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Madonna: “Vogue"

 The first time I saw my son dance, the music video was "Vogue," by Madonna.


To me, "Vogue" seems like a response to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." In his 1984 song, Prince acknowledges the grimness of existence: "In this life, things are much harder than in the afterworld...." You may not like "the world you're living in...."

Madonna is similarly blunt: "Look around. Everywhere you turn is heartache. It's everywhere that you go. You try everything you can to escape the pain of life that you know...."

Prince has an answer to sadness: just go crazy, just get nuts. "Better live now before the Grim Reaper comes knocking at your door..." And, similarly, here's Madonna: "Let your body move to the music. Let your body go with the flow...."

"Vogue" was an afterthought; Madonna needed something to pad out her album "I'm Breathless," which had an Oscar-winning Sondheim song ("Sooner or Later"). For the black-and-white video, Madonna worked with David Fincher, who would go on to become one of Hollywood's greatest directors (via "Zodiac" and "Panic Room," and others that I love a bit less). Madonna's eyes have a glassiness that doesn't work in movies, but the glassiness works in "Vogue." In the video, she is mesmerizing.

Josh agrees; he does some little hand motions when he is watching.

The boy has good taste.

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