Tag Archives: Controversy

Today in Madonna History: March 22, 2001

March 22, 2021 By in 2001, March Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

WIFLFAG-Video-1 WIFLFAG-Video-2 WIFLFAG-Video-3 WIFLFAG-Video-3b WIFLFAG-Video-4 WIFLFAG-Video-5 WIFLFAG-Video-8 WIFLFAG-Video-8a WIFLFAG-Video-8b WIFLFAG-Video-8c WIFLFAG-Video-8d WIFLFAG-Video-9

On March 22 2001, Madonna’s What It Feels Like For A Girl music video premiered.

The video was directed by Madonna’s then-husband, Guy Ritchie, and was deemed to be “Too Hot for TV” by MTV and VH1 because the video depicted gunplay, assault and suicide.

MTV released this statement about the video and their decision to ban it:

It’s been some time since Madonna ruffled the feathers of MTV or VH1 execs with a controversial video — perhaps not since 1992’s Erotica clip — so just under a decade later, the first lady of shock pop is out to prove she can still make ’em sweat.

Unlike the steamy segments of Erotica, 1990’s Justify My Love, and the one that started it all, Like a Prayer, it’s not the sexual content of What It Feels Like for a Girl that raises the red flag, it’s the violence — a concerted no-no in the post-Columbine, and more recently post-Santana, decision-making process.

The music in the video, it should be noted, is a dance remix of the version found on Madonna’s latest album, Music. The album cut will serve as the LP’s third single.

 Directed by her husband, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), the clip depicts gunplay, violent assault and suicide — elements MTV and VH1 prohibit in any videos they air. In it, the pop diva portrays a self-described “nihilistic pissed-off chick” who cruises around town inflicting damage on any man that crosses her path.
After picking up Grandma at the “Ol Kuntz Guest Home,” Madonna crashes into a car full of men who wink at her, threatens male police officers with a squirt gun before sideswiping their vehicle, and mugs a man at an ATM with a stun gun before wrapping her stolen car around a lamppost in what appears to be an intentional act.

The video “shows my character acting out a fantasy and doing things girls are not allowed to do,” Madonna said in a written statement distributed by her record label, Warner Bros. “This is an angry song and I wanted a matching visual with an edgy dance mix.”
Although What It Feels Like for a Girl won’t be added to the music channel’s regular rotation, MTV and VH1 will air the clip just once.

Today in Madonna History: March 2, 1989

March 2, 2021 By in 1989, March Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Pepsi Outtake 2 550

On March 2 1989, Madonna’s “Make A Wish” commercial for Pepsi premiered during an episode NBC-TV’s The Cosby Show.

A teaser ad had begun airing in the week leading up to the prime-time reveal of the full two-minute spot, which promised viewers the first opportunity to hear Madonna’s new single, Like A Prayer. Unbeknownst to fans at the time, the teaser featured a brief preview of the 12″ Club Version of the song (excluding any Madonna vocals).

An estimated 250 million viewers in over 40 countries tuned in to watch the only airing of “Make A Wish” – which marked the first time that a mainstream artist had launched a lead single in a promotional campaign before its official release to radio or MTV.

A brief but foretelling comment made by Madonna prior to the airing of the commercial was published in Rolling Stone magazine:

“I like the challenge of merging art and commerce. As far as I’m concerned, making a video is also a commercial. But the treatment for the video is a lot more controversial. It’s probably going to touch a lot of nerves in a lot of people. And the treatment for the commercial is…I mean, it’s a commercial. It’s very, very sweet. It’s very sentimental. The Pepsi spot is a great and different way to expose the record. Record companies just don’t have the money to finance that kind of publicity.”

The remark appeared to go conveniently unnoticed by the executives at Pepsi, who later claimed to have had no previous knowledge about the content of the Like A Prayer music video, despite the fact that it was already completed when the commercial was shot.

Banking on the buzz generated by the “Make A Wish” commercial, Sire Records issued the Like A Prayer single and its accompanying music video to radio and MTV the day after the commercial aired.

As for the ensuing controversy–that’s just another day in Madonna history.

