Okay, she's my girl!.. You either love her or
hate her, but chances are you have some
strong opinion of Madonna. If you've read
my other chartopper columns
it comes as
no surprise that, for the past 20 years, I've
adored her! And she continues to inspire me
with each new album. For the next few
months, in celebration of the twentieth
anniversary of the release of her very first
record, I'll be looking back at Madonna's
amazing career and talking about each
release! We'll have some fun trivia with
great prizes so stay tuned and please keep
reading Chartoppers: Madonna! Email me
at chris@fredflare.com.
I'd
love to hear your stories
about Madonna! Xxoo, Chris Click
here
for Chartoppers:
the 80’s!
"Let’s get unconscious, honey," Madonna
sings in the title track to her 1994 release Bedtime Stories.
And when you think
of all that she’s accomplished in her 20-year
career, it could really make
you unconscious… honey!
I kinda look at Bedtime Stories as Madonna’s first fight back in the ring
after critics and fans clobbered her on her previous sexed-up work like The
Sex
Book, Erotica and
Body of Evidence. In the opening track "Survival," she
sings about, well, surviving. In "Human Nature" she states, "I
didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex." Now, I’m not gonna
give you my opinion of Madge’s trio of "in yo’ face!" sexcapades
just yet but it’s clear that the resulting backlash had an effect on her.
I love how she turned the negative press into a creative outlet on this record
and, although it was a quieter release for her, it ultimately marked a lot of
changes in her path as a musician and artist.
Madonna’s music has always had some type of message – usually something
along the line of "Get out there and dance!", "You can do it!" or "Express
yourself!" – but I think Bedtime Stories has
a softer, more gentle
approach. With singles like "Secret", "Take a Bow", "Bedtime
Story" and "Human Nature", you can tell she’s looking more
into the soul of relationships. I use the word "soul" also because
the record has a distinct R&B vibe, way before R&B and Hip Hop ruled
the charts as they do today.
I think her videos of this period also have a soulful style and grace. I love
the video for "Secret" where she struts down the streets of Harlem
with her platinum ‘do and a nose ring! And how about "Take a Bow",
where she goes all Spanish and is obsessed with that hot bull fighter? (Did you
know that this song is actually Madonna’s biggest #1 single ever? More
about that later… ) Also, the "Take a Bow" video actually helped
secure Madonna the role of Evita after she sent the director, Alan Parker, a
copy of it along with a 20-page letter… I just love her drive and determination.
It always inspires me.
And then there’s the totally triphopped-out video for "Bedtime Story," directed
by Mark Romanek. This big budget vid has twirling dervishes, rotating cubes of
ancient mysticism and a pregnant Madonna giving birth to a flock of doves. Let’s
also not forget "Human Nature" which, in my opinion, has one of the
best dance sequences in a video, next to "Love is a Battlefield". It’s
funny, sexy and simple, practically a post-modern revision to her early "Lucky
Star". Madonna and a group of dancers in black bondage gear are all trapped
in a grid of white boxes and must dance to escape. It’s a clear message:
Box up Madonna and she’s gonna sass her way out for sure!
The Bedtime Stories singles I’ve just described did some funny things on
the charts, though. Like I mentioned before, "Take a Bow" was Madonna’s
biggest #1 hit ever, spending about 6 weeks at the top. But "Bedtime Story" didn’t
even crack the Top 40. This single, in fact, ended Madonna’s Top 40 winning
streak. Written by Björk, its trance-induced electronic vibe is at clear
odds with the rest of the album. Despite it’s lack of commercial success,
this sparkling gem would take Madonna on a totally new path, into the musical
realm of electronica.
Now, in typical Chris fashion, I am going to look back and find the connection
between what was happening in Madonna’s career with what I was going through
at the same time in my life. Always searching for meaning am I... This quest
brings me back to Chicago in 1994 when I was working at Urban Outfitters. I had
recently graduated from architecture school and, at that time, the market was
all dried up. My job search led me to a poster tacked up on a storefront under
construction on Clark Street. Urban Outfitters was opening their first store
in Chicago and was hiring for all positions. I was stoked.
The company was young and creative, perfect for me make some money while I searched
for that perfect job in architecture. As we opened that first store, and then
a second one, I experienced the best and worst times of my life. While I worked
at Urban I went from being a sales associate to a team leader to the display
artist to area display supervisor and I think I had about 200 friends in the
company at any given time. My co-workers were the best! We were like our very
own party happening people society. It was a special time for all of us in Chicago
at Urban and we all just clicked.
We didn’t get paid very much then and had to work really hard so, as a
reward, we partied down with any cash we had! It was so much fun and everyone
had a special handpicked nickname that reflected their personality. I was Dirty
(Don’t ask…) Then there was Tiara, Rhoda, Red Hot, Crazy Matt, Sushi,
Super Blue, Glamour, Sandra Dee, Hank, Silver Backpack Girl, LaLa, Phone Girl,
Cat Boy, Cokey, Glitter, Snobby Josh, Kitty and Lulu just to name a few.
We were the poster children for Chicago’s post-Grunge glam rock 90’s
teen angst elite and we loved every minute of it. With me, Kitty and Lulu as
the core group, we ruled over everything glamorous and super cute while we sipped
Chocolate Martinis at the Pepper Lounge, nibbled on artichoke fritters at Iggy’s,
threw darts at the Sea of Happiness, gossiped at the Zebra Lounge, rocked out
at the Metro and boogied at Berlin! This Pax Urbana lasted about 3 years and
then things started to change.
I slowly found myself not really liking my job anymore… Hey, hadn’t
I wanted to be an architect? Where had all my dreams gone? They seemed so out
of reach at the time. Until I found my very own Bedtime Story, my sparkling gem
that would save me and take me on a new path. I had found Keith.
We had traveled in similar circles for a while but had never met until I saw
him in a little play in Chicago. His character was Casper Veggieburger with a
Dolly Parton obsession. I loved him instantly and did everything I could to meet
him. One night he showed up an Urban party with a co-worker of mine. We talked
for hours and ended up staying out all night together to watch the sunrise. It
rained. But, we’ve been together ever since. Like Madonna sings in "Secret," things
haven’t been the same since you came into my life…
