Still thinking about the Ghosttown loss. I think it's a great song, probably her best single in the past decade aside from Crave and Medellin. But it's also very personal to me. Remembering that moment at the Rebel Heart tour in Toronto when she came to my side of the heart stage. I reached out to grab her hand and she reached out... and grabbed the hand of the guy beside me. So Miranda Priestley. So Madonna. But being ignored by Madonna is almost better than being acknowledged by her (or, maybe being ignored is her acknowledging you). And the joy of You Tube is that it lives on forever. You can't really see it but it starts around 1:23-ish. Even better is around 1:50 I can see my titled head singing and bopping along with Madonna to Ghosttown. Just seeing myself in the same frame as Madonna is still not something I haven't truly grasped. I don't need to tell any of you how amazing and euphoric a Madonna show is (and if you haven't seen her live, I hope one day you do get the chance). It's almost difficult to explain how incredible it is to see her live. You feel... elevated. I had been a fan for just over 30 years at that point (2015) but seeing her that close was incredibly emotional for me. I remember when I got to my seat I literally refused to move because I knew I would be pushed out (and believe me, people tried. It is Madonna, after all). It literally took me a lifetime to get to that moment. I was going through a lot in my personal life at the time (harassment and bullying), but seeing Madonna was one of those moments that reminded me the joys of life. At the time I felt incredibly alone and uncertain, but that night, I felt alive.
I enjoy Madame X (and it’s deserving of its high placements) but that said, it’s a testament to the strength of her discography that recency bias didn’t catapult a few extra songs into the Top 50.
51 SCORE: 8.424 2015 PLACEMENT: DOWN 6 - 45 of 210 (8.176) HIGHEST SCORE: 10 x 29 (@AshtrayHeart @Andreas @Vasilios @HEARTCORE @discoteca @Dangerous Maknae @sfmartin @DJHazey @matthew. @Mjg0806 @Up Down Suite @CasperFan @1991 @dancingwithmyself @Fuchsia @Hurricane Drunk @Drew @Sideout @joeee @TrueBeliever @Bleu Noir @phoenix123 @Pop Life @Filippa @TheChoirgirlHotel @Remorque @Ramalama @sexercise @Music Is Life) LOWEST SCORE: 3 x 1 (@paperboyfriendd) MY SCORE: 8/10 So, out of 165 votes, only 12 of them were below a 7/10 for "Cherish". That's the calibre of pop music we're dealing with here, folks. And it's hardly surprising, I think. Probably one of Madonna's sweetest, most addictive melodies ever. And for such a little cute slice of sugary pop, it's such an outlier on its parent album and her back catalogue. Madonna doesn't typically do bubblegum-pop, and her more recent turns into it haven't been the best, but this is easily one of her best singles. Maybe not the most spectacular, headlining single, but a necessary, beautiful little thing regardless. There doesn't seem to be much history behind this one, I'm afraid! It was one of the first tracks to be fully completed for the album, and Madonna said she wrote it during a super duper positive mood burst that she knew wouldn't last (relatable queen), along with the fact that she had been reading the laugh-out-loud riot that is Romeo & Juliet at the time and it inspired her. She would go on to label the song "retarded" in 2009, which I think she caught heat for even back then. This was also the same interview she came for "Sorry" and "Into The Groove", so I guess she felt bad because she was in a bad mood or whatever. That said, I can maybe see why she doesn't have too much of a connection to it now because... well, nothing else in her back catalogue really sounds like it. It kinda comes back to what I said about "Forbidden Love" a few days ago: sometimes, a pop song is just a very, very, very good pop song, and I think "Cherish" fits that bill perfectly. Just a fantastically constructed, shockingly sincere, sherbet-dipped bop. And also probably the Madonna song you're most likely to hear in a supermarket. We have to shout out the video, which was actually not only Herb Ritts' first Madonna video, but his first music video ever after exclusively being a photographer before that. It's... well, it's not an iconic video, but sometimes you need a lil bit of filler so you can recharge for your next assault on the conventions on the medium. There are hot mermen at least, and Madonna looks stunning in the sea foam on Paradise Cove Beach, but then considering who was in charge behind the camera that shouldn't be any surprise. Its singular appearance live was during the Blond Ambition Tour, where... Madonna simulates fucking some mermen in the ass. And on that sentence, we go into your Top 50.
