It’s been a very long time since our last Madonna Timeline entry, and before getting to that there must be a bit of build-up, as this one not only marks the return of that vaunted feature, but also one of Madonna’s most iconic and beloved tunes. Most Madonna albums have a main powerhouse single that personifies the Madonna moment at hand. ‘Madonna’ had ‘Lucky Star.’ ‘Like A Virgin’ and ‘Like A Prayer’ had their title tracks, as did ‘Ray of Light’ and ‘Music’. ‘True Blue’ had ‘Papa Don’t Preach.’ ‘The Immaculate Collection’ had ‘Justify My Love’. ‘Erotica’ had ‘Erotica’ because it was slutty that way. ‘Bedtime Stories’ had ‘Take A Bow’ (and arguably ‘Secret’). ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’ had ‘Hung Up’ and ‘Hard Candy’ had ‘4 Minutes’. ‘MDNA’ had ‘Gimme All Your Luvin’ while ‘Rebel Heart’ had ‘Living For Love’ (whether we liked it or not).
Each of those songs was emblematic of their respective albums, and the fact that some of us recall the songs more than those accompanying albums is indicative of the long-held belief that Madonna was, especially for the first part of her career, predominantly a singles artist. Probably the best example of this is our next Timeline selection: ‘Vogue’. Leading the ‘I’m Breathless’/’Dick Tracy’ promotional blitz, ‘Vogue’ stood on its own and actually feels somewhat out of place on something subtitled ‘Music inspired and from the film ‘Dick Tracy’. No matter – it was such a thrilling song that everything around it paled in comparison; it belonged everywhere and nowhere at once.
There are a lot of memories that accompany a chestnut like ‘Vogue’ – going all the way back to 1990 (a time I remember better than anything that happened last year). As such, it’s going to be a hefty timeline entry, meandering and labyrinthine and dense, and it will likely be the only posting of the day because you will probably want to take a break halfway through it to reconvene present reality.
‘Vogue’ is, at its heart, an escape. A place where we can all get away, whether it’s in the literal salvation of the dance floor, or the abstract aloofness of the imagination. It offers a paradise free from the heartache, a land of enchantment and glamour, of gardens and flowers and jewels, of perpetual spring leading to a perpetual summer. The perfumed pages of a decadent novel. The sensual silk scarf of a lover. The obscenely scandalous protuberance of the inner-workings of a calla lily. It was like a scene out of ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ – in the bright beginning of that glorious tale, before it went so devilishly wrong, back when we still could believe in beauty conquering all.
“Life is a question of nerves, and fibres, and slowly built-up cells in which thought hides itself and passion has its dreams. You may fancy yourself safe, and think yourself strong. But a chance tone of colour in a room or a morning sky, a particular perfume that you had once loved and that brings subtle memories with it, a line from a forgotten poem that you had come across again, a cadence from a piece of music that you had ceased to play…†~ Oscar Wilde, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
In other words, “Just put the ‘Vogue’ costume on, put your jacket on, and that’s your costume… for the night.†~ Madonna, ‘Truth or Dare’
Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to Vogue…
A new Madonna Timeline arrives tomorrow.
