Madonna's new album, her thirteenth studio album Rebel
Heart, is yet more proof that regardless of age, seniority, prestige, or the
heights already scaled, when you're doing something that burns from deep inside your core, there is no
expiry date or fade out to that inner drive. Talking about Madonna,
I have a confession to make: she is the only person who I could ever call a
role model. Not because of what she does, but because of her courage and her ability
to be so utterly true to herself, her dreams and her self-expression. She is someone
who, perhaps against the odds, was
always true to some kind of internal compass while at the same time expressing herself, being creative, setting
goals, and working hard and relentlessly to achieve them. She was one of the
pioneers, in the male-denominated 80's music scene, who broke apart the established
criteria for success in the world of show business. She had no outstanding voice,
no extraordinary beauty, and lacked the right connections, for example. She was
the first, soon to be followed by other talented female singers, to build her
career by herself, believing in herself, and managing her own progress,
preferences and the messages conveyed in her music. I see so much wisdom,
authenticity, determination and drive for perfection in her advancement (despite
a few hiccups along the way).
The first song released from this new album, Living For
Love, is another sign of her brave efforts to convey not only the good
things that we experience but also the weaker sides of our emotional cravings. Her
rebellious behavior, an integral part of her identity throughout her
exceptional career, is now going one step deeper, fighting anything which claims
to take over her emotions. To me, this song, in its simple and artless way, is
not only about a broken heart and disappointment, but also and perhaps more so about
the ability to know what you are worth despite the attack on your confidence.
It is about the ability to keep on going while also keeping your faith in love,
the very thing that caused your fall. Madonna may be "living for
love" (aren’t we all?) but her definition of Love is way way ahead
of its strictest meaning. Her Love represents everything we feel
passionate about; that which makes us feel self-fulfilled and alive. For
Madonna, passion is about communicating with the world on so many levels:
practically, emotionally, deliberately and intuitively. She describes how she "picked up [her] crown, put it back on [her]
head," and these other interpretations
of love that we too are experiencing are what can surely help to mitigate the
agony and bitterness and keep us moving on and living for love. Enjoy this
video clip with its beautiful aesthetics, choreography and narrative! In this realm
of dancing bulls, Madonna is quite clearly the matador par exellence!
"I picked up my crown, put it back on my head
I can forgive, but I will never forget
Took me to heaven and let me fall down
Now that it's over
I'm gonna carry on
Lifted me up, and watched me stumble
After the heartache, I'm gonna carry on
Living for love
I'm Living for love
Not gonna stop
Love's gonna lift me up"
You can choose to comment as a guest.