I love it.
I didn't think I would. After watching the dull and egomaniacal I Will Tell You a Secret, I thought that I was officially done with Madonna. And she wasn't doing too hot before that. Rhyming "pilates" with "soy latte" with "body" in that wretched "American Life" song, the faux British accent, that whole kabbalah / call me "Esther" thing, and her supposedly mommy dearest like antics around the house. I was over her.
Then I saw the video for "hung up." Wow. First of all, she's wearing a pink leotard. Second of all, there is mad crazy krunk-style dancing. Third of all, it has the classic 80's story arc that moves from dance studio to dance club. And the video reimagines the 80's in a way that is makedly different from what we've gotten from Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, and Urban Outfitters. In Madonna's 80's there are boom boxes and knee socks and satin jackets and feathered hair. There is dancing at the bus stop and the sushi shop and on the subway. It's cheesy and campy, but it also has some grit around the edges. The frames are darkly lit, and the scene of Madonna walking through the streets to the disco simultaneously evokes "Papa Don't Preach," "Beat It" and The Outsiders. And of course the song itself : vitamin beats thrumming in the gut, and then, bubbling up to the surface, a spindly, trilling electro-flute threading across the top. Thrilling.
click here to watch the video.
I didn't think I would. After watching the dull and egomaniacal I Will Tell You a Secret, I thought that I was officially done with Madonna. And she wasn't doing too hot before that. Rhyming "pilates" with "soy latte" with "body" in that wretched "American Life" song, the faux British accent, that whole kabbalah / call me "Esther" thing, and her supposedly mommy dearest like antics around the house. I was over her.
Then I saw the video for "hung up." Wow. First of all, she's wearing a pink leotard. Second of all, there is mad crazy krunk-style dancing. Third of all, it has the classic 80's story arc that moves from dance studio to dance club. And the video reimagines the 80's in a way that is makedly different from what we've gotten from Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, and Urban Outfitters. In Madonna's 80's there are boom boxes and knee socks and satin jackets and feathered hair. There is dancing at the bus stop and the sushi shop and on the subway. It's cheesy and campy, but it also has some grit around the edges. The frames are darkly lit, and the scene of Madonna walking through the streets to the disco simultaneously evokes "Papa Don't Preach," "Beat It" and The Outsiders. And of course the song itself : vitamin beats thrumming in the gut, and then, bubbling up to the surface, a spindly, trilling electro-flute threading across the top. Thrilling.
click here to watch the video.
4 comments:
I feel the same way! Was kind of over her, especially after "American Life" and those children's books (although I did catch her Re-Invention Tour and it was pretty good), but I really like this song. It's pretty catchy and the video is fun...although the first thing it reminded me of were Janet Jackson's videos in the mid-80's like Nasty and What Have You Done For Me Lately.
I wanted to watch that video so bad! Apparently, however, Mac users can only view it with Netscape. Is that because Netscape, like the video, is an anachronism? I dunno. I'll try to watch it another time--I do loves me some early 1980s.
the super sonic soul squad watched the video before our performance, and got all psyched.
is it 80s or late 70s? i feel likemaybe it's a timeless piece that does 70s (the ABBA sample), 80s (the timeline, the gym, the leotard), 90s and 00s (crumping, dance dance revolution). the chick in the video is the same one from the rize movie. i like the video-- my favorite part is the synchronized dance in the sushi bar.
I guess I should check it out then, Madonna is the queen of reinvention, always surprising us.
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