cabaret, Broadway... M finally embraced such a poetic prop. Later on, she would take it to the stage.

.

Surely, there is more to add to the list. But I have to stop now. I just have to watch the video.

Sources:
Wikipedia
MadonnaTribe's interview with Gardner Cole

.

Watch this visual extravaganza in pictures, Through The Looking Glass.

The Birthday Present

Five years ago, on this very same day, I received one of the most unforgettable, amazing birthday presents EVER, from M herself. It was called Confessions on a Dancefloor.

On November 14th 2005, Confessions was released. The first time I listened to it was in my room, at midnight - to my surprise, it went on sale here in Lisbon during the last hours of the 13th. I bought it immediately, went home and waited for the magical hour.

I was so overwhelmed. The music was - is and will eternally be - amazing. And I was flooded with happiness.

It will always be the most special work M has ever made, in my heart.
Needless to say that I played it today.

October 20, 1992

It was Tuesday afternoon. I left school, Cilla left work, we grabbed her motorbike and flew to Lisbon. The day had finally arrived. The hours before were spent on the phone, calling to record stores in downton Lisbon, to know which would get it first. One of them was in Av. de Roma. The moment was solemn.

Got home, put the CD on, pressed Play. And I was speechless. It all sounded like Future. Vanguard. Cutting-edge. Never have I heard such a thing.

Even Dad loved it - I remember him playing Fever and raising the volume up, the house being invaded by that impressive sound.

Eighteen years later, Erotica remains my favourite album of all times.

Fever

To celebrate yesterday's Summer solstice, here’s one of my favourite M videos.

With Fever, Madonna explored new grounds in her art and, along with French photographer / director Stéphane Sednaoui, delivered us a futuristic ode to sensuality.

Dita was gone, but a new - and equally - mysterious character came into life. Like a deity from a distant galaxy, she appeared in many different forms, from a silver sphinx to a pink-haired seductress, from a Hindu goddess to a flower-woman.

Sednaoui’s special effects - a first in M’s video repertoire, at the time - created the perfect atmosphere to the sizzling aesthetic.

Like everything else from the Erotica period, this was avant-garde at the highest level - and this is why the majority couldn’t get it. Amazingly, this was considered the one of M’s least favourite videos, even by the fans...

I was 15 when I watched it for the first time and was totally blown away. Even today, I watch it with the same sense of wonderment and intrigue. The red-tongue scene is one of the best video openers ever.

What a lovely way to burn…







Fever
Director: Stéphane Sednaoui
Producer: Line Postmyr
Director of Photography: Darius Khondji
Editor: Olivier Gajan
Production Company: Propaganda Films
Wardrobe design: Jean-Paul Gaultier
Shot on April 10–11, 1993 at Greenwich Studios in Miami, Florida.
Premiere: May 11, 1993 on MTV.

Behind The American Dream

Videos: one of my all-time favourite items in my M collection. And it’s such a thrill, everytime an mpeg or vob file comes out, with some vintage TV report or interview that I used to watch, over and over again, on my VCR.

Yesterday, and after so many years, I went through the classic Madonna - Behind The American Dream, a BBC documentary produced in November, 1990.


For the first time, Madonna herself agreed to participate and recorded an interview. Shot in black and white at her request, she looked stunningly beautiful, wearing a Sixties hairstyle and full lips (yes, it was during the collagen experience).

Rather than easy sensationalism, BBC chose to make an essay on Madonna - the cultural phenomenon, the artist and the person - with seriousness and accuracy. She was analyzed by thinkers, like a critic from Art Forum magazine or an academic from Harvard, and close people such as her brother and Christopher Flynn.

Madonna herself exposed her inner world in a way she never did before - as if she was anticipating Truth or Dare.

I remember watching it back then and thinking that, finally, M was being taken seriously by a media channel - other than MTV.

Behind The American Dream is a must-see for any 20 year-old who's interested in understanding Madonna’s unique impact on pop culture and, more than that, on Western society. And Justify My Love or Sex weren’t released yet…

Watching it is realizing, once more, that she was a true revolutionary, paving the way for a whole new way of expression in the mainstream. Her role was to question the establishment, to promote - and provoke - critical thinking.

Still today, this is probably the best documentary ever made by a TV channel.

You can download the whole documentary (in HQ) via AbsolumentMadonna.

Grapes

This weekend I went South and, while enjoying the pre-Summer days in Alentejo, I felt like eating grapes. So I did. And all of a sudden, an image came into my mind: M at the 1985 American Music Awards ceremony.

The “Like a Virgin” album was 3 months old, “Material Girl” was about to be released, Madonna’s place in the pop world was being propelled to a new dimension of popularity and relevance.

And people were starting to witness some of her best features as an artist: her freshness, unpredictability and sense of style. Like coming to one of the industry’s most important award ceremonies in black leather jacket, fingerless gloves, a small teddy bear and eating grapes.

I remember being a kid and watching these photos in Bravo magazine in complete fascination.

Like she said one year earlier, in an interview for MTV: Do you think someone else could come up with this?…