January 7, 20214 yr TiD8wCZdi24 “Fighting Spirit” Is One Of Madonna’s Best Bonus Tracks When it comes to B-Sides and bonus tracks, Madonna is notoriously stingy. And when she does open the vault, it usually feels like she’s trolling. (I submit “Cyber-Raga” and “Up Down Suite” as exhibits A and B). There are still some gems to be found, however. “Has To Be,” the Ray Of Light bonus track, is exceedingly lovely, while “Super Pop” remains a guilty pleasure. My favorite — at least from the latter part of Madonna’s career — is probably “Fighting Spirit,” a track tacked on to the Confessions On A Dance Floor boxset. “What you gonna do when your love is gone? Who you gonna play when the game has ended?” the Queen of Pop begins the song over Mirwais’ disco-tinged production. “Where you gonna go when the bird has flown? How you gonna play when you’re all alone?” In some ways the banger can be construed as a warning or wake up call to her lover. Madonna is simply reminding him or her how shitty their life would be without her in it. That takes us to the borderline-ominous, but danceable chorus: “Keep the fighting spirit of love.” It’s hard to argue that “Fighting Spirit” should have taken the place of any of the 12 great songs on Confessions, but there’s no reason why the tracklist couldn’t have been extended to 13 songs.
January 31, 20214 yr Here is my review of Madonna's 10th studio album "Confessions On A Dancefloor", so enjoy.... Hung Up The album kicks off in fine style with the almighty lead single, a house & disco influenced song that has that iconic ABBA sample which really brings life to this killer dancefloor anthem with catchy beats, a joyous chorus & stellar production, making this a glorious return to form after many years of experimenting with different musical styles. Sometimes going back to that awesome dance pop sound is all you need & it certainly worked in Madonna’s case as this became her biggest hit of the decade. Get Together Beginning with the ring of an alarm clock we go deep into the clubland with penetrating vibes & smooth rhythms as it explodes in the middle-eight into a superb electro club number full of thumping beats & filtered synths. An excellent single choice as this is nothing more than an outright dancefloor anthem that makes you feel alive. Sorry Another storming dance-pop number full of life & action that perfectly evokes the sounds of the 80’s, full of thumping synths, infectious disco beats & strong vocals over its addictive melodies. Then of course there’s that amazing middle eight where Madonna sings in 8 different languages, which adds yet another layer to this already killer anthem. This was the perfect follow up single to the huge lead as both go hand in hand with each other with their empowering themes. Future Lovers After 3 pulsating dance-floor anthems, the party continues with this amazing disco throwback with vibes of Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ only with a more futuristic feel, full of heavy bass lines, glittery synths & solid harmonies. Another solid number, but not quite as strong as the previous tracks so far. I Love New York Taking a break somewhat from the dance-pop numbers as this takes a more pop-rock approach that breaks up act one of this album. Driven by guitars, rolling drums & glitchy electronics, this isn’t one of the album’s finer moments. Let It Will Be Back to form now with this strong number that grows and grows with energy following the orchestral opening, before delving into thumping house electronic beats and disco overtones. This is just yet another stellar strong point on this album. Forbidden Love A deep transient number that could feel out of place on a disco-pop album, but thankfully it provides the perfect bridge from one half to the other. Full of mood and passion as it releases all its energy after the first chorus & pulls you into its thick rhythms. Overall, this is just fantastic. Jump Back to the dancefloor yet again with this magnetic & electric anthem as the beat pumps and intensifies as it goes along. This is probably the most brazen club anthem on the album, full of life and catchy melodies, no wonder this got chosen as a single, it ended the era on an almighty high. How High More electronica symphonia now as Madonna reflects on her rise to stardom with great synths and fantastic vocals with solid production before ending on a poignant sting. Issac Often regarded as the song closest to being a ballad on this album as it blends Middle Eastern themes with a dance-based backing track with pulsating rhythms. This may be a bit out there for some, but personally I love the meaningful message & the constant drama that carries you through to the end. Push Another stirring track that whilst not being an outright dance number, has a funky R&B beat to it and confident vocals with a positive message. This is a decent track that doesn’t outstay its welcome & offers a nice break from the dance/pop/disco anthems. Like It Or Not The album concludes nicely with this down-tempo number with jazz undertones & beautiful acoustic riffs that gives this a rather melancholic yet elegant feel. Rounding things off nicely.