TOP 50 Borderline Burning Up Holiday Dress You Up Papa Don't Preach Open Your Heart Live To Tell La Isla Bonita Like A Prayer Express Yourself Till Death Do Us Part Oh Father Vogue Erotica Deeper And Deeper Bad Girl Rain Secret Human Nature Bedtime Story Take A Bow Drowned World/Substitute For Love Ray Of Light Skin Nothing Really Matters Sky Fits Heaven Frozen The Power Of Goodbye Music Impressive Instant Don't Tell Me What It Feels Like For A Girl American Life Hollywood Nothing Fails Intervention X-Static Process Die Another Day Easy Ride Hung Up Get Together Sorry Future Lovers Jump God Control Into The Groove Crazy For You Justify My Love Rescue Me Beautiful Stranger
I said this back in April which was basically five years ago at this point, but I've come around in a really big way to Cherish in the last few years. It hits at the perfect level of sweetness - which is hard for most acts to truly pull off, let alone Madonna, who so rarely goes there. (And yes, I've heard it a ton in my local supermarket.) This feels like about the right time for it to go out. I also think the video is one of her more iconic ones, actually? At least the beach scenes are, I feel like I've seen them a lot in my 17 years of stanning
Bye Cherish, don’t let that door hit you on the way out. It makes me proud that songs like Bedtime Story, Future Lovers, God Control, Skin, Impressive Instant, American Life & Hollywood made it this far. A top 50 placement is great and well deserved. Well done everyone and it (almost) makes up for some messy eliminations of a handful of gems which left way too early.
For those who don't know, Herb Ritts is pretty much responsible for every single incredible Madonna photo from the mid 80s to the early 90s. He took my favourite picture of Madonna ever during the Like A Prayer photoshoot, and was a lifelong friend to her before dying from pneumonia complications in late 2002. Herb Ritts was also HIV+, and was incredibly active in charity work and fundraising for the illness, with the Herb Ritts Foundation carrying on his legacy to this day. I've included a video of Madonna's eulogy at a memorial in 2003 below, which always has me tearing up by the end. Madonna is an incredible public speaker, but the emotion here... phew!
Let me rephrase a a bit! It’s more that... it’s not really trying to be anything? It tells a cute story about a merpeople family and Madonna frolicks a bit. In the same era that saw her burn crosses, recreate Metropolis, and create sepia-toned trauma allegories, something a little simpler stands out. But then, I don’t think Madonna’s ever felt the need to make a video an event. It just happens for her. Probably why she’s so good at them.
It’s a damn near bulletproof Top 50, and the remaining album tracks are definitely all among her best, so good job everyone.
Thy shoot is iconic but this is my favourite of the lot: If such a thing were definable, I think it’s one of her definitive images. Also, great run for Cherish, which is probably her best attempt at purely joyous, guileless pop without any other agenda than to just be cute.
My top 30 Ray Of Light Frozen Vogue Hung Up Open Your Heart Drowned World/Substitute For Love Impressive Instant Don't Tell Me Future Lovers Sorry Erotica Like A Prayer Express Yourself Holiday Beautiful Stranger God Control Deeper And Deeper Hollywood Nothing Fails Die Another Day Get Together The Power Of Goodbye Bedtime Story Justify My Love Papa Don't Preach Music Nothing Really Matters La Isla Bonita Borderline Into The Groove
Mostly high scores left for me, though there's a couple of 5 - 6 scores in the first few albums & extras.
