“Time goes by… so slowly”
While this week has found Queen Of Pop Madonna forced to share details about her much anticipated 13th album ‘Rebel Heart’, From The Vault journeys back to her most sonically sound effort in recent years. This week’s pick is the glorious ‘Hung Up’.
Released almost a decade ago, ‘Hung Up’ was the very first offering of the artist’s disco-heavy tenth album, the delicious ‘Confessions On A Dance Floor’. Helmed by British producer Stuart Price and the diva herself, it is famously built on a sample of ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’ by legendary Swedish group ABBA.
Released in a ‘We Belong Together’ reality, the song still managed to achieve major success on a global scale peaking at #1 in 41 countries including the UK, France, Canada and Australia – it reached #7 in the US – and has sold over 9 millions unit since its release.
Johan Renck was in charge of directing the track’s visual. Featuring many dancers – including several of the krumpers seen in David LaChapelle’s documentary ‘Rize’ as well some of her own documentary ‘I’m Going To Tell You a Secret’ – the video succeeds in relaying a raw street aura while keeping up with the glam of the late 70s/early 80s which were explored during that album campaign. From the fashion and the lighting, to the beauty shots and choreography, all comes together and explodes into a euphoric final scene where Madge is seen dancing up a storm.
Perhaps it’s us, but from where we’re standing ‘Confessions’ was the last real “Madonna” album. Indeed, much of what came after has reeked of desperation and tackiness (see: ‘MDNA’, shuffling with LMFAO at the Superbowl, reductive-gate). We’re all for exploring different sounds and textures, and clearly that’s what M-Dolla is famous for; still, we wish she would maintain some sort of regality in her music. In wanting to cater to the younger generation, it feels like the artist is continuously losing the very elements that made her the Queen Of Pop in the first place. So much to the point where she is making the same music the very artists she gave birth to are churning out —- ironically with less tasty results.
Here’s hoping the remaining 13 tracks of ‘Rebel Heart’ give back to us that very artist who has been Pop’s definitive blueprint.
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Hard Candy was good too
You know that album was the first album a bought from Madonna & the week it came out I watch her movie Truth Or Dare for the first time. Lol Since then I bought every album she ever made other then MDNA lol but that was because of what she did to Gaga. She is truly the Queen of Pop, I just hope she starts acting like it again & stop looking Foolish by being negative & bulling people around this time.
I used to go crazy for this song back then.The video and the grammy performance was exceptional…Unfortunately I don’t feel the song aged well at all
And I always wonder why Same likes Madonna so much given the fact this is a Urban blog & Madonna is really everything opposite of what most Urban artist are today? Same always seems to focus on what the white media does to the Urban Artist but never what the real problem is? If the greatest Urban Artist of the last 30 years are Beyonce,Tupac,Whitney,Eminem,Lauren Hill ,Janet & Biggy And they all where open minded & worked harder then most Pop acts to give the World Great Life Changing Art lets asks ourselves are Urban artist of today about that life?
I forgot Jay & Kanye. Sorry there Icons clearly. Lol
The Queen.
Just because The Anon Message got suspended doesn’t mean Igloo Australia shouldn’t apologise…
Awww, poor you! The other Anon account already spilled the tea that they had nothing on her.
Just like Katy doesn’t have an ounce of talent on her… #BeyonceSuperBowlQueen
This really was her last good era. Everything that came after was her trying too hard to stay relevant. She turned me off when she started bullying Gaga; that’s when I saw her for who she really is and it isn’t cute.
Hard Candy and MDNA seemed more like promo efforts for her subsequent tours and it paid off. Confessions of the Dance Floor was an actual body of work which is why it was critically acclaimed. Her last 2 albums were just promotional efforts for the Sticky and Sweet Tour and MDNA Tours. The songs from Rebel Heart sound promising and a lot better than her last 2 releases
The video was everything tbh
This use to be the jam!
I’m loving her new stuff but Hung Up is so damn good it can be placed with her truly great monster dance hits like Like a Prayer, Into the Groove, Ray of Light, Vogue, Open Your Heart, Holiday and Express Yourself.
It was the song that proved she could make one of the greatest songs of her career in her 3rd decade of music
Ah, I used to live for this song! It’s amazing how Madonna, who was two decades plus into her career at the time, was able to introduce herself to the younger generation with this album and slay. I’m not a fan of hers (I only use a couple of her singles) but I recognize a legend with impact when I see one. Good luck to her with her next album.
I absolutely agree that Confessions was her last great album. I used to listen to it non stop. Whereas on Hard Candy I liked only a couple of songs and MDNA I’ve spinned only like 2 times. They both feel like she forgot who she was and started looking for her identity in the current pop trends. And that’s not what we’ve come to expect from her.
It’s so weird because she’s so rich and has all these opportunities to reach out to new and quality music, why would she make Hard Candy and MDNA?
I guess it all comes down to her mindset at the time. How confident she is in herself. I hope Rebel Heart gives us what we’re longing for…
This was so great!
The last huge Madonna album (in an amazing sequence of 4 fantastic albums: Ray of Light, Music, American life, and Confessions). Plus this was when our jaws dropped seeing her body and incredible shape for her age. It was also the last time she looked good in the face. It´s sad to say but she is the kind of artist that needs the spectacle even if the music is good, and that spectacle is not the same if you don´t look good 🙁
This song and accompanying album are amazing. One of her best IMO. I love the dance direction she went in. I’m a little unsure of her new songs. None of them really stuck with me the way the songs on this album did. My favorite Madonna album EVER is probably “Erotica”!
Couldn’t agree more. This is in fact, my favourite album of hers. Her most cohesive album in recent years indeed. In fact, this is my most favourite album of all time! I just love this era of hers. I agree with everything that’s written on this article. She’s struggling to cater to younger audiences and losing her own essence of being herself as the queen of pop.