Aug 16, 2018
#Madonna60 Reflections
by Sheldon Rocha Leal
The Queen of Pop, The Queen of Reinvention, Material Girl, Rebel Heart, she goes by many different names, but Madonna has managed to outlast, outlive and outplay many of her contemporaries and critics. Today she is considered an icon in the music industry and the epitome and personification of what one needs to do in order to ensure a long lasting and successful career in music.
When I was first exposed to Madonna, as a kid growing up in the 1980s, I didn’t really get it. All I knew is that everyone was following her lead when it came to the music and fashion. All the girls were wearing rubber bracelets and Madonna fashion. As someone who always roots for the underdog, this mainstream success did not interest me, and neither did Madonna.
The first vinyl I ever got was “True Blue” in 1986, I was 10 years old. I loved all the songs on the album. I listened to it over and over again. But I soon forgot about Madonna and the music and moved on to other artists like Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. In 1989, when Madonna released “Like A Prayer” my interests in the diva we sparked “for the very first time”. The fact that she was so universally admonished by the public, really spiked my interest. She was now the underdog, which made her cool in my books. But my romance with the diva had not really started.
When I started high school in 1990, for some reason all the kids at school seemed to believe that I was a big Madonna fan, which was weird because I had no real interest in or affinity for the singer. I guess they must of connected something in my personality or in the way I portrayed myself that connected me to the diva. I didn’t see it at that time.
1990 was the year Madonna released “The Immaculate Collection” and specifically the song “Vogue”. This song was the one that finally converted me. I had heard the song around town and loved it. I loved the vintage, almost Motown sound of the song (I’m a Motown freak). Although I loved the song, I didn’t really know who the artist was that performed it. I had tried to listen out to who the performer was on radio, but every time the song finished playing, the DJs failed to acknowledge the artist. The frustration was killing me. I remember flying to Portugal, that June for my summer school holiday and identifying the song on an onboard radio station. I quickly went through the menu of songs provided in an inflight magazine and identified the singer of the song…Madonna. I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it was Madonna, it didn’t make any sense to me. I was 100% sure that the singer was an African American. I was totally confused. In Portugal the song was being played everywhere and I was in my element. I was crazy about that song.
When the “Immaculate Collection” was released later that year, I asked my mom to buy me the vinyl for Christmas. The controversy surrounding the release of “Justify My Love”, just made me love her even more. An anarchist after my own heart. When I started listening to the album, I was shocked as to how many songs I recognized and loved. The first song on the album “Holiday”. I was in love.
The album has gone on to become Madonna’s biggest selling album to date, 30million units shipped worldwide. I quickly set about buying all the backlog of albums I was missing. I remember that I found a little record store in Hillbrow (in the city), I would pre-order the albums, my mom would drive me to the store, she would park outside and I would run inside to collect my merchandise.
As with anything with which I become obsessed, I start doing some hectic research on the topic. Madonna was no different. I started reading everything I could find about the singer, magazines, books, documentaries, anything and everything. What I found is that we had more in common than I had initially thought. We are both of European descent, we are both Catholic, we were both not that popular at school, we are both Leos, we are both stubborn and hard working. I found much synergy with the diva, and it came at a great time. Although I had been quite popular in preparatory school, high school was a whole other ball game. I was heavily bullied and teased and I didn’t know what to do. With Madonna was an role model, I realised that freaks can also be successful and that if I persevered and stuck to my guns that there was no-one who could stand in the way of my personal success and goals. I therefore stuck my nose to the grindstone and pushed forward through all the criticism, bullying and adversity and just did me. Thank God, I had such a hard nosed, say it like it is role model. That being said, I think I would have persevered none the less, but it helped to have a strong guide.
As a fan, geez did I get flack when Madonna released “Erotica” in 1992. The launch of the album coincided with the release of a coffee table book entitled “SEX” and a movie entitled “Body Of Evidence”. I still think the “Erotica” album is one of her most underrated albums ever. People condemned me for being a fan and questioned my morality etc etc. What did I have to do with the creative direction Madonna was taking?! It was totally ridiculous. But the controversy made me more of a fan: music video banned (10 points), “SEX” book heavily criticized (10 points), magazine covers promoting the album, book and movie slated (10 points). Go Rebel Go…!!! As I said, I always root for the underdog. All the criticism, just made me a greater fan and more curious to find out what made the legend tick.
I had always been a singer, but having Madonna as a virtual mentor, motivated me to pursue a career in music. It’s not like I had role models at school, as music was not an offering. I remember lying in bed thinking about ways that I could get my demo recording to Madonna, knowing that she would love my music and that she would sign me on the spot. How silly, but it did keep me going and made me forget about what was happening at school. Her strength made me believe that I could overcome any obstacle.
After the debacle that was “Erotica”, the critics and some of the fans wrote Madonna off and said that she would never make it back from the scandal. For a period of time, it seemed as though it may be true. “Bedtime Stories”, the follow up album, didn’t do as well as previous offerings (another underrated album). She then tried to sanitize her image with a collection of her biggest ballads, “Something To Remember”, which had a respectable reception. This was followed by the release of “Evita”. None of these albums, however, attained the success of some of her previous releases: “Madonna”, “Like A Virgin”, “True Blue” or “Like A Prayer”.
But in 1998, she released “Ray Of Light” and was back in a big way. I was at university at this time. I had decided to pursue studies in law and psychology as I did not know how to make a career or studies in music a reality. Funnily in 1998, I had an epiphany, and all was revealed and a career path in music was opened to me. I took the road and have never looked back. I often pinch myself, when considering that I have had a career in music, as a singer, songwriter, mentor and educator for the 15 years.
I remember sitting in my car in 2000, in Sandton City, while I was on a lunch break, from music school, waiting for the first airing of Madonna’s new song, “Music”. The song was a revolution. I was totally blown away. The love affair continued and continues to this day. Since then she has released 5 additional albums, some massively successful and some not so successful, but at the end of the day, she releases music that she wants to release and no one dictates to her what she should or can do. People have written her off more than once and she keeps on coming back with more and attaining greater heights, whether as a philanthropist in Malawi or as an owner of a line of health clubs or as a touring artist or as an owner of a skin care ranger, she keeps on keeping on and finding the new challenge.
In my own life and through my own experiences, I have come to learn that in order to change a person’s life, it is not necessary to know someone personally or to even have direct exposure to that person. Even though I do not know Madonna personally or even her true nature, personality and temperament, all I know is what I have seen, read or heard, I have learnt a few life lessons, from one of the most powerful women in music history. Some of these lessons include:
- If you persevere your goals will eventually materialize
- Anyone can do anything they want
- Attention to detail is paramount
- You need to continuously explore new boundaries in order to remain relevant and a valuable contributor to society
- Research is very important, because what came before affects what is still to happen
- Perception and sentiment is very important
- Don’t be scared to break a few rules along the way…why…because they need to be broken…someone needs to do it
- Stay true to yourself, no matter what that is
- Express yourself and if people don’t like it…mmmm
- Don’t let anyone stand in the way of your greatness
So thanks for the lessons Madonna and here’s to many more years and hopefully somewhere down the line we will be acquainted (wink)…
