I really like every song left including EO

 

 

 

13. Ciao Bella ~ 6.31

 

Rain will wash away the sadness

 

The final bonus track from the Deluxe Edition, Ciao Bella has done respectably given its exclusiveness. The song is a homage to Bella Ciao, an anti-fascist song from the Partigiani – the members of the Italian resistance in World War II. Produced by Madonna and Mirwais, it features the singer Kimi Djabaté from Guinée-Bisdseau. Madonna stated that "when he came to record for this album, he didn’t speak English at all. Only créole. Dino was the translator and really helped."

Extreme Occident and Ciao Bella are about where I thought they’d be on here.

 

Ciao Bella was a real grower for me.

 

I’m in the minority here but I hope Crave leaves soon it’s bottom tier of the album for me but I’m expecting Future to leave soon as I remember it not going down well :lol:

Ciao Bella is a bit of a bop and easily the best of the tracks on the Deluxe! :music:

 

12. Future ~ 7.00

 

Not everyone that's here is gonna last

 

We're into respectable average scores now. 'Future' was released as the album's second promo single and is a reggae and hip hop song, about looking to what is ahead, celebrating the present and also contemplating the past. The song features Quavo and it was performed at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contests finale, causing controversy and was widely panned due to the vocals and arrangement. Featuring a reference to the 2000 single 'Don't Tell Me', it's both reflective and forward thinking.

 

11. Bitch I'm Loca (feat. Maluma) ~ 7.11

 

Forget about the future and we have no past

 

The second song on the album to feature Maluma and the first out in this countdown, 'Bitch I'm Loca' narrowly misses out on a top 10 place. It is a reggaeton song sung mostly in Spanish. It's a fun-filled song with erotic exchanges between the pair and flirtacious behaviour throughout. Not a major game changer by any means but another example of the chemistry that the two artists possessed in their recording sessions.

 

10. I Rise ~ 7.21

 

River of tears ran dry, let 'em run

 

The first promotional song to be released for the album, 'I Rise' is a song of self-empowerment, while drawing attention to gun violence in the US. It contains a sample from a speech by American activist Emma González. A music video for the song was made in partnership with Time Studios, and it featured footage of Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors, LGBTQ supporters, and women's rights protesters, among other social justice movements. A very powerful song and apt album closer. It also achieved success at the Grammys as The Tracy Young remix won the Best Remixed Recording award and this made Young the first woman to win this award.

 

Surprisingly, these results have been unfolding without any real tragedies for me. 'Funna' would be my last place too, I like what is trying to be done with the track but I think it's a too clumsy and grating. 'Ciao Bella' is easily the best from the deluxe tracks, although I do feel there's something that stops it from reaching its full potential. I'd like to hear more Madonna on the track as the parts where she does appear are great.

 

'I Rise' is a solid album closer and I've come round to the thought of it being a single, not that anything really came of it. It's a simple song but the power comes from the context of Madonna's career, both personally and in her humanitarian work. The hooks have really worked on me and I love the strings that can be heard throughout.

 

I can see why some people don't like it but for me it remains a really unique track in her discography and one I always enjoy when I listen to the album. It is perhaps a little long and it doesn't quite ever build in the way that it could but I'm assuming that is down to wanting to represent the music of the Batukadeiras Orchestra in a true traditional way.

This sums up my thoughts on the song. I wouldn't ever listen to it in isolation but I can't deny it's an integral part to the album and the cultural journey Madonna found herself on.

I Rise is a strange song for me . Sometimes I enjoy it and others I find it annoying. Another song that does this to me is Mother and Father.

The fact Ciao Bella beat Killers, Extreme Occident and Batuka is MADNESS.

 

09. Crazy ~ 7.46

 

I bent my knees for you like a prayer

 

Crazy is a soul-inflected track featuring a Portuguese accordion. It shows Madonna as a crazed lover, trying her best not to be consumed by her desire. It is a love song in the midst of an album all about political statements and so may seem out of place, but through its Portugese inspirations and its commentary on how she has been misunderstood in the past (through her relationships but perhaps also musically, as per the lyric listed above), it finds its place beautifully.

I absolutely adore Crazy and I think #9 is far too low for it. It's a simple, yet highly effective love song and the Portugese parts are just sublime. Deserved more here!

Don't feel too strongly about any of those that have just gone, none of them are awful but they're not my go to tracks on the album.

 

(that was such a non event comment but didn't want you to think I'm not paying attention! :lol: )

 

If nothing else this has prompted me to replay the album a few times (probably for the first time this year!) and it still sounds great. I didn’t skip a single song. I’ll be disappointed if God Control or Dark Ballet don’t win here.

Crazy is too low !!!

I’d say Crazy is too high! One of if not the weakest on the standard album for me.

Crazy is one of my favourites for sure- a more low-key song but still a really lovely one

 

08. Looking For Mercy ~ 7.54

 

I say a little prayer that you'll have mercy on me

 

Taken from the deluxe album, this song is about seeking guidance and advice from some divine being. It is Madonna at her most autobiographical, in which she admits to feeling isolated and is sung in a fairly monontous register. The repetition of the title phrase shows how desperate she is for some solace and help. From an artist that has been fearlessly powerful for most of her career, it is enlightening to see her open up so earnestly and honestly and admit her weaknesses like this!

I appreciate the sentiments of this, but I think it's a few places too high personally. I am shocked it has actually done this well really.

'Crazy' would have been one of my picks for a single. Its sound is very much routed in the Portuguese theme of the album but feels accessible enough to appeal to casual audiences. The way Madonna sings with her heart on her sleeve is just the right amount of vulnerability that I think Madonna needs in her music to win back audiences too; I don't think they view her in a sympathetic light at all unfortunately.

 

'Looking for Mercy' was an early favourite for me. It gets a little repetitive towards the end, but I guess the intent is to emphasise this feeling of being lost and searching. I love the verses and the start of the chorus, it's all quite dramatic and you can feel Madonna's desperation.