I was listening to an interview with Kevin Stea (dancer from the Blond Ambition tour). He said that when he worked with Madonna she was on the precipice of either becoming a legend or falling into obscurity.

For the people who were conscious music consumers during this time here are my questions:

• What were the factors in 1989/1990 that put Madonna on that “precipice”? What were the doubts about her longevity at that time?

• At the time of release, did Like a Prayer feel like a slight popularity decline compared to previous albums? I know that her star power was still high, and she was MTV’s darling (along with Michael Jackson) but her female pop competition (Paula/Janet) at the time were breaking records on the Hot 100 with back-to-back hits and were selling more albums (in the US, at least). Also, listening to LAP in full, I’m shocked at how eclectic and experimental it is coming from such a big star with massive commercial expectations. It feels like a fully realized album rather than a collection of hopeful hits, (which is great). But outside of MTV, how was the album received by younger fans (who usually want more accessible, simplistic, straightforward pop for pop’s sake). To put it in simpler terms, was Madonna perceived as “cool” during this time?

• Did the success of “Vogue” help get Madonna off the “precipice” (or at least tip the scale more towards “legend”?)

Rebel Heart is such an underrated gem in Madonna’s discography. It feels like the perfect blend of everything she’s done over the years—bold, introspective, experimental, and unapologetically her. The way it balances her rebellious side (like “Bitch I’m Madonna” and “Iconic”) with her vulnerable, reflective side (think “Joan of Arc” or the title track) is just genius. It’s like a love letter to her career while still pushing forward into new territory.

The production is so diverse too—Diplo, Avicii, and Kanye West brought such a fresh yet cohesive sound to the album. And lyrically, it’s some of her most personal work. Tracks like “Ghosttown” and “HeartBreakCity” hit so hard emotionally, while songs like “Living for Love” remind you why she’s the queen of turning heartbreak into empowerment.

I feel like Rebel Heart didn’t get the recognition it deserved because of the leak drama and the messy rollout, but the album itself is pure gold. It’s Madonna owning every part of her identity, from the provocateur to the introspective artist. Definitely one of her best works and a reminder of why she’s still the blueprint for pop music.

My bf is a madonna superfan. He owns most of her singles and albums on vinyl and cd. He owns a jacket that was used on the blonde ambition tour, amongst other things.

This christmas also marks our 1 year anniversary together - I asked him on the 28th. So I wanna get something really special that even a madonna fan wouldn't readily own.

Do you guys know of any such thing? A piece of memorabilia or something?

We all know that she „sacrificed” two world tours in favor of doing Evita and (it sounds really bad in writing) The Next Best Thing. To think we could get a proper Ray of Light and Bedtime Stories tour… Not to mention the original tour for Like A Prayer that fell off because of Pepsi scandal and Dick Tracy.

We don’t know much about any concept behind the supposed LAP tour, I think she didn’t even get to the planning phase with this one. But what about BS and ROL tours?

I read somewhere that she envisioned a little bit more intimate set for Bedtime Stories and there was a concept of mimicking Human Nature set on stage with all the boxes etc.

As for the ROL, the biggest scoop was published by Christopher in his book and there was this idea of a tree being a center stage „monument”. Do we know more? How do you think these concerts would look like, both visually and setlist-wise?

Would be interesting to hear some of the songs from both BS and ROL that probably would be performed if she toured with these albums, like Inside of Me, Forbidden Love or Skin and To Have And Not To Hold… A boy can dream!

Advices for which interview with M to watch? Or maybe a TV show? I watched a glimpse of Carpool Karaoke on YouTube. Recently I also watched the infamous interview on the Graham Norton Show and contrary to popular belief I thought it was very pleasant to watch...

DISCUSSION POST‼️

I am curious in seeing what you all think is her best album lyrically and why.

This should be a good one 😆😆

This is very underrated and should have had a music video.

Sucked into yet another RH phase... the power of Madonna y'all!

View Poll

Hello you all,

I'll be traveling to Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam next month and I'd wish to explore some second hand markets (or other options) to know if I can find some madonna stuff. Rare, uncommon, or common old stuff that I probably have not.

Any tips where to go? Of course, I know I may find it or not, anyways, gonna be fun the treasute hunt. :)

It’s PAWSA’s version of Dirty Cash.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2VyvDGdcVY04cNYou9MFVX?si=6UyYIYruTMq9W0G_nZ-4zw&context=spotify%3Asearch%3ADirty%2BCash%2B%28Money%2BTalks%29%2BPAWSA

Madonna returns in 2025

Based on real events. Although my personal favorite is Erotica 💓

Not sure if anyone else does this as we all love and listen to music in different ways, but I've had a "Big 4" owing to my personal music inspirations going all the way back to childhood. They are, in no particular order:

George Michael

The Beatles

Fleetwood Mac

Madonna

An honourable mention should probably go to Goldfrapp; but there's no way she'll ever break into my top tier.