February 11, 20214 yr On 8th February 2006, Madonna performed with the Gorillaz at the Grammys as part of a 'Feel Good Inc' / 'Hung Up medley. This is my favourite Madonna Grammy performance, I don't think I'll ever tire of watching that choreography: O4svIh86ZVc On 14th February 2006, Madonna was nominated for three awards at the BRIT Awards, including a win for International Female Solo Artist - only her second BRIT! She also presented the award for British Album. p9TAy3VFB1Y Madonna's first BRIT win was for the same award in 2001. I'm surprised she didn't win it in 1999 following 'Ray of Light', she was nominated but Natalie Imbruglia won which seems a little odd.
February 15, 20214 yr Im still surprised the album never made it to number 1 here in Ireland, its peak is number 3 but it was a huge madonna era that i instantly think it was number 1 here.
February 15, 20214 yr This was such a great era! I remember the videos for "Hung Up!" and "Sorry" being played non-stop on the music channels. I also remember hearing "Jump" quite a lot too.
February 16, 20214 yr Im still surprised the album never made it to number 1 here in Ireland, its peak is number 3 but it was a huge madonna era that i instantly think it was number 1 here. #3?! What the hell kept it off?
February 16, 20214 yr #3?! What the hell kept it off?Mario Rosenstock - Gift Crub 6: The Special One & I presume Westlife - Face To Face at #2?
February 16, 20214 yr Madonna's first BRIT win was for the same award in 2001. I'm surprised she didn't win it in 1999 following 'Ray of Light', she was nominated but Natalie Imbruglia won which seems a little odd. Maybe in hindsight with how Natalie Imbruglia's career panned out, but she really was the hot shit back then and seen as "credible" believe it or not, probably because her debut album wasn't what people expected from someone fresh off Neighbours.
February 16, 20214 yr ^ true but ROL was so much bigger in every way. They asked Madonna to performa and she declined probably had something to do with it.
February 27, 20214 yr I've been binging on Madonna interviews and was howling at this one. I love the shady way that Madonna deals with dumb interviewers! :lol: ys20n5soNNc "What's the worst thing about being famous?" "That you have to answer stupid questions" "As long as I can speak my mind..." *brushes hand through fringe* "Can we dance now?". "No."
February 28, 20214 yr Maybe in hindsight with how Natalie Imbruglia's career panned out, but she really was the hot shit back then and seen as "credible" believe it or not, probably because her debut album wasn't what people expected from someone fresh off Neighbours. Wasn't Left of the Middle released in 1997? Odd that they were rewarding her in 1999, guess they must just not have recognised her in the 1998 awards at all.
February 28, 20214 yr Wasn't Left of the Middle released in 1997? Odd that they were rewarding her in 1999, guess they must just not have recognised her in the 1998 awards at all. I think it was released after the cut off point to be considered for the 1998 BRITs. I'm not sure what the date is exactly but I'm sure I read it was in November.
March 4, 20214 yr For me, her last near-perfect album, containing two of my favorite M songs ever; Get Together and Jump. I loved this era; the looks, the Hung-Up video, the tour, and the music. Stuart Price is a genius and I'm sad she's not really worked with him again. 1. Get Together 2. Jump 3. Future Lovers 4. Hung Up 5. Forbidden Love 6. Isaac 7. Push 8. How High 9. I Love New York 10 Let It Will Be 11.Sorry 12 Like It or Not
June 6, 20214 yr love GT i welcome it back to a tour setlist and it is far superior to many of the tracks on ‘Celebration’.
June 8, 20214 yr 5zqZnarJQ-E Stunning track, sounding particularly great in the sunshine today! Not sure if there was much call for a HD version of the video when they've still not given us 'Sorry'!
June 9, 20214 yr A member on PopJustice posted the Confessions Tour backdrop for 'Get Together' and I have to agree with them that it feels like a much more fitting visual than the official video. I'd have liked to have seen what her team could have come up with using that backdrop as the basis. 1Vmta8tzoK4
June 9, 20214 yr At the time I was a bit pissed that 'Jump' wasn't the 3rd single (and in a way I'd still be interested to see how that would have panned out), but it's safe to say 'Get Together' has grown massively in my affections over the years. :wub:
