If you’re on the hunty hunt for a banging and blessedly-brief Pride anthem, look no further than our reigning pop royalty pairing of Madonna and Sam Smith in their new collaboration ‘Vulgar’. This is arguably Madonna’s best release since some of the cuts on her 2015 ‘Rebel Heart’ album, and comes at a time when we need new Madonna music after the lackluster reception of 2019’s ‘Madame X’. It’s not even a full song, or what most of us would consider a full pop song (“Don’t need a chorus!”), but it is just enough – a tantalizing tease from two of the most brilliantly provocative and controversial artists who continually refuse to be cowered by the haters.
Speak, bitch, and say our fucking names…
Look like I’m dressed to kill, love how I make me feel
All black in stripper heels, mood like Madonna
Rich like I’m in the Louvre, got nothin’ left to prove
You know you’re beautiful when they call you vulgar
I do what I wanna, I go when I gotta
I’m sexy, I’m free and I feel…
VULGAR
When the world attacks and criticizes, when you begin to doubt and wonder at your worth or value, and when they call you names like Vulgar, it’s sometimes wise to quietly assess and consider what they’re really saying. It’s easy to retreat in order to regroup, to hide and hunker down out of sight and out of mind. It might also make sense to go away for a bit, slinking into the shadows when the heat gets to be too much. That’s certainly my initial instinct when faced with adversity or disagreement.
And then I remember who I really am, and all the things I’ve already been through to get here. The things I’ve done to myself will never be surpassed by what someone else might say about or do to me, and there is defiance and freedom and pride in that. This song embodies that fighting spirit, exemplified by two pop stars who have been through the public ringer.
“They didn’t always get the life they wanted, but they knew how to dream… And maybe that’s the true definition of an eccentric – someone who can’t be slain by what lesser people might say.” ~ Andrew O’Hagan
Let’s get into the groove, you know just what to do
Boy, get down on your knees ’cause I am Madonna
If you fuck with Sam tonight, you’re fucking with me
So watch what you say or I’ll split your banana
We do what we wanna, we say what we gotta
We’re sexy and free and we feel…
VULGAR
My tea is strong, and though I may recklessly spill it from time to time, it’s always authentic. Far too often we try to be the person we think the world wants us to be, without indulging in who we genuinely are. The older I get, the less time I have for that sort of pretend, and there is something very liberating about that. People will believe what they want to believe about you, so maintaining a strong sense of self is one of the universal challenges we all face. Sam Smith and Madonna know that better than most, and I’m taking inspiration from this banger.
Vulgar is beautiful, filthy, and gorgeous
Vulgar will make you dance, don’t need a chorus
Say we’re ridiculous, we’ll just go harder
Mad and meticulous, Sam and Madonna
Speak, bitch, and say our fucking names
Speak, bitch, and say our fucking names
Speak, bitch, and say our fucking names
It makes me want to slip on a bejeweled jockstrap and dance my ass off…
Do you know how to spell my name?
