Madonna

Sample Videos and Music:
Below is a collection of Madonna's best songs and videos...
Enjoy!
Included is a song analysis and video analysis for 2 of the videos!

4 Minutes (feat Justin Timberlake and Timbaland)

Song's First Impression: This song is signature Madonna. Catchy lyrics, a beat you can dance to, and an interesting set of instruments in the back. While this song may not be the most complicated song in the world, it's hard to deny that it is very catchy. Using lots of electronic sounds and background and creating a good play off of the instruments and lyrics, Madonna creates an easy dance tune.
Instrumentation: The tension at the beginning is interesting, but it may be repeated a FEW too many times...maybe if Timbaland had switched it up a little bit to keep us interested and wondering what's happening after 4 minutes I would have been far more interested in what Timbaland was saying. By using repetition on electronic instruments and overlapping one over another a little bit to make you anticipate what is going to happen. Great rhythm and beat in the song, though it is very repetitive and hardly changes at all. Unfortunately with hardly any change in the melody and beat, by the end of 4 minutes I'm ready for the song to be over.

Hook: The hook to me was the interesting (what sounds like to me) trumpets, though they more are electronic sounding. It definitely sticks in your head. Of course it makes me like the whole song because when combined with the heard hitting beat it makes you want to dance. A little bit more diverse melodies would have been nice to keep you completely and wholeheartedly interested in the song even after 4 minutes though.

Wash: I think this song actually has a good establishment of tone and feeling from the beginning because the instruments chosen sound very foreboding. There's a bit of drama and anticipation that stems from that for sure, making the listener interested in what's going to happen. Unfortunately I'm not sure that there's enough that happens in the song to leave the listener feeling truly fulfilled with the song by the end. However, the instruments (and especially random choir vocals) do create a good wash that leaves you excited about what is going to happen!
Part that Rise Up or Accent: There is a part within the song where it sounds a like a choir with a trumpet in the background driving it. It replaces the original techno trumpet sound mentioned earlier. This melody rises up during the song's chorus to create some tension during the song and makes it a little more fresh. It also makes you wonder what is going to come next.

Good Lyrics: Unfortunately while the song title and chorus promises a good concept of lyrics, the overall impression of the lyrics is that they could be better. They are a little flat and lacking meaning. However the rhythmic way that the lyrics are spoken/sung during the song help to emphasize the driving beat and melody. In this song it's easily apparent that the lyrics take backseat to the instruments. I must say though...the tick tock part is very catchy and fun to sing along to...

Excerpt of lyrics: "If you want it, you already got it
If you thought it, it better be what you want
If you feel it, it must be real just
Say the word and imma give you what you want

Madonna: Time is waiting
Justin: We only got 4 minutes to save the world

Madonna: No hesitating
Madonna: Grab a boy
Justin: Grab a girl
Madonna: Time is waiting
Justin: We only got 4 minutes to save the world
Madonna: No hesitating
Justin: We only got 4 minutes, 4 minutes

Keep it up, keep it up, don’t be a pri, hey
Madonna, uh
You gotta get in line, hop
Tick tock tick tock tick tock
That’s right, keep it up, keep it up, don’t be a pri, hey
Madonna, uh
You gotta get in line, hop
Tick tock tick tock tick tock''

Simplicity: the song's melody and lyrics are incredibly simple...part of what makes it get stuck in your head for the whole day! I know that I'll be singing "All I got is fo' minutes *fricka fricka* fo' minutes" for the rest of the day...From a standpoint on simplicity, it might have been a little too simple and repetitive. If their intention was to produce a dance single that would become extremely popular then they did a good job, because(even if you've never heard it before) after about a minute of the song you basically know the whole next 3 minutes.

Final Judgement: I'd give it an 8.2 out of 10. The lyrics just aren't good enough for me...but they sure are catchy. Same with the song instruments (I find myself singing their part also sometimes...). I am a little disappointed that Madonna has only become the epitame of pop music today though...she used to be edgy (though I'm not sure how I'd respond if Madonna was still edgy at her age).

