This week’s From The Vault pick goes out to Pop titan Madonna and her hauntingly poignant music video for underrated gem, ‘Bad Girl.’
Released in 1993 as the third single from M’s controversial ‘Erotica‘ LP, ‘Girl’ lyrically tells the tale of a woman’s reckless behaviour after an intense break-up. It was produced and written by the artist herself as well as her go-to-guy at the time Shep Pettibone.
Rolled out during a window when Madonna was making headlines for her overtly-sexual image – the ‘Sex‘ book, anyone ? – the track wasn’t as successful as its predecessors like ‘Like a Prayer’ or‘Justify My Love’ but still managed to peak at a respectable #36 on the Hot 100 and occupy the ultimate position of the UK Top 10… not bad for an artist going through a media backlash.
The most unfortunate thing about the single’s moderate performance is that its accompanying video seems to be forgotten despite being – if you ask us – one of the entertainer’s finest visual offerings.
Helmed by David Fincher – whom had previously collaborated with Madge on videos such as ‘Express Yourself’ and ‘Vogue’ – it stays true to the song’s lyrical content and presents the Material Girl as a chain-smoking, moody female-executive who drowns her sorrow in alcohol, cigarettes and one-night-stands.
With Fincher on board, it was a given the cinematography would deliver, indeed the visual, which feels like a short film, exudes an air of retro-glam and the art-deco architecture of the city of New-York where it was shot gives it a dark and dramatic edge.
At many times Madonna has proven that when the world beats you down, you get back up… and keep on releasing amazing material. This is one of the many reasons she can still make headlines in 2015. Though we long for a time where she would go back to music and visuals of such quality, we can’t knock her hustle and commend her dedication to the entertainment industry.
Bad Girl? We say ‘Bad B*tch’ (she’s Madonna!)