Videos and a Few Words on Madge

Among some of my friends, the Madonna mania has started – a few of them who have never watched the Super Bowl tuned in this year to see Madge perform. Let’s give credit where it is due: a pop career spanning thirty-years (no other pop artist has ever stayed relevant for that long), the bragging rights of being the most spectacular live pop performer, currently the fourth most selling artist of all time, and the solo artist with the highest grossing tour ever, she has set the mark very high for any artist to replace her as the Queen of Pop. And when I heard her latest single, the bubble-gum “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” I immediately had to laugh … a good laugh though.

Let me say right off that the coverage of her Super Bowl performance was sexist; when she had a misstep, the first thing that it was accredited to was her age. But does anyone mention Keith Richard’s or Paul McCartney’s age if they make an error? Or Robert Smith’s when he screws up his own lyrics live? All artists make mistakes. The evidence that this veteran’s age is not an issue is the fact that the misstep did not deride her performance. She immediately recuperated from it and did not miss a beat in the rest of the choreography that followed. As the years goes on, her ability to concentrate during a performance (which have gotten longer and longer) has only gotten better. And if that is enough to her credit, remember at least we did not see her boobs.

As for “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” Madonna has usurped and incorporated just about everything into her music and live performances, so it is no surprise that Madonna has usurped the 80s revival. At the heart of it all, “Give Me All Your Luvin’” is a new wave song, and I find it interesting how fans of new wave and 80s revival roll their eyes when they hear this song … would they do that if it were another artist performing the song? This song is so 80s that she is even sporting a big, gaudy cross again and not to mention those wedding dresses in the video, a nice reference to “Like a Virgin,” and of course all the less than subtle references to the “Material Girl” video. (Why would she reference anyone else? She does have an ego the size of Montana … no, Canada.) I for one have to admit that this is her best single since “Hung Up” and a perfect example of what makes her distinct from other pop artists. First, she can incorporate just about any element in her music and make it seem natural, just a matter of fact. Second, she can just write a song that is (on the surface) not trying to be more than what it actually is – a pop song. Unlike other artists (nameless), not every single has to be some kind of commentary or something more bombast than what came before it. Not everything is about making a statement, sometimes it is just a friggin’ song. This one just happens to be all new wavish and gets two thumbs up. (Of course, I wonder what was going through her mind when she wrote, “Every record sounds the same…” (those nameless artists?).)

Enjoy the videos!

Madonna’s “Give Me All Your Luvin’” (featuring M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj) form the madonna YouTuve Channel.



SBTRKT’s “Hold On – Sisi Bakbak Rmx” from the youngturksrecords YouTube Channel.



Scissor Sisters vs. Krystal Pepsy’s “Shady Love” from the scissorsisterstv YouTube Channel.



The Japanese Popstars’ “Shell of Silver” from TheJapanesePopstVEVO YouTube Channel.



Austra’s “Spellwork” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.



Lightships’ “Sweetness In Her Spark” from the DominoRecords YouTube Channel.



Band of Skulls’ “Sweet Sour” from the vagrantrecords YouTube Channel.



Saint Etienne’s “Tonight” from the SaintEtienneVEVO YouTube Channel.

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Originals and Covers: Videos

I thought I would have a little fun…..

I was listening to “Gala” by Lush when “Hey Hey Helen” came on. What a great cover version to the song; it inspired me to start listening to some original versions against the covers, including “No More “I Love You’s” (The Lover Speaks / Annie Lennox), “Lullaby” (The Cure / Editors), “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana / Tori Amos), and “Strawberry Fields Forever” (The Beatles / Candy Flip – slang for dropping LSD). So I started to think about why cover a song, and what makes a good cover. Not to get into this too much, but as for why: to bring something new out of a song, or to save it from obscurity, or both. As for what makes a good cover? There is no one set rule. Sometimes a complete departure, sometimes keeping a one or two or three elements, and sometimes keeping faithful to the original, I am usually more curious about why a band chooses to cover one band or song and not another. Though I hate to compare the “value” of one against the other, it is sometimes obvious that the cover outdoes the original, but most of the time pales in comparison. Here are five interesting originals and their covers. (I stuck to songs that were singles only, so I could post them with videos.) Enjoy!

“Blue Monday”

Original by New Order, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Blue Monday (1988) by New Order

new order | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by Orgy, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Blue Monday

Orgy | MySpace Music Videos

“Borderline”

Original by Madonna, from her MySpace Videos Page.


Borderline

Madonna | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by The Flaming Lips, from their MySpace Videos Channel.


Borderline

The Flaming Lips | MySpace Video

“Enjoy the Silence”

Original by Depeche Mode, from their MySpace Videos Page.


Enjoy The Silence

Depeche Mode | MySpace Music Videos

Cover by Lacuna Coil, from the CenturyMedia YouTube Channel.



“Take a Chance on Me”

Original by Abba, from the AbbaVEVO YouTube Channel.



Cover by Erasure, from their MySpace Video Page.


Take A Chance On Me (Video)

Erasure | MySpace Music Videos

“Who’s That Girl?”

Original by Eurythmics, from the EurythmicsVEVO YouTube Channel.



Cover by She Is Danger, from their YouTube Channel: sheisdangermusic.

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