Papa Don't Preach


Lucky Star


Material Girl

I really like this song and video, but it makes me a little mad inside that she copies Marilyn all the way through it, so I'm not going to analyze it, because it isn't really original at all!

Oh Father
Click Here to see Oh Father

First Impression: The entire song is haunting and the video has a great concept that matches the lyrics. The shots and way that shadows are used to reveal things is very moving. I found this video extremely powerful...probably the best Madonna video I've seen.

Concept/Performance: The video was definitely focused on a story. Madonna looks great in it and sincere while she's singing the lyrics. I can sense that Madonna was really feeling the emotion of the story as she sang the lyrics. The story is very very good. My interpretation of it was that little Madonna (who loves to dance) lost her mother when she was a child. Her father changed and became short-tempered and stressed after his wife's death. A detail that I found especially moving in the story is the shadows. They show the characters real emotion even if they aren't showing it at the time...really great. Also, the way that Madonna reveals she WAS the young child is done well through the flipping of the past and the present. The scene where the little girl runs to the giant door and can't get out is so powerful and shows you that when she was young she had no escape (other than dance).I'm not sure what it meant when it showed the mother's lips stitched together because I didn't get a sense that the father was abusive to the mother from the story. Perhaps it was a sign that her mother couldn't speak out for her, or the fact that silence forever means death. It seemed to be personal to Madonna, I'm not sure if her father ever became violent with her after her mother had passed also. It was good to see Madonna show a deeper side and another emotion besides love and lust. The end of the video was actually uplifting...which is more than I can say I predicted. It is obvious that Madonna finds her father (now old and sorry for his previous actions) again standing over her mother's grave, and she forgives him for everything that he had done. I also found the acting very very well done, especially by the little girl showing emotions like pain and fear.

Lighting: While this video was shot in black and white, the lighting is impeccable. The harshness between the shadows and the light parts are done well, showing innocence and darkness together. Madonna looks great in the video and really stands out. The lighting definitely highlights everything great about this video, especially the sets and the actors.

Camera Shots: Every camera shot in this place is very artistic and well done. The scene where the pearls are falling from the broken necklace is beautifully done, and I like how the loose pearls keep coming back into the video also. The funeral procession scene with the shadows is very well shot also. Many of the shots in this video are stunning and breathtaking...I find it even more so because it is in black and white. I especially like the continuous shot at about 1:58. The way it moves from her father to Madonna singing on the bed is really great and interesting. I also really like the different angles and movements of the shots to keep it interesting.
As for the repetition of shots, I dont' think that they repeat any shots EXACTLY but they have similar shots used at different times. For example, the shots with the pearls bouncing and rolling away are used throughout the video, the shots of the little girl dancing are very similar and used in different parts of the video, and the shots with the shadows are a recurring theme. This video seems to be more timeless than most of her other videos that are shot unclear and in strange lighting. The shots make every actor and actress look great, Madonna and the little girl especially. A few shots are a little unfocused, but I'm not sure if that is just because it is an internet version or not...

Editing: The way the shots are edited together make for a flowing video, but not a boring one. There is a constant change of camera angles, but it isn't overwhelming. There aren't just "random" clips of things, each clip or shot we see has a meaning and purpose behind it. Each shot helps to create depth and purpose to the story.

The Band: Madonna decided to take a backseat on this video and didn't necessarily star in EVERY second of the video, nor did she dance or seduce anyone (a good change). Madonna did sing in parts and play the older version of the young girl, which she did well...though I don't think her acting skills were up to par with the little girl's to be honest. I think Madonna was highlighted beautifully in a moving and emotional video such as this...I like that she had a story and it wasn't JUST her acting it.

Design: The set is fantastic, as are the clothes and styling of the actors. This part was also well done!

Final Judgement: I gove this video a 9.5/10. I found it beautiful, and everytime I watch it I notice something new about it. This video (compared to many others of today and the past) is VERY well done, as are the lyrics and song. Just a great job overall!