Today in Madonna History: January 13, 2012

January 13, 2021 By in 2012, January Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

madonna-lady-gaga-reductive-1 madonna-lady-gaga-reductive-2 madonna-lady-gaga-reductive-3 madonna-lady-gaga-reductive-4 madonna-lady-gaga-reductive-5

On January 12 2012, Cynthia McFadden asked Madonna, during a Good Morning America interview, for her opinion of the Lady Gaga song, Born This Way.

McFadden started by asking if Madonna felt that Lady Gaga was “copying” her. Madonna’s first reply was complimentary.  She called Gaga “a very talented artist” and said she admired her songwriting abilities.

Madonna went on to say, “I certainly think she references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it’s amusing and flattering and well done.”

Madonna said that Gaga’s work also appeared to be a “statement about taking something that was in the Zeitgeist, you know, 20 years ago and turning it inside out and reinterpreting it.”

Madonna continued, “There’s a lot of ways to look at it. I can’t really be annoyed by it …because, obviously, I’ve influenced her.”

But Madonna became coy when the conversation turned to Born This Way.

“When I heard it on the radio …I said ….that sounds very familiar.  It felt reductive.”

Pressed as to whether that was a good or bad thing, Madonna told Cynthia to “look it up”  – before smiling slyly and taking a sip from her tea cup.

Today in Madonna History: December 3, 1990

December 3, 2020 By in 1990, December Tags: , , , 3 Comments

On December 3 1990, ABC’s Nightline played the banned music video for Justify My Love video in its entirety followed by a live interview with Madonna by Forrest Sawyer regarding the video’s sexual content and censorship.

When asked whether she stood to make more money selling the video than airing it on MTV, she half-jokingly answered, “Yeah, so lucky me!”

She also expressed that she did not understand why the video was banned when videos containing violence and degradation to women continued to receive regular airplay.

Today in Madonna History: November 21, 1992

November 21, 2020 By in 1992, November Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

On November 21 1992, Madonna’s Erotica peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the USA.

Scott Kearnan (Boston.com) had this to say about the controversial hit single when reflecting on Madonna’s best songs:

“No pop star of her fame has been this sexually transgressive before or since… Rihanna sings about “S&M” like it’s a song about My Little Pony, but Madonna dishes on pain, pleasure, and power with the conviction of a whip crack”.

Today in Madonna History: October 26, 1992

October 26, 2020 By in 1992, October Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

sex-japan-madonna-2 sex-japan-madonna-3 sex-japan-madonna-1

On October 26 1992, Madonna’s SEX book was banned in Japan due to its controversial photos which violated the country’s censorship laws.

Here is Madonna’s perspective on pornography:

I don’t see how a guy looking at a naked girl in a magazine is degrading to women. Everyone has their sexuality. It’s how you treat people in everyday life that counts, not what turns you on in your fantasy. If all a person ever did was get off on porno movies I would say they are probably dysfunctional sexually, but I don’t think it’s unhealthy to be interested in that or get off on that. I’m not interested in porno movies because everybody is ugly and faking it and it’s just silly. They make me laugh, they don’t turn me on. A movie like In the Realm of the Senses turns me on because it’s real. I’ve been told there are some good Traci Lords movies but I’ve never seen them. I wouldn’t want to watch a snuff movie. I wouldn’t want to watch anyone get really hurt, male or female. But generally I don’t think pornography degrades women. The women who are doing it want to do it. No one is holding a gun to their head. I don’t get that whole thing. I love looking at Playboy magazine because women look great naked.

Today in Madonna History: September 24, 1992

September 24, 2020 By in 1992, September Tags: , , , , , , , 3 Comments

This is a Madonna blog so it’s generally understood that some content related to the subject is not safe for work. The following photos are definitely NSFW.  And as we enter October .. the wonderful month filled with Erotica related releases and events, you’ll only see more of it.  Enjoy!  

madonna-jpg_0 madonna-jpg_1 madonna-jpg_2 madonna-jpg_3 madonna-jpg_4 madonna-jpg_5 madonna-jpg_6 madonna-jpg_7

On September 24 1992, Madonna exposed her breasts in front of 6,000 people at a Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion show benefit at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.  The show raised $750,000 for the American Foundation For AIDS Research (AMFAR).