Every time I start preparing to do the commentary for the 15-20 songs that were eliminated recently: 5 minutes later: 10 minutes later:
By the time this rate is over, @Maki will have written enough commentary to fill an inordinately long book and his Lady Gaga unreleased rate will still not be done.
I had last night's elimination written up so all I had to do was just post it in the thread when I got in from the pub. However, because the server decided to shit the bed, I ended up losing it, and now I'm hungover and salty.
So I'm going to do last night's final elimination this evening (coming in about an hour), and tomorrow I'll do the elimination that should have happened today, along with Sunday's regular elimination.
I LOVE Holy Water. I was expecting the worst after the trash demo leaked but she gooped me completely - it's so weird and stupid in the best way. My only real issue with it is the relatively uninspired Vogue sample - it's used in almost the exact same way as in the S&S tour arrangement, for one thing. I maintain that Like A Virgin would've been a far better, more twisted choice if she was going to sample herself for the song.
142 SCORE: 6.939 2015 PLACEMENT: DOWN 40 - 102 of 210 (7.235) HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 18?! (@funkyg @P'NutButter @eatyourself @Sprockrooster @sfmartin @Angeleyes @GimmeWork @Up Down Suite @theelusivechanteuse @scottdisick94 @citoig @joeee @TrueBeliever @Lila @KingBruno @Verandi @Markus1981 @sexercise) LOWEST SCORE: 2 x 2 (@Phonetics Boy @Babylon) MY SCORE: 5.5/10 So this has come up a few times in the thread already but it's good that we get to discuss it properly now. When "Gang Bang" came out in 2012 it felt wild and even a little edgy. Madonna normally prefers to wrap her emotions up in flowerier ways, but there's no finesse to be found in the profanity marathon of "Gang Bang" where she vividly fantasises about shooting her lover dead and relishing the moment the light leaves his eyes. I agree with the general consensus that time kind of milked its venom somewhat; it just feels a little crass and lame in 2020, and once you get past the shock of how direct and vicious it is, the lyrics are pretty awful and artless, and it's too monotone to pass for a camp ode to Tarantino-esque violence. If memory serves, the demo that leaked seemed to point to the song having a more ironic tone (I can't find a link anywhere, bizarrely. Or was it a rework by William Orbit) that would have maybe helped it work better than the po-faced rendition we got given. Still, there are a few things that are intriguing about it. The most interesting part of the song is how it puts Madonna in the role of the aggressor. It's a role she's played nearly her entire career, but it feels pointed here, just like how the way she speaks about her target is full of emasculation while she gets to swing around with a gun, like robbing this person of their masculinity is the greatest wound to inflict of all. It's also a pretty prevalent theme across the album's divorce songs, where Madonna is repeatedly the one in charge (the one with the power, the one with the money, the one with the influence) and having her kindness taken advantage of. Like, we all know good and goddamn well that Guy Ritchie is the kind of chest-beating alpha male who won't be seen eating a pink cupcake but will happily get pegged by a pink strap on. You just know she's out here deliberating pressing buttons on her ex's fragile ego, so the song has salvageable elements for that alone. "Gang Bang" was given a performance befitting on its rather obvious subject matter when it was part of the gun-heavy opening act of the MDNA Tour. In it, Madonna murders numerous assailants who are trying to disturb her alone time on a motel bed with some bourbon. Justified, tbh.
The write up I had ready last night was better than that one. I'm pressed. 142. Gang Bang - 6.939 143. Holy Water - 6.915 144. Gambler - 6.912 145. Think Of Me - 6.906 146. Beat Goes On (Feat. Kanye West) - 6.894 147. Beautiful Killer - 6.884 148. Hold Tight - 6.873 149. The Look Of Love - 6.824 150. Future (Feat. Quavo) - 6.8 151. Batuka - 6.791 152. Voices - 6.785 153. Best Night - 6.755 154. Veni Vidi Vici (Feat. Nas) - 6.752 154. Broken (I'm Sorry) - 6.752 156. Shanti / Ashtangi - 6.73 157. Addicted - 6.712 158. Iconic (Feat. Chance The Rapper & Mike Tyson) - 6.702 158. Ciao Bella - 6.702 160. Spotlight - 6.694 161. I Love New York - 6.652 162. Messiah - 6.639 163. Love Song - 6.621 163. I'd Rather Be Your Lover - 6.621 165. Supernatural - 6.615 166. Candy Shop - 6.588 167. Wash All Over Me - 6.561 168. HeartBreakCity - 6.558 169. Bitch I'm Loca (Feat. Maluma) - 6.548 170. Your Honesty - 6.524 171. Beautiful Scars - 6.461 172. Something To Remember - 6.458 173. Love Don't Live Here Anymore - 6.448 174. Over And Over - 6.433 175. Another Suitcase In Another Hall - 6.409 176. Stay - 6.367 177. Don't Stop - 6.339 178. Girl Gone Wild - 6.324 179. I Know It - 6.267 180. Act Of Contrition - 6.245 181. Fighting Spirit - 6.227 182. I Don't Give A (Feat. Nicki Minaj) - 6.203 183. It's So Cool - 6.191 184. Illuminati - 6.167 185. Funana - 6.161 186. Dance 2Night - 6.152 187. Borrowed Time - 6.118 187. History - 6.118 189. Sooner Or Later - 6.109 189. One More Chance - 6.109 191. Back That Up To The Beat - 6.076 192. Let Down Your Guard - 6.036 193. Killers Who Are Partying - 6.015 194. I'm A Sinner - 6.012 195. I Fucked Up - 5.964 196 - Some Girls - 5.933 197. He's A Man - 5.924 198. Give Me All Your Luvin' (Feat. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.) - 5.921 199. Buenos Aires - 5.894 200. Super Pop - 5.848 201. Revolver (Feat. Lil Wayne) - 5.827 202. Can't Stop - 5.776 203. Ain't No Big Deal - 5.736 204. Turn Up The Radio - 5.727 205. Best Friend - 5.721 206. Graffiti Heart - 5.697 207. Hanky Panky - 5.691 208. Love Makes The World Go Round - 5.679 209. Back In Business - 5.67 210. Pretender - 5.661 211. Lament - 5.615 212. Cyber-Raga - 5.603 213. Incredible - 5.545 214. Jimmy Jimmy - 5.521 215. Now I'm Following You - 5.497 216. Ring My Bell - 5.424 217. S.E.X. - 5.373 218. Spanish Lesson - 4.997 219. Shoo-Bee-Doo - 4.948 220. More - 4.852 221. What Can You Lose - 4.436 222. Superstar - 4.391 223. Auto-Tune Baby - 4.121 224. Cry Baby - 3.367 225. I'm Going Bananas - 3.327 226. B-Day Song (Feat. M.I.A.) - 3.000 227. Hey You - 2.976
"Gang Bang" is easily among the most interesting songs from "MDNA", but also one of my least favourites from that album and out of the remaining songs, too. It would've worked as an interlude, but it's so monotonous that it just drags too much because of being over five freaking minutes long. I also find it a bit awkward, especially that last minute. Funny you say this, since I used that exact same word to describe the most recent elimination in the Lady Gaga unreleased rate, which coincidentally got my 11: Now this is how you do this type of sound - Stefani was doing this back in 2006/7! (and, yes, I will finish that rate, @muddleddreams)
I'm a little shook. I honestly believe Gang Bang is one of the best things she's ever done. It feels full on intentional pastiche, but handled incredibly well. I can understand it not being everyone's taste, it feels more like Act of Contrition rather than a full on song, but particularly on an album that took so few chances, it at least does something interesting. I... intentionally suppress the tour performance though.
