So last week saw the official release of Madonna's debut single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" from her 12th studio album, "MDNA" and as with any song by the *shy & retiring* popstar, it caused just a little bit of discussion or argument. A demo, having leaked a few months ago, did not bode well. It was far too ordinary and generic compared with what Madonna used to be famed for, cutting edge music that was always ahead of the crowd. But at the time, I calmed myself. I said it was just the demo. That they would add all kinds of bells and whistles before the official release. That the undisputed Queen of Pop had not released the equivalent of a cheerleaders'chant as her debut single with about the same level of lyrical ability (L-U-V for heavens sake, not even L-O-V-E!!!!), after nearly 30 years in the business! But obviously I was wrong. For the single was exactly the same as the demo. In other words: MEDIOCRE. A word I never envisaged myself using to describe a Madonna song. But it is sadly true.
How the mighty fall. Specifically, the song is far too simplistic, not that simple equals bad. Often a good, simple beat is the basis for the perfect song but here, it errs on the side of child-like. The, aforementioned, cheerleading beat with lyrics that show a desperate attempt to be "down wiv da kids" (L-U-V etc.) creates a song that is neither exciting nor inspiring. The message of the song, if there is any, is incoherent at best. We lurch from "stepping into her world" because "every record sounds the same" to "We can drink some wine, Burgundy is fine"....OH DEAR!
Then there is the awful inclusion of M.I.A and Nicki Minaj who only make their presence known for about 20 seconds but in that time manage to suck any remaining vestiges of life from the song. While Nicki's lyrics make some sort of stab at keeping in context with whatever the song is about, M.I.A appears to make it up as she goes along: "It's super sonic, bionic, uranium hits,
So I break him off tricks".... Excuse me? I was surprised enough to find her on the track considering her "indie schtick" and dislike of the mainstream but having heard some stuff from her album "Maya", I at least expected some thought-provoking words. Sadly not.
So is there anything positive? Well yes. It is a very danceable track that cannot help but be catchy. And I can clearly envisage, inebriated club-goers embarrassing themselves to it. But as a Madonna lead single, it just isn't up to scratch. If this had been a Katy Perry song, I would enjoy it, as I wouldn't expect anything more from her. But it's just so vapid and lifeless for a woman who used to sing about religion, social/political matters (even if "American Life" was a bit self-righteous) and love/sex (more creatively and interestingly than many current popstars do). But Madonna can still bring it all back. There is every chance that "MDNA" will see some of the old spark that's been missing from her eyes since "Confessions on a Dance Floor" returned but it just hasn't with this song. I hope that she can do it and that her 12th studio album (an achievement in itself) will be era-defining, full of exciting, thought-provoking music. Till then, I'm going back to her classics but I haven't given up on her just yet.
Culture_Check Signing Off.
No comments:
Post a Comment