With criticism of society, feminist ideas, sensuality and even religion, Madonna has given something to talk about with her music videos since the 1980s.
Last week, rumors about a possible presentation gained strength Madonna in Brazil in 2024. Profiles of the singer’s fans on social media even disclose a possible date in May for what would be a hypothetical and free show at Rio de Janeiro.
Madonna would come to the country with an adapted version of her The Celebration Toura celebration of the 40-year career of the pop star, who debuted in 1983 with the album of the same name Madonna. Since then, the artist has reinvented herself in many ways and has become involved in many controversies. Still, she did not stop criticizing society’s behavior or even being a spokesperson for feminism.
Check out the 10 most controversial clips from Madonna’s career below – a playlist to liven up anyone coming to Brazil, even for those who aren’t fanatics.
Like a Virgin
“Like a virgin, played for the first time”… The song from the album also titled Like a Virgin (1984) It was already controversial in itself and didn’t even need a music video to draw even more attention.
Filmed in Venice, the video “Like a Virgin” show Madonna dancing in a gondola. She wears typical 1980s clothing, in contrast to a white wedding dress she wears in the scenes in a marble room. The combination of sex and religion also received a lion to personify a man who spies on the singer’s sensuality.
Papa Don’t Preach
Song ofTrue Blue (1986), “Papa Don’t Preach” portrays the agony of a teenager who discovers she is pregnant and needs to dismantle the image of “daddy’s little girl”. Scenes that show the relationship between father and daughter in the young woman’s childhood are cut by moments of the romance between her and a boy. In a completely empty scenario, Madonna dances in a black jumpsuit, a look that has become iconic.
The video also raised the debate about abortion. In the lyrics, the singer says she wants to keep the baby, while her friends remind her how young she is. Therefore, the character seeks advice from her father and hopes that she will build a family with her boyfriend.
Open Your Heart
Still on the beats of the 1980s and also within the album TrueBlue,“Open Your Heart” It may seem like a romantic song, but the clip shows a stripper dancing before the eyes of clubgoers. In addition to the attention of men who seem obsessed with the performance of Madonna, she also piques a boy’s curiosity. It is with the child that the artist leaves the place, which was not well received by all spectators, as Madonna he even kisses the boy. Another controversy was in relation to the work of strippers: part of the public considered the performance a way of romanticizing it.
Like a Prayer
On the 1989 album, the title song “Like a Prayer” was once again based on religious themes. With Madonna dancing in front of burning crosses and even making reference to the crucifixion of Jesus in a scene that shows his hands with stigmata, the clip was condemned by the Vatican. The pressure from the Catholic Church was so great that the singer had a contract with Pepsi broken after the release of the video. On the other hand, Madonna addressed racial issues by portraying a black man being unfairly accused of attacking a young white woman, who closely resembles the artist.
Justify My Love
Talking about sex again, the music video for “Justify My Love” – of The Immaculate Collection (1990) — shows Madonna walking down a hotel corridor with a suitcase. Apparently confused, but still doing a kind of sensual dance, she sees people simulating sexual positions through the cracks in the rooms. Suddenly, she meets a man, and they also go to a room. For those who thought that religion would not be involved this time, when the singer’s partner opens his shirt, the viewer is faced with several crucifixes hanging around the man’s neck.
Erotica
Like this “Justify My Love”, “Erotica” did not please MTV and was left out of the channel’s programming. The album, which was also named Erotica (1992)arrived accompanied by a book with photographs of Madonnamade by Steven Meisel It is Fabien Baron. The name couldn’t be any other: Fri. Sex dictates the tone of the clip, which begins with the singer being undressed by a man and involves more than warm kisses.
What It Feels Like For a Girl
Making a jump to the 2000s, Madonna She is already a mother and is married to the actor Guy Ritchie. After the controversies Body in Evidence1993 film, and In Bed with Madonnaa 1991 documentary, the singer won Grammys for the album Ray Of Light(1998) and even secured a Golden Globe for his role in Evita (1996).
Career changes also transformed music and, consequently, music videos. Madonna. In “What It Feels Like For a Girl”she takes a lady on a dangerous nighttime car adventure, while singing lyrics loaded with feminism.
American Life
What starts as a fashion show with camouflage prints turns into a real war in the eyes of the photographers and fashion aspirants present at the event. The audience enjoys the performance, reacting to the severed bodies on stage with laughter. In the first version of the video, Madonna throws a grenade that is caught in the air by a man who looks a lot like George W. Bush (who lights a cigarette with the bomb).
The final scene was left out of the “director’s cut”, published only 20 years after the release of the original video, in April 2023. Another version of the clip simplifies criticism of Madonna with flags from different countries in the background, changing from one to another as she sings to the camera. Watch all three versions:
Director’s cut
Original version
Alternative version
Girl Gone Wild
Already in his 50s, Madonna did not abandon eroticism, both musically and visually. In “Girl Gone Wild”of MDNA (2012), she dances in a minimalist setting, as well as half-naked men, clearly simulating BDSM practices. Jesus couldn’t stay out of this, of course. Before the singer whispers “Forgive me”, we see a muscular man wearing a crown of thorns.
MTV did not censor the music video, but when it was released, only people over 18 could watch it on YouTube.
God Control
“The story you are about to see is very disturbing. It shows graphic scenes of gun violence. But it is happening every day. And it has to stop.” This is how the music video for “God Control” — Madame X (2019) – start.
The church, in the narrative of this song, is the scene of wakes for people shot dead in a nightclub. Madonna types the lyrics of the song on a typewriter placed on a table under photos of important figures for feminism: Simone de Beauvoir, Frida Kahlo It is Angela Davis. The end of the music video shows protests against firearms.
Despite the singer’s critical intention in portraying cases such as the recent Orlando massacre — which took place at Pulse, an LGBT nightclub in the United States —, the artist’s idea was not well received by survivors of the tragedy, who expressed their opinions against the staged brutality.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
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