Today serves as a regal occasion. For, it’s the 62nd birthday of Pop queen Madonna.
In honor of her Madgesty, this week’s From The Vault pick is her year 2000 smash ‘Music.’
Issued as the lead single from her like-titled 8th studio album, the track was written and produced by the superstar alongside frequent collaborator Mirwais.
With 1998’s ‘Ray of Light’ serving as exactly that for the diva (after a rollercoaster number of years professionally), ‘Music’ was tasked with re-affirming the fact that Madonna was unquestionably “back.”
And it delivered in earnest.
Shaking off the early leak of its demo two months prior, the song was officially released in August 2000 and proved an immediate smash.
Having delved into more introspective waters on ‘Ray Of Light,’ ‘Music’ (the song) made clear that it was was turn-up time.
Lyrically lighter than its predecessor, it saw the diva make a bold return to the dance-floor to “boogie-woogie” and demand that listeners followed suit – which they did in their millions.
Storming the charts on a global scale, ‘Music’ hit #1 in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, and many more countries.
Beyond its its pulsating production and infectious lyrics, its seismic success was also powered by its colorful music video (which featured a cameo from Ali-G).
Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, Madonna conceptualized the clip herself and set out to show her take on the stereotypical Hip-Hop videos of the time. Ever one to ignite discussion, her expressed goal was to role reverse – with females enacting characters typically performed by males.
Pregnant at the time of shooting, she’s on record saying: “I had to think of a concept that would incorporate me being almost a voyeur rather than the central force in the video. So I figured if I played this kind of mack-daddy/pimp character, where things just came to me, happened to me and happened around me while I was watching it all happen, I could kill two birds with one stone.”
A firm fixture on the charts, radio and TV channels across the world, ‘Music’ functioned as yet another incredible chapter of success in Madonna’s incomparable narrative.
20 years on (and almost four years into her career), the diva remains a towering force and a blueprint for the modern musical landscape.
Perhaps even more exciting is that she’s showing no signs of slowing, having recently collaborated with Dua Lipa and re-signing with Warner Bros – the label at the helm of all of her releases from 1983 to 2008.
We’re buzzed about what’s next for Madge. Are you?
