Madonna: "Express Yourself"

The Times had a terrific piece about Madonna's dance career this weekend. A friend of Madonna's--Stephen Sondheim--was especially fond of Madonna's sense of self-discipline. The NYT supports Sondheim's verdict.

For me, the Times helped to "reposition" one of the classic Madonna numbers, "Express Yourself." (It's striking to me that--for four music videos--Madonna's team selected a director who would go on to make "Panic Room," "Mindhunter," and "Zodiac." Can any other pop star claim anything like that?)

The film for "Express Yourself" was--in its day--among the most expensive music videos ever made. It is a "dystopian industrial pop epic influenced by Fritz Lang." On its surface, the song seems to borrow from Merry Clayton: "If you wanna know if he loves you so...it's in his kiss." But it's a bit less passive than Merry Clayton. "He" has to express himself--but "you" must express yourself as well. Madonna is demanding that *everyone* work harder to become articulate.

(It's striking to me that--today--Madonna is shouting for everyone to get off his/her iPhone. You can see a throughline all the way from the start to the late stages of her career.)

Here's David Fincher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8

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