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14 October 2023
Tags: Madonna, Music
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The Madonna Timeline: Song #172 – ‘Don’t Stop’ ~ Fall 1994

{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.}

A quintessential fall album, coming out during one of the most indelible falls of my youth, ‘Bedtime Stories‘ was the soundtrack of a pivotal period in my life. This little soft-focus disco ditty was one of the few upbeat moments in a relatively moody atmospheric album, although ‘Don’t Stop’ felt like one of those unremarkable filler tracks designed to puff out a Madonna album so more solid material like ‘Secret‘ or ‘Survival‘ could shine. Hearing it now brings me back to that time period, to that tricky fall when I shared my very first kiss with a man. 

Get up on the dance floor, everything is groovin’Get up on the dance floor, got to see you movin’Let the music shake you, let the rhythm take youFeel it in your body, sing la dee da dee

While much of that fall involved experiences with other people, the majority of my time was spent alone – walking the streets of Boston, riding the commuter rail between Boston and Brandeis, writing papers and creating projects in my dorm room within Usen Castle. A sense of loneliness pervaded the chilly air, even as I refused to allow myself to feel lonely; the notion of giving in to that, of being lonely, was an abyss that terrified me more than I can or could explain. It scared me to the point that I backed away from it as soon as I felt it drawing near. Like death.
Don’t stop doin’ what you’re doin’ babyDon’t stop, keep movin’, keep groovin’Don’t stop doin’ what you’re doin’ babyDon’t stop, keep movin’, keep groovin’

Such darkness came with the descent of fall, with its early evenings and frosty mornings – the shock of it after the ease of summer, the way it took one’s breath away – the advent of autumn was still a surprise at that time in my life. The ‘Bedtime Stories’ album set an evocative tone with lush orchestral tracks like ‘Love Tried to Welcome Me’, ‘Forbidden Love‘ and ‘Take A Bow‘, while the hazy atmosphere of ‘Inside of Me’ and ‘Sanctuary’ spoke to the private cocoon I’d wrapped around myself, isolating my daily existence from classmates and people in general. The contradiction of not wanting to be lonely and not wanting to be around people was apparent – I just didn’t find a way to put it into words. In some ways, I was happier bopping about alone in my room to a song like this and imagining being around friends and lovers than actually putting such imagined scenes into action. 

Come on join the party, let the bass line pump youBring your body over, baby let me bump youI know I can groove you, you know I can move youFeel it in your body, sing la dee da dee
It was a haunted time, one that I’ve already written about so much it feels more like a book I once read than a life I once led. It’s not a time or place I’d like to dwell, and so we return to the modern day, and the present moment, and a song with the sentiment of ‘Don’t Stop’ carries more resonance on this day, as Madonna kicks off her new Celebration World Tour, proving that she is more concerned with walking her walk than talking her talk. 
Don’t stop doin’ what you’re doin’ babyDon’t stop, keep movin’, keep groovin’Don’t stop doin’ what you’re doin’ babyDon’t stop, keep movin’, keep groovin’
Song #172 – ‘Don’t Stop’ ~ Fall 1994

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