{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.}
Hola! Ese bato loco!
I’m going bananas,
And I feel like my poor little mind is being devoured by piranhas,
For I’m going bananas.
A story once circulated that en route to one of her Girlie Show gigs around the world, Madonna watched ‘Sunset Boulevard‘ for perhaps the first time. It sounds a little suspect. That this would be her introduction to such a classic film so late in the game feels unlikely. But such is the story, and who knows if it happened. The point is that it may have informed her “crazy” section in that otherwise glorious tour production. There’s a very distinct stretch that begins with ‘I’m Going Bananas’ in which she wears a bandana on her head like a skull-cap and then performs ‘La Isla Bonita‘ and ‘Holiday’ while acting downright maniacal, at times refusing to vacate the stage in an elaborate James Brown routine. It was almost cute, and nice to see her poking fun at herself and her little career slump following ‘Erotica‘ and ‘Sex‘. Of course it was far from the end, but the wink was a reassuring reminder that she hadn’t lost her sense of humor, nor her way.
That’s how I view ‘I’m Going Bananas’. Not really worth psycho-analyzing such a trifle of a Dick Tracy throwaway track. Better to be reminded of some other cuts from that theatrical soundtrack:
There’s bats in my belfry.
Won’t you make sure this straightjacket’s tight,
Otherwise I might get myself free.
Yes, there’s bats in my belfry.
Who knows?
Could be the wine I drink
Or it’s the way I think,
That makes me gonzo.
Oh, Doctor Alonzo says I’m going bananas,
Someone get me a bed in the “Casa de Loco” for all my mananas,
For I’m going bananas.
Yes, I’m going bananas.
Si, I’m going bananas.
SONG #146: ‘I’m Going Bananas’
