{Note: The Madonna Timeline is an ongoing feature, where I put the iPod on shuffle and write a little anecdote on whatever was going on in my life when that Madonna song was released and/or came to prominence in my mind.}
THERE ARE TOO MANY QUESTIONS
THERE IS NOT ONE SOLUTION
THERE IS NO RESURRECTION
THERE IS SO MUCH CONFUSION
AND THE LOVE PROFUSION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME KNOW
AND THE LOVE VIBRATION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE IT SHINE
By April 2003 we had been in our home for just over a year, and our first spring traditions were starting to take form. The opening of the pool, the preparing of the gardens, and the general spring cleaning that accompanied this time of the year made for an exciting moment – the release of a new Madonna album added to the energy, but not in the bombastic way most people associate with Madonna, especially in the mayhem surrounding the release of that album.
The final song from the ‘American Life’ album’ to be featured on the Madonna Timeline is ‘Love Profusion’ – fortuitously timed as this is the same time of the year when that infamous album was released. For all the incendiary talk and controversy the lead title track inspired, ‘Love Profusion’ was more indicative of the electronic pastoral that Madonna had conjured with ‘American Life’ – and the classic sonic vibe of her work with Mirwais.
THERE ARE TOO MANY OPTIONS
THERE IS NO CONSOLATION
I HAVE LOST MY ILLUSIONS
WHAT I WANT IS AN EXPLANATION
AND THE LOVE PROFUSION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME KNOW
AND THE LOVE DIRECTION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME SHINE
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME SHINE, YOU MAKE ME FEEL
‘Love Profusion’ captured that happily hazy period when spring was ripening into summer, but the evenings and mornings were still chilly. I put the quieter ballads together and played them on repeat to lull us to sleep at night. This was one of those songs – a sweet love song, the kind that always felt like a throwaway to Madonna in the vein of ‘True Blue’ or ‘Cherish’ – where she would perform them on one tour then retire them for decades. (Still waiting on that ‘Cherish’ resurrection…) ‘Love Profusion’ didn’t even get a tour performance, and I’m cool with that.
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
The lyrics feel lazy, but today I’ll take it for something lighter, and more innocent and hopeful. Back in 2003, we were ready for that, and in 2021 we are even more ready for it. That doesn’t mean it’s particularly special or groundbreaking, but even when Madonna is pleasantly unremarkable, she’s still a joy to hear.
THERE IS NO COMPREHENSION
THERE IS REAL ISOLATION
THERE IS SO MUCH DESTRUCTION
WHAT I WANT IS A CELEBRATION
AND I KNOW I CAN FEEL BAD
WHEN I GET IN A BAD MOOD
AND THE WORLD CAN LOOK SO SAD
ONLY YOU MAKE ME FEEL GOOD
The video for this is one of my least favorite Madonna videos. I almost wish she didn’t even bother, and the less said about it the better.
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
I GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
AND THE LOVE PROFUSION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME KNOW
AND THE LOVE INTENTION
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME SHINE
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME SHINE, YOU MAKE ME FEEL
Song #163 – ‘Love Profusion’ – Spring 2003
