Madonna Week: Floor Show Part 2

continued from previous post

08 "Fever" (The Girlie Show)
In 1992 and 1993, around the time of Erotica, Body of Evidence, and The Girlie Show and after the mega triumphs of Blond Ambition and two blockbuster films (Dick Tracy and A Leauge of Their Own) there was a huge backlash against Madonna. Even those that weren't offended felt that she was taking herself too seriously. So her follow up number to the expectedly sexed-up Erotica opener, was a wide-smiled surprise; a thumping shimmying happily sweaty rendition of Fever with two of her hottest dancers ever. Pure sexy fun.

07 "Burning Up" (The Virgin Tour)
I include this number mainly because it's become hard to find and thus more powerful in its obscurity. I was suddenly reminded of it, quite vividly I might add, in the new video to "Hung Up" when Madonna mounts a boombox and gyrates away. For me it was a direct reference to her raunchiest (well...for 1985) number in her first tour. This number was mysteriously excised from the video release.


06 "Nobody Knows Me" (The ReInvention Tour)
Rare is the concert performance of Madonna's that's free of dancing spectacles or group dynamics. So, this strutting solo, a shiny and self-congratulatory ode to Herself is a welcome oddity. Not that there haven't been similar moments in her career. They're easier to find in the CDs themselves, but speaking of live performances as we are, the closest thing you'll find is a couple of moments from the "Who's That Girl?" Tour, most famously in her lengthy faux-collapse in "Live to Tell" -by the time she triumphantly picked herself back up again the crowd was in hysterics. Madonna's brother once famously remarked that "my sister is her own masterpiece." He was right of course. I love to see her acknowledge it.

05 "Like a Virgin" (Blond Ambition)
Reason number #1 why Madonna is the Queen of Pop. Unlike roughly 3/4th of her competitors, "sexy" is never the end goal. It's just the hot window dressing.

To Be Concluded...