I managed to get a copy of the Pet Shop Boys' remix of Madonna's next single "Sorry" and all I can say is that it exhibits everything that I love most about remixes. The structure of the song is not altered all that much, and it's still very heavy on Madonna's vocals. But they've beefed up the instrumentation plus added their own vocals to parts of it (Neil Tennant's very sorrowful "sorry, so sorry.." is just what the song needed.)Overall, "Sorry" is one of my favorite songs on Confessions On A Dance Floor, and I think it has the potential to be a Madonna classic in the vein of "Vogue" and "Into The Groove." That's the trouble with evaluating Madonna's latter-day music -- it always seems to suffer a little bit in comparison to her early hits. (i.e., pretty much everything on The Immaculate Collection.) And admittedly, there's a lot of it that isn't as strong as those early, effortless hits. While Erotica is probably still my favorite Madonna album, it's not nearly as accessible pop-wise as say True Blue is. And perhaps that's why radio hasn't really latched onto any Madonna single since the early 90s ("Take A Bow" and "Music" notwithstanding) as they did instantly to anything she released during the 80s.
I think what I love most about "Sorry" is how dramatic it is. Actually, it's probably more melodramatic than dramatic, but that's good pop music for you. From the initial voiceovers of "I'm sorry" in several different languages, to the minor key of the whole dang thing, it's just so damn dramatic, it really appeals to my inner 4.
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Hi Dan - I was very interested to read that Erotica is your favourite Madonna record. Funny, I think it is her most underrated album of all time. Every now and then I put it on and I am reminded how much of a good songwriter Madonna is. I love Where Life Begins and Secret garden. Just brilliant. Bad Girl is one of my favourite ballads too. I also love Goodbye to Innocence - I think that would have worked a lot better than Fever.
I would have to say Like A Prayer is my all time favourite. Nostalgia factor - not only reminds me of being a kid, but I think it is the first and best example of how high art and pop can be merged. Such a classic.
Have you seen the Sorry video yet? Like Hung Up, I didn't like it at first, but I have come to really like it. Madonna's videos of late have been a little inconsistent, and she seems to have become more of a trend follower than trend setter, but hey, can't always hark back to the golden era! She does look stunning though.
What is your fav video - Oh father and Vogue I think are the pinnacle. You may disagree (but then there are so much to chose from).
As for the Grammys - didn't really do it for me. It started out so well when she sang over Feel Good Inc. That was exciting - but then it just became a re-run of the MTV awards performance and it seemed rather lame to me (her voice did not sound that good except for the middle eight parts). If she had used the Gorrilaz song throughout that would have been so cool - but alas...
Anyway - hope you are well on that side of the pond.
Paull
P.s. Have you heard when Reinvention and Secret are out on DVD yet? It's like - how long do we have to wait already???
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